Richie Porte
Won the stage into Masterton at the 2008 Tour of Wellington, riding for Praties, seven seconds ahead of the eventual winner Travis Meyer.
He went on to finish third overall at the 2020 Tour de France.
1990s
1998A borrowed bike on the Miramar circuitIn April 1998 the 1997 winner wrote a vivid stage diary of a puncture, a wrecked derailleur and a borrowed bike.Read race story
The 1998 tour ran in April rather than in high summer, with eight stages squeezed into 9 to 13 April. Cyclingnews carried a stage diary from Corey Sweet, the 1997 winner, who was now riding for the Australian Institute of Sport squad. His account of stage 6, a circuit of roughly 100 kilometres that went over a short, steep climb nine times, is one of the most vivid records of the race in the 1990s.
Sweet jumped across alone to a breakaway and was briefly the virtual leader on the road when his back tyre went flat. He chased back to the bunch, only for his rear derailleur to catch in the wheel and tear away from the frame. Gordon McCauley's bike, a frame six centimetres too small, carried him to the finish almost 15 minutes down. Daniel Trinne of the Compos team won that stage, and his teammate Hayden Bradbury won the next day's Mount Victoria finish on the way to the overall title.
1999Eleven stages in six daysThe February 1999 tour packed eleven stages into six days, and the Giant team took first and second overall.Read race story
In February 1999 the tour fitted eleven stages into six days, from a short time trial in Wellington on 2 February to a city criterium on 7 February. Along the way the riders went to Masterton and back, over the Akatarawa road to Waikanae, up Paekakariki Hill, out to Wainuiomata, around the Wallaceville circuit and up Hawkins Hill. The start list included teams from the United States, Italy, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.
Lee Vertongen of the Fuji Xerox team led after the first day, with Julian Dean of Giant three seconds back. Greg Henderson won two stages and Brendon Vesty won the Hawkins Hill stage, but Giant controlled the overall. Dean finished 1 minute 18 seconds clear of his teammate Cory Williams and won the closing criterium as well.
2000s
2001Heat on the Wallaceville circuitIn a rare Wellington heatwave, Chris Jenner took yellow on the Wallaceville circuit and held it up Hawkins Hill.Read race story
Wellington did not live up to its windy reputation in January 2001. Temperatures sat in the high twenties for days, and stage 4, seven laps of an Upper Hutt circuit with the Wallaceville climb on every lap, broke the field apart. With a couple of laps left, Chris Jenner, Graeme Miller, junior world champion Jeremy Yates and Australian Tim Bartholomew got clear. Jenner beat Miller in the sprint and took the yellow jersey back from his Fuji Xerox teammate Brendon Vesty.
The last morning brought a 12 kilometre climb of Hawkins Hill in 30 degree heat, with pitches of 15 and 20 per cent. Vesty won the stage and Jenner rode in third, close enough to keep the lead. The closing city criterium was dropped from the standings because the course could not be kept clear of people enjoying the sun. Jenner won by 1 minute 22 seconds from Miller, and six months later shared in his Credit Agricole team's Tour de France team time trial win.
2002Robin Reid, first day to lastRobin Reid escaped on the windy opening stage in 2002 and never gave up the yellow jersey.Read race story
Robin Reid of Avanti Cycles won the 2002 tour from the front. On the opening stage, a 25 lap criterium in the Hutt in strong wind, he went clear on the second lap with three others while his Avanti teammates controlled the bunch. The four riders lapped the field before the finish, and Reid just beat teammate Bryce Shapley in the sprint. Cyclingnews noted that he had never won a road race before.
His most serious challenger was Hayden Roulston of the Trust House New Zealand team. On stage 5 Roulston bridged to teammate Shane Melrose and the pair gained time on the bunch, until Hong Kong rider Wong Kam Po helped bring them back. Reid finished 2 minutes 35 seconds ahead of Roulston and was reported at the time as the first rider to lead the tour from start to finish.
2003Matthew Yates holds his nerveMatthew Yates started the final day just six seconds ahead and let his team control the Wallaceville circuit.Read race story
Matthew Yates came into the 2003 tour as the favourite and was closely marked all week. A report from cyclingnz.com, reprinted by Canadian Cyclist, credited his ride on the hilly fifth stage for the win. Even so, he started the last morning only 6 seconds ahead of Geoff Burndred and 24 ahead of Tim Gudsell, with the Wallaceville climb just 2 kilometres after the start.
