The course then took them into the Hawke’s Bay wine
region, an area ever under the watch of Te Mata; the
400-metre limestone peak. Grape vines, beehives and
sheep, this area is an agricultural wonderland and the
riders were treated to some amazing roads; gravel and
bitumen.
The beach beckoned often and before long all were
riding the sands at Herbertville and were soon chal-
lenged by a ‘beach sprint’. A single rider from each team
had to complete an out and back ride at high speed with-
out dropping the bike in the at times deep and unforgiv-
ing beach sand.
Two hundred more kilometres of twisting gravel saw
the riders head to Wairarapa for the days end; almost 12
hours on the bikes.
“Today was brilliant,” nodded Australian rider, Shaun
Terblanche. “The scenery is beautiful, the tracks awe-
some.”
The Australian team had moved from 20th place on
the previous day to 8th and were showing signs of im-
pressive results. The South Koreans still led and in fact
more than doubled their lead, with France now in sec-
ond and the USA holding onto third.
Day 3 would be long as the riders were expected to
reach the Cook Strait ready for a crossing onto the South
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