Excitement is mounting for the 2020 edition of the Tour of Southland in the first week of November.

Entries have opened and already there is already significant interest and a real buzz around the tour, race director Sally Marr said.

“Lock down has been tough on cyclists, with many events cancelled, and they are keen to salvage their season with a big showing in a major event,” she said.

Many top cyclists have been unable to travel to Europe or the United States where they would usually be racing this time of year, which also makes them very keen to measure themselves against the best competition possible.

“With the impact on the international cycling season, we are quietly confident that this year’s [tour] may see one of the strongest New Zealand fields the race has played host to in many years,” Marr said.

There are some innovations in this year's tour, with the Queenstown stage of the race offering cyclists a new hill climb challenge this year.

“Over the last couple of years, the big mountain stage of the tour has taken riders up Coronet Peak. This year the riders will be racing up the Remarkables instead.

"These mountains are an iconic part of the landscape, and it promises to be a tough new challenge for the riders,” Marr said.

The first 10 km of the road up to the ski field has recently been sealed, turning it into a potential Tour of Southland stage finish. The final 3 km of the road is still unsealed.

“Changes in the route always generate some renewed interest, even more so when it introduces a challenging new climb which the riders may not have raced on before,” Marr said.

Title sponsor SBS Bank has returned to the tour this year, underlining the importance of the event to the region.

SBS Bank chief executive Shaun Drylie said he was looking forward to seeing live sport return to Southland, and was pleased the bank was again partnering with Cycling Southland.

“With COVID-19 causing disruption right across the sporting world, it’s important that events like the SBS Bank Tour of Southland can continue.

"The race showcases the province on a national and international stage, so it will be fantastic to see riders racing across Southland trying to claim the coveted title.

"It’s also heartening to see the community engagement and volunteer involvement continuing with this great race and we’re delighted to again be involved – and looking forward to seeing how the riders adjust to the course changes," Drylie said.

Marr said overseas participation may not be possible this year with continued border closures.

But she is confident this will not prove too much of a challenge for the event.

“Although we would love to have cyclists from Australia and other parts of the world taking part, with the depth of talent in New Zealand cycling we can still look forward to a highly competitive event. However, if things change and we will be able to welcome international riders by November, we would of course be thrilled,” she said.

Follow the Tour of Southland

When: November 1 - 7

Where: Prologue time trial: Invercargill. Stage 1: Invercargill to Gore. Stage 2: Riverton to Te Anau. Stage 3: Mossburn to the Remarkables. Stage 4: Invercargill to Bluff Hill. Stage 5: Invercargill to Lumsden. Stage 6 - final day am: Individual time trial in Winton. Stage 7 - final day pm: Winton to Invercargill. Winner to be crowned on Gala Street, Invercargill.