His Subway teammates set such a pace on the first ascent that at least half the field was dropped, and Yates covered the moves that followed. Anthony Chapman attacked on the descent with 2 kilometres to go and held off the bunch with a throw of the bike; Yates was fifth and collected two more bonus seconds. In the afternoon criterium at Petone, Richard Bowker, Adam Curry and Chapman lapped the field, and Yates kept the yellow jersey.
2006Three wins in three kinds of weatherHayden Roulston won a cool criterium, a hot mountain stage and a foggy time trial on his way to the 2006 title.Read race story
Hayden Roulston's first overall victory brought together three different disciplines: a criterium, a hilltop finish and a time trial. Riding in a composite Health Net team, he took yellow on Admiral Hill after teammate Jeremy Vennell's pace put race leader Tim Gudsell under pressure.
The following morning, Roulston extended his lead in the Scorching Bay time trial, raced in coastal fog. His own stage wins did not end the team's work: in the closing criterium he helped Greg Henderson take the sprint. Roulston finished ahead of Gudsell overall, setting up his return as defending champion the next year.
2007The 20th editionThe 2007 race marked twenty years, and Hayden Roulston became the first back-to-back winner since Brian Fowler.Read race story
The 2007 Trust House Classic was billed as the 20th edition. Cyclingnews marked the anniversary by listing earlier starters such as Robbie McEwen, Michael Rogers, Julian Dean, Chris Jenner and the world track champion Danny Clark. Seven stages ran from 24 to 28 January, starting with a team time trial at Avalon in Lower Hutt and ending with the traditional Petone criterium.
Defending champion Hayden Roulston, who had won the national road title shortly before, rode for Trek-Zookeepers Cafe. He won the long stage to Pahiatua and the time trial on the Miramar peninsula, while David Pell won the Admiral Hill finish. Roulston's teammate Gordon McCauley won the Featherston to Masterton stage and the Petone criterium. Roulston finished 1 minute 56 seconds ahead of Craig McCartney, the first rider to win in consecutive years since Brian Fowler.
2008An 18 year old in yellowTravis Meyer won the 2008 tour at 18, while a young Richie Porte took a stage into Masterton.Read race story
Travis Meyer of the SouthAustralia.com-AIS team was 18 when he won the 2008 Trust House Cycle Classic, raced from 30 January to 3 February. Another young Australian took one of the stages he did not win: Richie Porte, riding for Praties, won the 133.5 kilometre stage into Masterton on 31 January, seven seconds ahead of Meyer.
The final day doubled up in Wellington. In the morning riders set off at two minute intervals from Scorching Bay for a 12 kilometre time trial around the Miramar peninsula. In the afternoon came a city criterium on a lap of just over a minute. A Scoop report said Meyer, his lead already safe, had lapped all but six riders by halfway. He won by 2 minutes 55 seconds from Robin Reid, and Sandoval later said he had reached the podium on five of the seven stages.
2010s
2010Torckler's climb and a washed out finaleMichael Torckler won the 2010 tour by five seconds after a solo chase to Admiral Hill.Read race story
The 2010 Tour of Wellington was decided on its second day, about 110 rolling kilometres from Masterton to the top of Admiral Hill. An early break including Lachlan Norris, Heath Blackgrove and Michael Vink was later joined by national champion Jack Bauer and others, while race leader Peter McDonald, the 2009 winner, stayed in the bunch. Michael Torckler of the Cardno team then attacked alone from the peloton and joined the leaders before the final climb.
Only five riders were left at the foot of Admiral Hill. Torckler and Norris were the strongest, and Torckler won by five seconds to take the lead. Later in the week Australian Michael Matthews won the Gladstone circuit stage in a bunch sprint. The final criterium in Wellington was officially cancelled because of extremely poor weather; Bauer won it unofficially, but it did not count, and Torckler won the tour by five seconds from Norris.
2011Bennett holds on in the cityGeorge Bennett lost 47 seconds to a dangerous break in the 2011 finale and still won the tour.Read race story
George Bennett of the Cardno team went into the 2011 finale, a criterium through central Wellington, as race leader. A four rider break went clear with Westley Gough of Subway Pro Cycling, Nathan Earle, Lachlan Norris and Patrick Lane, who was second overall.
