The Hastings rider Jeremy Vennell will take a slim lead into today's second stage of the Tour of Southland as he seeks to hold on to the tour leaders yellow jersey.
Just 25 seconds separates the top 10 riders with Vennell's time of 4 hours, 30 minutes and 35 seconds giving him a narrow two second buffer over second placed Paul Odlin of Christchurch.
The defending champion Hayden Roulston, who began yesterday's first stage with the tour leader's yellow jersey after winning Sunday's prologue, is in fifth spot, 21 seconds behind team-mate Vennell.
The tough Bluff Hill climb stage looms today starting at 10am at the Invercargill velodrome and at 140 kilometres it's considerably longer than previous years.
