2004 Canberra Tour
Race Reports - Stage 1 - Stage 2 - Stage 3
(Thanks to Mark Carter)
Prologue Results
Mens A Grade
Womens A Grade Day 1 Results
Men A GC - KOM
Men B GC - KOM
Men C GC - KOM
Men D GC - KOM
Men Masters GC - KOM
Women A GC - KOM
Women B GC - KOM Day 2 Results
Men A GC - KOM
Men B GC - KOM
Men C GC - KOM
Men D GC - KOM
Men Masters GC - KOM
Women A GC - KOM
Women B GC - KOM
Stage 1
Mens Race Stage 1 (75km) Young Victorian Jonathan Clarke took the opening stage in the 2004 Canberra
Tour, from Ben Jonhston and Simon Gerrans, after a group of 10 broke clear on the climb out of Uriarra Crossing on the first lap at 25km covered on the 75km stage.
Caleb Manion and Clarke went clear on the climb and were joined by Simon Gerrans and Ben Johnston and a short while later another group of five which included James Meadley and Peter Milostic.
The group took time straight away as most Clubs and Teams were represented in the break and the chase shut down.
By the time the break crested Mt McDonald for the second time the lead was 4.00 with 50km covered.' With about 20km we all started attacking and the tactics come into play, as
there were two Tasmanian Institute of Sport guys there, as well as Simon Gerrans and myself from VIS' said Clarke. The two Victorians Simon Gerrans and Jonathan Clarke were the main protaganists, along with Caleb Manion of Tasmania and Ben Johnston of Queensland.' With 5km to go I ended up getting away with Ben Johnston and we came in together and contested the sprint' The duo helf their slender lead to the line, with Clarke taking the sprint from Johnston and Gerrans cleaning upthe remainder of the break for third.
Stage 1
1 Clarke, Jonathan.... 1:48:50
2 Johnson, Ben........ 1:48:51
3 Gerrans, Simon...... 1:48:51
4 Manion, Caleb....... 1:48:51
5 Collins, Seth....... 1:48:52
6 Milostic, Peter..... 1:48:52
7 Meadley, James...... 1:48:54
8 Higgerson, Shaun.... 1:48:54
9 Crawford, Jai....... 1:49:02
10 Humbert, Ashley..... 1:49:23
GC After Stage 1
34 1:56:22 0:00:00 1 Clarke, Jonathan....
76 1:56:29 0:00:07 2 Milostic, Peter.....
35 1:56:30 0:00:08 3 Gerrans, Simon......
25 1:56:53 0:00:31 4 Meadley, James......
99 1:56:58 0:00:36 5 Collins, Seth.......
78 1:57:02 0:00:40 6 Higgerson, Shaun....
54 1:57:10 0:00:48 7 Johnson, Ben........
97 1:57:15 0:00:53 8 Manion, Caleb.......
86 1:57:15 0:00:53 9 Humbert, Ashley.....
64 1:57:28 0:01:06 10 Crawford, Jai.......
Women's A Grade (75km)
The A Grade Women remained together for the most part and ended in a bunch sprint in this morning's stage.
Oenone Wood led the sprint out from the final corner, some 400m from the finish and no one could get near. Wood won the sprint from Hayley Rutherford of WA and overnight leader Kate Bates. Wood won both Queen Of the Mountain sprints and holds both jerseys, however Gollan will wear the QOM jersey as the second placed rider in the classification.
GC After Stage 1
543 2:22:58 0:00:00 1 Wood, Oenone........
526 2:23:15 0:00:17 2 Bates, Katherine....
521 2:23:19 0:00:21 3 Gollan, Olivia......
503 2:23:26 0:00:28 4 Watt, Kathryn.......
505 2:23:34 0:00:36 5 Hemsley, Margaret...
522 2:23:41 0:00:43 6 Yaxley, Louise......
527 2:23:46 0:00:48 7 Bates, Natalie......
501 2:23:49 0:00:51 8 James, Emma.........
548 2:23:52 0:00:54 9 Rutherford, Hayley..
524 2:24:08 0:01:10 10 Rhodes, Alexis...... Stage 2
Men's A Grade
Rob McLachlan stamped his authority on the men's A grade race this afternoon, proving he is the form rider in Australia in 2004, 12 years after hanging up the bike.
On the first of two 37.5km laps of the Uriarra/Cotter circuit, McLachlan put 100 riders in the gutter across the false flat between Uriarra and Mt McDonald. While most were scrambling to find a wheel McLachlan accelerated and only four could go with him.
The five man group steadily amassing a five minute lead over the peloton by the time they reached the final climb of the day, 10km of up hill from the Cotter to the finish.