Gough weighed up going solo but waited for the sprint, then came past the others in the final corner to beat Earle, who had been chasing his fourth stage win of the week. Bennett finished 47 seconds behind the break but held on to win the tour by 38 seconds from Lane, with James Williamson third. Cyclingnews reported that he was about to leave New Zealand to ride for the Trek-Livestrong under 23 team. Aaron Gate, a future two time winner, was eighth on the stage.
2012A new home in the ManawatuIn its 25th year the race moved to Palmerston North, and Jay McCarthy won by nine seconds.Read race story
For the race's 25th year, Sandoval moved it to Palmerston North and renamed it the New Zealand Cycle Classic. He told Cyclingnews he had hoped to finish in central Wellington, but the UCI would not let a tour end with a criterium and the city council considered a Miramar finish unlikely. On stage 2, in strong winds, a 21 rider break went clear inside the first 40 kilometres. With 40 kilometres left Jay McCarthy of Jayco-AIS attacked with Darren Lapthorne of Drapac; McCarthy won the stage and Lapthorne took yellow by three seconds.
McCarthy was second in the stage 4 sprint, and the time bonus put him three seconds ahead going into the last day. Joseph Cooper went up the road with 20 kilometres to go, but McCarthy's teammate Nick Aitken went with him and the pair were caught 10 kilometres out. Aaron Gate won the sprint, Patrick Bevin took the sprint jersey, and McCarthy won the tour by nine seconds.
2016A broken seat post on Admiral HillBen O'Connor won the 2016 Admiral Hill stage despite a snapped seat post and went on to win overall.Read race story
A broken seat post could have ended Ben O'Connor's challenge on Admiral Hill. Instead, with the summit close, he kept riding out of the saddle. He won the decisive fourth stage and took both the yellow jersey and the under 23 lead for Avanti IsoWhey Sports.
The final day offered little relief. Crosswinds and repeated attacks tested O'Connor and teammate Mark O'Brien, but they defended the team's first and second places overall. O'Connor won by 31 seconds, with Stephen Williams third and Mike Cuming taking the final stage. It was an early success for a rider who would later win a Tour de France mountain stage.
2017Storm at Castlepoint, thirty years onThe 30th anniversary race opened with a storm at Castlepoint and ended with Joseph Cooper in yellow.Read race story
The 2017 race, promoted as the 30th anniversary of the tour, was held entirely in the Wairarapa. Its new opening stage ran 121 kilometres from Masterton to Castlepoint and ended in a sudden storm, with torrential rain and high winds as the riders reached the coast. Tim Roe of IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness attacked on the final hill and held on down the descent to win.
Further back, Olympic champion rower Hamish Bond, racing for Team Blindz Direct, finished 43 seconds down despite falling early in the stage, and British track rider Ed Clancy, spending a year on the road, was 1 minute 31 seconds behind. Roe's teammate Joseph Cooper, the new national road champion, won the overall by 36 seconds from Logan Griffin. Cooper said it was the team's second title in a row after O'Connor's win in 2016. Alex Frame won the final stage in Masterton.
2018Five seconds before the last dayHayden McCormick started the final day five seconds behind and won the 2018 title in a frantic finish.Read race story
Robert Stannard of Skoda Racing took the yellow jersey on the 152 kilometre stage to Admiral Hill, raced in heavy heat and won by Ian Bibby of JLT Condor, a day after his teammate Matthew Gibson won stage 3. That left Stannard 5 seconds ahead of Hayden McCormick of the New Zealand team going into the final day in Masterton.
Over 12 laps of a 120 kilometre circuit, the New Zealand, Skoda and JLT Condor teams all put riders into a string of breakaways. About 11 riders contested the finish. Jordan Kerby won, Bibby was second and McCormick fourth, while Stannard came in 17th. McCormick won the tour by 12 seconds from Bibby, with Stannard third. Sandoval told the Otago Daily Times it was the most exciting race he had seen in 31 years.
2019A season in the WaikatoThe 2019 race moved to Cambridge, where Aaron Gate won the first stage and never gave up the lead.Read race story
The 2019 edition, the race's 32nd year according to the UCI, was raced around Cambridge in the Waikato. Aaron Gate of EvoPro Racing won the 132 kilometre opening stage from a two man break with Matthew Zenovich that finished more than a minute ahead of the bunch, and he never lost the yellow jersey.
The next two stages ended in bunch sprints. Stage 4 ran 144 kilometres to the top of Maungakawa Hill, where the field broke apart on the final climb. Jesse Featonby won, Jay Vine was second and Gate third, seven seconds down, with EvoPro teammate Daniel Whitehouse fourth. Another sprint closed the race, and Gate won by 1 minute 9 seconds from Featonby, with Vine third.
