Tour of Murray River
Stage 4 Criterium 25km’s.
This morning’s stage was flat and fast, 46km/hr fast! It also featured four corners over an 850m circuit,
so where you started is where you finished. Sam and Logan were quite proactive through the opening
stages of the race, however by the end of the 35min session we were all ready to get off our bikes.
The amount of corners and the speed of the race dictated a context where no rider could really leave
the groups fold, therefore a sprint was inevitable. All the riders finished with bunch time and ready for
the afternoons stage. The race was not easy however with the average wattage of 277watts being
recorded through my Quark Power cranks.
Stage 5, Road Race 82km’s.
This afternoon’s stage featured more flat roads and several cross wind sections. The speed was high and
almost instantly a break moved off the front of the field with me and several other riders from the major
teams present. All the riders from Drapac, Fly V, SASI, Budget Forklifts, and Bike Bug were pulling in an
effort to get clear of the peloton.
This move was a significant one as we immediately rode out to around a 50second advantage. The riders
in the front were rolling smoothly but the intensity was not high enough as gradually our margin
diminished. The riders focus on pulling hard in the front group was mediated by the fact that Genesis
rider, Pat Shaw, was sitting on the back of the break refusing to pull a turn. Instead he was sprinting only
for the intermediate time bonus’s as they came up.
Eventually the field caught our front group and again the attacks began to wear the field down, Andrew,
Logan and Sam were very prominent in the front of the field and rode clear on several occasions in small
groups. It is both heartening to see our team, small in number compared to the other established teams,
being so prominent in establishing and assisting the breakaway chances that eventuated.
Finally Logan again broke clear and rode solo down the road just prior to a sprint bonus, unfortunately
the Drapac train caught him on the line however he did claim some bonus time/points through his solo
efforts. For this stage in 2 out of the 3 sprints Plan B riders attained bonus’s.
With the field back together we faced the prospect of another bunch sprint. However we entered a
massive cross-tailwind section and this was a blessing. Experience tells me that if a group of riders ride
hard near the gutter opposite the side of the road where the wind is coming from, eventually gaps will
begin to open. And open they did…
Sam and Andrew were pushing forward continually through these dangerous sections as the goal was
making the front echelon. I continually hit out down the gutter until I had established a move that began
to ride clear off the front of the field. Due to the winds and the high speed the riders behind were not in
the safety of the pelotons draft as the cross wind had pushed the field to its limits and into the gutter of
the road.
With 10km’s remaining I found myself in a front group of around 10riders featuring some very highprofile athletes and some of Australia’s better bike riders. Again Drapac pulled hard on the front assisted
by myself and several of the New-Zealand team riders, with Pat Shaw sitting comfortably on the rear of
the field. With no team mates in the break and Pat sitting highest on GC his role was to consolidate his
standing and not lose any time, hence the conservative nature of his riding.
The finish included 7 corners in the final 1.8kms. This technical end I had studied previously as a corner
can present a huge opportunity in defending your position in the front train as it approaches the final
finishing line. I had instructed Andrew to sit on the group and not work as he was well poised to finish
high on the Young rider classification. However with 1km to go he and I were sitting around 10th wheel
with 4 corners remaining.
I instructed Andrew to take me forward and to his credit he did so and placed me in the front 5. From
here my job was simple: get into the final corner with 250meters remaining in the front 3. The final
meters consisted of several blind corners as I struggled to position myself better then 5th wheel.
Eventually we entered the finishing straight as I was unable to come around the final riders to run home
5th.
Andrew had finished one of his best races so far this year and had lost a small amount of time to the
leaders as his efforts in the final took its toll. He had sacrificed himself for the good of the team. So now
the team is looking at having a rider in the top 10 classment, a 3rd position on teams classification and
Andrew well poised on the young rider classment.
Still this tour is but young and we have many opportunities readily available to improve and consolidate
these standings. In all, a better day we had today. Thanks for reading again. Brad.