McLachlan's first surge had the group down to three, a kilometre later there were two, just Mclachlan and 2001 Canberra Tour winner Klayten Smith. From the KOM sprint with 5km to go McLachlan went again and rode solo, big ringing it up the final kilometres to secure a solo victory ahead of Smith.
Johnston who made the break in the morning stage is now the wearer of the yellow jersey, with 2.54 lead over McLachlan going into the third and final gruelling stage. McLachlan, weighing in at around 83kg is the biggest rider in the A grade field. The feat of smashing the best climbers in the country that much more impressive, from the big man.
Race organisers have brought the start times forward by one hour tomorrow, to try and beat the heat as much as possible, with 37 degrees forecast, after a sweltering 36 today, in the desolate 'moonscapesque' terrain, post the 2003 bushfires, which have left literally no trees standing and no shade for the riders in the district of this race.
Women's Race
Oenone Wood made it two wins from two stages today, as she sprinted to victory again ahead of Hayley Rutherford from WA and Englishwoman Sara Symington.
After 2km Tasmanian Naomi Williams attacked and the bunch let her go, with Christine Riakos also jumping clear in pursuit 5km later. Riakos was unable to catch Williams and after the QOM climb out of Uriarra Crossing, Riakos was reeled back in.
On the final 10km climb to the finish, Kym Shirley was active from the bottom of the climb, splitting the main group. Williams was caught just before the QOM sprint with five kilometres to go. A lead group of about ten had formed to contest the QOM.
Hemsley was agressive over the final kilometres, but the bunch ultimately reformed with dropped riders getting back on.
Into the finish straight Margaret Hemsley attacked. Sara Symington covered the move and commenced the sprint, before being overhauled by Oenone Wood, with Hayley Rutherford coming of Wood's wheel, but was unable to get around, making it a carbon copy 1-2 from the first stage, where Wood ran out the winner over Rutherford.
The win further cemented Wood in her Yellow jersey, ahead of tomorrow's 108km stage to Honeysuckle Creek and return. Stage 3
Men’s A Grade 130km (Race reduced from 148km due to severe heat).
McLachlan Goes Back to Back, But Not Enough.
Comeback King, Rob McLachlan made it back to back victories by winning the ‘Queen’ stage of the Canberra Tour, the third and final stage, out over the notorious Fitz’s Hill.
The race was shortened from 148km to 130km due to the forecast 37 degree temperatures, as well as starting an hour earlier to beat the heat.
An early break went away with consisting of Rory Sutherland, Glen Stojanow and Bernie Sulzberger, on the hill just after the Pierces Creek KOM, at 15km covered.
The bunch was losing momentum as the lead trio were amassing a good lead, so in an effort to organise a chase, McLachlan commented: “We talked about getting one of the Caravello (Team) guys on the front, if Ben Johnson put one of his guys (Queensland Academy of Sport) on the front.”
“Meanwhile another group of five guys went away, but they weren’t going as strong, so we just left our guys Nigel Dunstone, Tim Buchanan and Tony Mann on the front riding temo and we caught that group of five just over the top of Fitz’s Hill (60km), but Rory’s group were still out in front and still had about four minutes at the turn-around (65km).” said McLachlan.
When the main field reached the Cotter (120km) they caught the lead trio. “I thought Rory had done a good ride and I felt for him” after being away for 100km, said McLachlan.
“There were around 20 riders at the bottom of the climb and I was feeling really good and there were a few attacks going and the next minute I looked around and there were six blokes left and I thought, yeah I am feeling alright.”
“Phil Thuaux was sitting third overall only 30 seconds behind me, so he was putting in some big attacks and I saw Ben Johnson trying to close the gap and I saw him starting to struggle and I was sitting in pretty comfortably, so as soon as I saw him starting to struggle I booted it and went straight over the top of Thuaux and Klayten Smith and I started swapping off with Caleb Manion (Tasmania)”
“I led it into the final straight and he came from behind, probably a bit too far out actually and I was keeping an eye on him and I just got in behind him and beat him in the sprint…So I’m pretty happy!”
Asked whether he was glad the race was shortened and McLachlan replied:
“I would have rathered gone all the way, ‘cause by going all the way I had more of a chance of winning the tour. As the race went longer and longer I felt stronger and stronger.”
The 20 second time bonus for winning still had no effect on Johnson’s lead 2.54, as Johnston came in eighth, just five seconds behind McLachlan. The young Queenslander Johnson running out the winner over McLachlan, from NSW’s Thuaux. Phil Thuaux also took out the King Of the Mountains classification.