2020s
2020Field's solo climbRylee Field won the 2020 tour with a solo climb of Admiral Hill and a nervy final day.Read race story
Rylee Field of Team BridgeLane rode away alone on Admiral Hill on the Saturday of the 2020 race and took a 26 second lead over Aaron Gate of Black Spoke into the last day. His team had a rider on the podium every day of the tour.
Sunday's 120 kilometre stage, 12 flat laps near Masterton, was far from quiet. Marcus Culey of Team Sapura went clear alone and at one point led by more than a minute, and Black Spoke's James Oram joined him before both were caught. Field finished 19th, and Dylan Kennett won the sprint from Field's teammate Jensen Plowright. Field won by 25 seconds from Gate, with Corbin Strong third and Finn Fisher-Black taking the mountains classification.
2021Racing through a pandemicIn January 2021 the race opened the UCI road season and finished in Wellington for the first time in ten years.Read race story
With the early-season races in Australia cancelled because of the pandemic, the January 2021 race went ahead under a UCI dispensation that let it run without the usual number of international teams. New Zealand had no limits on gatherings at the time, so fans were free to line the roads.
After about 400 kilometres of racing in the Wairarapa, the final stage returned to Wellington for the first time in ten years. The overall came down to the last sprint, raced in wet and windy conditions in front of a large crowd. Corbin Strong, 20, won by eight seconds from Finn Fisher-Black, with Aaron Gate third. Earlier that day the first Cycle the Golden Mile community ride took families around the same city circuit.
2022A breakaway that lasted all dayMark Stewart won yellow from a breakaway that gained 15 minutes, then won the new Te Wharau Hill finish.Read race story
Mark Stewart, a Scottish track and road rider who had stayed in New Zealand after the first lockdown, won the 2022 race for Bolton Equities Black Spoke. His team won the opening team time trial in Masterton. On stage 2, a 158 kilometre day east of Masterton, Stewart was the only Black Spoke rider in a 14 rider break that formed after about 20 kilometres and stayed away, at one point 15 minutes clear. Keegan Hornblow won the sprint and Stewart, two seconds back, took yellow.
The Queen stage covered 137.2 kilometres with five major climbs and a new finish on Te Wharau Hill, whose final steep ramp is known locally as The Wall. Under pressure from several teams in the heat, Stewart won ahead of Ollie Jones and George Bennett and stretched his lead to 38 seconds. In central Wellington his teammate Regan Gough won the final stage and Stewart, sixth, sealed the title.
2023The tail of Cyclone HaleThe 2023 race opened in the remnants of Cyclone Hale, and James Oram led from that first day.Read race story
The tail of Cyclone Hale soaked the Wairarapa on the first day of the 2023 race. With the rain getting heavier and debris on the roads causing punctures, sixteen of them on one stretch alone, Sandoval agreed with the UCI chief commissaire to cut the 158 kilometre stage by about 30 kilometres. James Oram of Bolton Equities Black Spoke went early from a group of five, before the finish line came into view, and just held off Ryan Cavanagh.
Oram kept the yellow jersey for the rest of the week. His teammates Josh Burnett, on the stage finishing at Admiral Hill, and Luke Mudgway, on the Miramar Peninsula, also won stages, and Mudgway took the sprint title. On Lambton Quay, Lucas Carstensen of Germany won the closing criterium, the only stage that week won by an overseas rider. Oram took the title by five seconds from Burnett.
2024Four stage wins in the final editionAaron Gate won four of five stages in January 2024, the last edition of the race.Read race story
The last edition, from 10 to 14 January 2024, belonged to Aaron Gate of the New Zealand national team, who won four of the five stages. On the Queen stage to Admiral Hill, with temperatures forecast to reach 30 degrees, his teammates pulled back the day's break from the bottom of the climb, and Gate won from Elliott Schultz and Ollie Jones. He said afterwards that the headwind on the climb had suited him.
Stage 4 brought back the Carrington circuit near Carterton, which Sandoval said he had last used about eight or nine years earlier. Gate was leading out George Jackson when Jackson crashed on the final corner, so Gate held his position and won the sprint himself. He won again on Lambton Quay in gusty winds and took the title by 33 seconds from Schultz, joining Brian Fowler, Ric Reid and Hayden Roulston as the only riders to win the tour more than once.