The Wellington rider Joseph Cooper has won the New Zeland Cycle Classic in the Wairarapa.
Cooper, who earlier this month won the New Zealand Road Cycle Championship, was presented the overall tour leader's yellow jersey after topping the general classification points table in 15 hours 24 mins and 45 seconds.
New Zealand cyclist Joseph Cooper. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
He finished 36 seconds ahead of another New Zealander Logan Griffin and New Zealand National team rider James Oram.
Cooper's overall victory also helped his Australian team IsoWhey Sports secure the team's classification title.
"We came into this tour, after winning it last year with Ben O'Conner," said Cooper after today's fifth and final stage held in hot and dry conditions in Masterton.
"We always come here and bring the best team we can. We had Tim Roe in the yellow on day one and day two threw up a curve ball for us and we reworked the plans and came up with a new plan fighting to get the yellow back and we did that. Today was more about having a little more control over the bunch. The hard work had already been done so we just had to ride the distance today."
New Zealand's Alex Frame won today's stage five in 2hours 43minutes and 49seconds - just ahead of New Zealand National rider Luke Mudgway.
James Oram held onto the King of the Mountain jersey and Brad Evans took the green ace sprint jersey.
Many of the riders in the Classic now head to next week's Herald Sun Tour in Melbourne, Australia.