Rob McLachlan also donned the Cycling Australia leader’s jersey as the leading point-scorer in the Australian Road Series.
Stage 3 (130km) Results
- 33 McLachlan, Robert... 1 3:33:38 41.6
- 97 Manion, Caleb....... 2 3:33:38 41.6
- 37 Thuaux, Phillip..... 3 3:33:43 41.6
- 23 Crake, Paul......... 4 3:33:43 41.6
- 42 Smith, Klayten...... 5 3:33:43 41.6
- 18 Walker, William..... 6 3:33:43 41.6
- 4 Pollock, Rhys....... 7 3:33:43 41.6
- 54 Johnson, Ben........ 8 3:33:43 41.6
- 28 Sutherland, Rory.... 9 3:34:20 41.4
- 12 Wyper, Andrew....... 10 3:34:20 41.4
Final General Classification
- 1 7:28:36 0:00:00 Johnson, Ben........
- 2 7:31:06 0:02:30 McLachlan, Robert...
- 3 7:31:58 0:03:22 Thuaux, Phillip.....
- 4 7:34:10 0:05:34 Pollock, Rhys.......
- 5 7:34:10 0:05:34 Smith, Klayten......
- 6 7:35:06 0:06:30 Crake, Paul.........
- 7 7:35:17 0:06:41 Manion, Caleb.......
- 8 7:35:24 0:06:48 Gerrans, Simon......
- 9 7:36:09 0:07:33 Humbert, Ashley.....
- 10 7:36:09 0:07:33 Meadley, James......
Mactier Storms to Victory and Third Overall
Katie Mactier scored a resounding solo victory, by two minutes over the main field, in the third and final 108km stage of the Canberra Tour.
In the opening stages, Kathy Watt was the most aggressive, trying to get clear, but her breaks were never quite sticking.
“Everyone was probably a little tentative, either not knowing the terrain or certainly with the weather conditions being so hot and I daresay that yesterday would have taken a bit out of the girls” said Mactier, resulting in a steady tempo for the first half.
Just on the approach to the halfway point Tasmainian Naomi Williams put in a big attack and found herself riding away to a good lead, which blew out as far as four minutes.
“I saw an opportunity to roll off the front, with about 15km to go (Just prior to descending down to the cotter). Williams was still up the road so I thought I’d get across to her.”
“When I caught Williams I found she had nothing left, so I just time trialled to the finish line”
Mactier amassed a lead of 1.50 over the final 10km up out of the cotter and soloed to victory. Williams paid the price for being out in front for so long and lost over ten minutes in the final 10km.
In the bunch sprint Oenone Wood won the kick, ahead of Tina Mayolo (USA) and Miho Oki (Japan).
Mactier moved up from 20th place overnight (after losing 2.06 in the prologue time trial after taking a wrong turn), to claim third place overall.
Oenone Wood won two stages and finished second in the other two stages. Wood ended up winning not only the yellow jersey for General Classification, but also won the Queen Of the Mountains (QOM) Classification for the mountain sprints, beating NSW’s Olivia Gollan into second place on both classifications.
Oenone Wood also donned the Cycling Australia leader’s jersey as the leading point-scorer in the Australian Road Series.
Stage 3 (108km) Results
- 1 511 Mactier, Katie...... 3:24:44 31.7
- 2 543 Wood, Oenone........ 3:26:35 31.4
- 3 540 Mayolo, Tina...... 3:26:35 31.4
- 4 518 Oki, Miho........... 3:26:35 31.4
- 5 521 Gollan, Olivia...... 3:26:35 31.4
- 6 500 Ridder, Jessica..... 3:26:35 31.4
- 7 501 James, Emma......... 3:26:35 31.4
- 8 539 Shirley, Kym........ 3:26:35 31.4
- 9 505 Hemsley, Margaret... 3:26:35 31.4
- 10 522 Yaxley, Louise...... 3:26:35 31.4
Final General Classifiaction
- 1 543 7:00:43 0:00:00 Wood, Oenone........
- 2 521 7:01:33 0:00:50 Gollan, Olivia......
- 3 511 7:01:35 0:00:52 Mactier, Katie......
- 4 503 7:01:46 0:01:03 Watt, Kathryn.......
- 5 505 7:01:52 0:01:09 Hemsley, Margaret...
- 6 522 7:02:01 0:01:18 Yaxley, Louise......
- 7 501 7:02:09 0:01:26 James, Emma.........
- 8 518 7:02:29 0:01:46 Oki, Miho...........
- 9 527 7:02:29 0:01:46 Bates, Natalie......
- 10 500 7:02:39 0:01:56 Ridder, Jessica.....
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