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Tour Of Tasmania Day 2 – Stages 3 & 4

Meyer clings to lead but under threat

By news@gippsland - 4th October 2007 - Back to News

Welcome to Tasmania and some of the more brutal weather the Apple Isle has experienced in recent times.

That was the message visiting mainland and international cyclists were greeted with in Wednesday’s second day of the Jayco Tour of Tasmania, the final leg of the Timbercorp Cup National Cycling Series.

Former Australian criterium champion Richard England won the morning criterium in Ulverstone before the heavens opened and dumped consistent rain and powerful winds for the afternoon’s road stage from Ulverstone to Penguin.

Seventeen-year-old Geelong star Leigh Howard claimed his second win of the tour, while his 19-year-old WA adversary Cameron Meyer maintained his slender hold on the General Classification leaderboard, with a gutsy fourth in the afternoon race.

Cameron Meyer’s overall tour lead has now been extended to 25 seconds from his younger brother Travis, while Englishman Tom Southam inched his way into third, while Leigh Howard remains fourth.

Defending champion Kristian House fell to ninth, 3.55 minutes behind Meyer after a less-than-average fourth stage, which saw him finish 12.07 minutes behind Howard and 10 behind the tour leader.

But with four days of tough racing still remaining, the tour is wide open.

Flowery Gully rider Bernard Sulzberger is now the leading Tasmania – fifth overall – at 2.29 minutes behind.

How the day unfolded –

STAGE 3

Unheralded Victorian Richard England caught the big guns napping when he clinched the 36 km Ulverstone Criterium, the third stage of the Tour.

In what turned out to be a tough race because of the weather conditions, England held off the fast finishing Brett Aitken (South Australia) and former NSW rider Joel Pearson, who is now based in Ballarat.

Wind and threatening rain forced all remaining 94 riders within the tour to stay on top of their game, although current world junior teams pursuit champion, Glenn O’Shea was not so lucky.

O’Shea became tangled in a mesh of wheels and handlebars around the back straight and the tour medics treated him for an injured knee, hip and elbow.

The plucky O’Shea however hoped to continue racing in the afternoon stage.

Defending tour champion Kristian House started the day 1.56 minutes behind leader Cameron Meyer, but after a bold showing in the intermediate sprints where he gained a further 23 seconds in time bonuses, whilst the latter added 6 seconds to his bonus tally, thereby reducing the deficit to 1.39 minutes.

Split in between Meyer and House however is Travis Meyer, the 18-year-old younger sibling of the leader.

Travis started the day 20-seconds behind and finished Stage 3, 23-seconds adrift.

Others to show prominence in the intermediate sprints were Peter McDonald, the Timbercorp Cup National Series leader; Sean Finning and David Pell.

England also played cards early, winning the second of the intermediates.

STAGE 4

One rider described it as the "Stage from hell" while others simply shrugged their shoulders, wiped the mud from their eyes and hoped tomorrow would be a better day.

The 78.5 km fourth stage from Ulverstone to Penguin offered riders a little bit of everything……….everything nasty!!!!

Solid rain greeted the field at the start in Ulverstone and for the first 30 km, strong winds buffeted riders from the asphalt and into the grass verge.

In fact there was no respite, if it wasn’t a side wind, they met it head on. At no stage did they get an advantage from the conditions.

On top of that tour organizers also slotted in a Category 1 hill climb, just to rub salt into the already gaping wounds.

New South Welshman Shaun Higgerson, winner of the 2005 Tour of Tasmania scaled the Gunns Plains "Gorilla" ahead of Englishman Tom Southam and eventual stage winner Leigh Howard.

As you would expect such a hard stage took its toll on many riders and the starting bunch of 94 were spread out over many kilometres along the course, which at least made things a little easier for the line judges.

With 20 km still to race the lead group had broken into a small but elite bunch of 10 riders, including tour leader Cameron Meyer, Timbercorp Cup leader Peter McDonald, Leigh Howard, Tom Southam, top Tasmanian Bernard Sulzberger and talented Victorian Steven Robb.

