It was deja vu for Cambridge rider Patterson (C Brown Builders-Olphert Contracting) as he headed home a bunch sprint on the Te Anau lakefront 12 months after winning the same stage.
However, a lot has happened to the under-23 rider since he last tasted victory.
"After Southland last year I got a heart problem, myocarditis, and have had pretty much eight months off the bike. I only hopped back on the bike seven weeks ago and started training for this," Patterson said.
"I wanted to get something out of the year and managed to pull off a stage win, so I’m stoked. It’s really big for me to be here.
"I wasn’t even sure I’d come. Tommo [race director Glen Thomson] messaged me asking if I wanted to come for a ride and he had Julian Dean to look after me. [Julian] is pretty unreal — when he says something you listen."
It was another exacting day for the peloton as fine conditions and a lack of wind resulted in the riders averaging 47.5kmh over the first hour.
Breaks formed and were swallowed up before Australian Marcus Culey (Share the Road-Macaulay Ford) and Max Campbell (C Brown Builders-Olphert Contracting) stole away.
By the time they crested the Blackmount Hill they had built nearly a 7min advantage with 50km left in the stage and were creating some nerves for the likes of Patterson before the peloton got into its work and shut the attack down.
"I thought for sure they were going to stay away," Patterson said.
"They had seven minutes at one point and the peloton didn’t seem too motivated and the stage was gone, but with five minutes to go they came back and the legs came back pretty good and I gave it a good nudge," he said.
Creation Signs-MitoQ rider Ben Oliver was second on the stage, and Gough third, enough to retain his slim lead in the general classification heading into today’s Queen Stage finish on the Remarkables.
Gough is 4sec ahead of Australian Sam Jenner (Central Benchmakers-Willbike) overall, with Glen Haden at 9sec. Leading over-35 rider Ben Oliver leads a group of four riders 10sec in arrears.
"Tomorrow is a big day so if we were to concede the jersey today it wouldn’t have been a bad thing but we find ourselves in it for another day," Gough said.
"It’s great for the team, the sponsors and we’ll go again tomorrow."
Marshall Erwood retained the lead in the under-23 classification to continue what has been a strong debut tour, while fellow Southlander Nick Kergozou leads the sprint ace category and Quality Foods Southland lead the team classification.
Day three
Leading results
Results of stage three, a 148km stage from Riverton to Te Anau.—
Zakk Patterson (Brown Builders-Olphert Contracting) 3hr 30min, 1; Ben Oliver (Creation Signs-MitoQ) same time, 2; Regan Gough (Quality Food Services Southland) st, 3; Kiaan Watts (PowerNet) st, 4; Maui Morrison (PRV-Pista Corsa) st, 5.
General classification: Gough 4hr 25min 48sec, 1; Samuel Jenner (Central Benchmakers-Willbike) 4sec behind, 1; Glenn Haden (Couplands-Booths Logistics) 9sec, 3; Oliver 10sec, 4; Boris Clark (Quality Food Services Southland) st, 5.
