Dion Smith has recorded a slice of New Zealand cycling history at the Tour de France.
The 25-year-old has claimed the polka-dot jersey at the end of Stage Two of the 2018 event - making him the first-ever Kiwi to wear a leader's jersey at the famous race.
It's also the first Tour de France leader's jersey for his Belgian team, Wanty-Groupe Gobert.
The polka- dot jersey is awarded to the 'King of the Mountain' in Le Tour.
Points are given to the first riders to reach the top of each designated climb. More points are given for difficult climbs.
Difficulty is judged by the length and average steepness of the climb.
"It was very special to be on the Tour podium," Smith said after the race. "I think I am the first New Zealander to achieve this, something to be proud of.
“To represent my country and Wanty-Groupe Gobert here is fantastic.”
Smith claimed the jersey after he got into an early breakaway, alongside Austrian Michael Gogl and French stalwart Sylvain Chavanel, and timed his charge up the hill to perfection to claim the solitary mountain point on offer.
The point put him tied at the top of the mountain classification with Kevin Ledanois, but as he is ranked higher on the general classification, he gets the honour of wearing the jersey.
"The plan was to go full for the polka-dot jersey today. After conquering the points, I wanted to save power with an eye on the upcoming days.
"The team time trial is very important for our leader, Guillaume Martin. We want to limit the loss of time.
“Tomorrow, I will stay in the jersey, and over the next days, I will do everything I can to preserve it."
World champion Peter Sagan won the stage in a sprint finish to take the leader's yellow jersey.
The Slovak takes the overall lead from Stage One winner Fernando Gaviria, who crashed towards the end of the second day. Kiwi Smith is currently 34th, 16 seconds behind Sagan.
The third stage of the tour is a 35km team time trial in Cholet.
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