Cameron Meyer originally had some teammate assistance from Shaun Higgerson, but the latter punctured, taking him out of the equation.

Meyer had forged ahead by 27 seconds with about 10 km remaining, but the strong chasing group mowed down and eventually caught him at the 6 km mark.

Hitting the Penguin township for the frenetic final sprint, the rain hit again and the wind just continued…..only stronger.

In a hectic throw to the line, Leigh Howard had enough young power to outlast Tom Southam, with the latter’s Drapac Porsche teammate Travis Meyer third home and the tour leader, Cameron Meyer fourth.

Bernard Sulzberger was the only Tasmanian in the top 10, finishing 6^th.

The tour continues on the North-West Coast on Thursday with a Burnie to Sulphur Creek road race in the morning, starting at West Park at 11 a.m. followed by a twilight criterium in Burnie at 5 p.m.

Brief results –

STAGE 3

ULVERSTONE CRITERIUM, 36 km

1. Richard England (Vic), 48.20 minutes
2. Brett Aitken (SA), same time
3. Joel Pearson (NSW), same time
4. Miles Olman (Qld), same time
5. Jonathon Cantwell (Qld), same time
6. Leigh Howard (Vic), same time
7. Peter McDonald (NSW), same time
8. Sid Taberlay (Tas), same time
9. Grant Irwin (Qld), same time
10. Joshua Wilson (Tas), same time

STAGE 4

ULVERSTONE to PENGUIN, 78.5 km

1. Leigh Howard (Vic), 2 hours 9.57 minutes
2. Tom Southam (England), same time
3. Travis Meyer (WA), +4 seconds
4. Cameron Meyer (WA), same time
5. Steven Robb (Vic), same time
6. Bernard Sulzberger (Tas), same time
7. Tim Roe (SA), same time
8. Shaun Higgerson (NSW), +51 seconds
9. Joel Pearson (NSW), +2.10 minutes
10. Peter McDonald (NSW), same time

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (after Stage 4)

1. Cameron Meyer (WA), 5 hours 46.54 minutes
2. Travis Meyer (WA), +25 seconds
3. Tom Southam (England), +1.42 minutes
4. Leigh Howard (Vic), +1.55 minutes
5. Bernard Sulzberger (Tas), +2.29 minutes
6. Steven Robb (Vic), +2.34 minutes
7. Tim Roe (SA), +2.58 minutes
8. Shaun Higgerson (NSW), +3.03 minutes
9. Kristian House (England), +3.55 minutes
10. Joel Pearson (NSW), +4.26 minutes

Championship categories -

Timbercorp Sprint Championship: Kristian House (England)

Central Coast King of the Mountain Championship: Tom Southam (England)

Country Club Criterium Championship: Joel Pearson (NSW)

George Town Most Aggressive Rider: Tom Southam (England)

Gunns Ltd Leading Tasmanian: Bernard Sulzberger

Municipal Cup Challenge: Launceston, 33 points; Devonport, 20 points; Burnie, 7.

Timbercorp Cup National Series: Peter McDonald (NSW), 178 pts; Grant Irwin (Qld), 165; Patrick Shaw (Vic), 142.

To come –

Thursday: Stage 5, Burnie to Sulphur Creek, 71.4 km, 11 a.m. till 12.45 p.m.

Stage 6: Burnie Criterium, 24 km, 5 p.m. till 5.45 p.m.

Friday: Stage 7: Westbury Criterium, 42 km, 11.30 a.m. till 12.25 p.m.

Stage 8: Westbury to Westbury, 78.7 km, 1.45 p.m. till 3.40 p.m.

Saturday: Stage 9: Launceston to Grindelwald, 49.9 km, 11 a.m. till 12.10 p.m.

Stage 10: Grindelwald to George Town, 69.1 km, 2 p.m. till 3.40 p.m.

Sunday: Stage 11: Launceston Criterium, 34 km, 11.30 a.m. till 12.20 p.m.

For more information contact –

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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