Quite a tough course for the Kiwi's which contains a nasty 4km climb withing a 15km or so circuit.
No doubting the biggest star in this part of the world with Sam Bewley rivalling rugby players and cricketers for fame. Jack Bauer has been a touch disappointing for Meiji Fuji but he would be second favourite here.
George Bennett is one of the standout younger riders though there are other useful U25's who could really place New Zealand on the cycle racing map and who knows maybe rival Australia.
Predictably a break gets up the road. It contains one of the stalwarts of Kiwi bike racing Hayden Roulston, he is accompanied by two of these youngsters in Tom Scully and Westley Gough.
With only twelve riders on the startline this makes one quarter of the pack clear. Make that one third as Timothy Gudsell joins the party.
It isn't the usual break romps away and wins this event though as the groups lead with 50km to go is still a sensible three minutes. Scully falls on the descent of the third to last climb.
This provokes a strange reaction from the pack, as Scully picks himself up and races back to his three breakaways the pack start to look at each other and ease back.
To such a degree that the gap grows to five minutes with 25km to go. Bewley is seen remonstrating with the others, but Oz Cycling believe in Gough up front. His chances are improved when Gudsell gets dropped on the penultimate climb.
So one experienced man goes but the other is a tougher cookie, in fact he seems to be the strongest and decides to start attacking as we get onto the final lap.
His first attack gets him 20 seconds clear but Gough and Scully claw their way back on the climb.
Roulstan attacks again near the top of the climb but it is powderpuff as the two young sprinters again battle back too him.
Roulstan seems resigned to his fate as both Gough and Scully keep him at the front. They leave it until 1200m to go to make their moves.
Gough goes hardest first getting a bike length that he holds all the way to the finish.
