Tour of Southland leader Hayden Roulston has pulled out of the event this morning.
Roulston was not involved in an accident, and it is believed kidney stones are the reason for the withdrawal.
The pack left Te Anau at 10am this morning, with Roulston holding a lead of six seconds. He pulled out an hour into the tour's fifth stage.
PowerNet's Josh Atkins and PureBlack Racing's Scott Lyttle are now the likely candidates to compete for the yellow jersey. Roulston's Calder Stewart team-mate Jeremy Vennell took out the tour's first stage, and could also emerge as a contender.
Share the Road's Chris Macic, who started the day six seconds back from Roulston, inherits the tour lead.
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