Police solo Nigel Housego is a former road-rider himself and was in charge of leading the peloton around on the 39 kilometre stage three in Burnie.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
The peloton descend around the course with Bass Strait in the background.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
David Kemp (14) raises his team's 'Fly V' sign as he descends in the peloton.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Riders on the top-end of the 1.3 kilometre curcuit around Burnie's Marist College during stage three.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Kristian House (GHD-Burnie) attacks the peloton with a lap to go on stage three.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Darren Lapthorne from Victoria relaxes prior to stage three in his Rapha Condor team kit from Europe, Lapthorne is riding for the GHD-Burnie team on the Tour.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
British National Road Champion Kristian House is a member of the Rapha Condor team in Europe but is riding for the GHD-Burnie team on the Tour of Tasmania.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
This guy's the one: Ben Day (left) and Jonathan Cantwell clown around with the CAT Tour of Tasmania leader and Fly V Australia teammate Bernard Sulzberger on the startline in Burnie.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Big Red: Great to see Sean Sullivan back racing in Tasmania after commitments in the USA. Sullivan is riding for the DiscoverTasmania.com/TIS team on the tour.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Phil Zajicek (Fly V Australia) from the USA awaits the start to stage three in Burnie.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
OK you guys get excited, we're dominating the tour: Fly V Australia team-manager Henk Vogels with from (l-r) Ben Day, Bernard Sulzberger, Benjamin King and Jonathan Cantwell in Burnie.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Stage three was an up-and-down course around a college in Burnie which many riders found difficult to hang onto the main peloton.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Darren Lapthorne (GHD-Burnie) tried a brave solo attempt on the difficult course near the half-way mark.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Kristian House leads his GHD-Burnie teammate and English compatriot Ben Greenwood around on stage three.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Matt Wilson (Jayco/VIS) from Victoria in the main group during stage three in Burnie.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Darren Lapthorne (GHD-Burnie) assumes the tuck position on a descent during his breakaway attempt on stage three.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Jai Crawford (Savings and Loans), Bernard Sulzberger (Fly V Australia), and Kristian House (GHD-Burnie) tried to sneak away from the peloton in the closing laps.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Oh my gosh, is that the Tour leader: Bernard Sulzberger (Fly V Australia) climbs past some of the college students during stage three.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Phil Zajicek (Fly V Australia) drives the peloton up the home straight in the concluding laps.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
The charge is on as the bunch sprint up-hill to the line in Burnie.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Jonathan Cantwell (right) edges out Fly V Australia teammate Bernard Sulzberger to win stage three of the Tour in Burnie.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
The stage three podium (l-r): Bernard Sulzberger (2nd,Fly V Australia), Jonathan Cantwell (1st,Fly V Australia), and Gene Bates (3rd,Caterpillar Underground Mining).(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Darren Lapthorne (GHD-Burnie) was awarded the Goodstone Group Most Aggressive rider of the stage jersey.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
Bernard Sulzberger (Fly V Australia) remains in the tour lead after three stages.(Image credit: Shane Goss)
A hard, fast and action packed criterium was – in the end – decided by a photo finish. Fly V Australia teammates Jonathon Cantwell and Bernard Sulzberger were separated by a mere 2 centimetres. The former declared victor after close scrutiny by the race jury.
Either way, it would not have overly perturbed the Fly V boys. Sulzberger is leading this Tour and the Cantwell holds a tight grip on the overall series: the Scody Cup. Cantwell's win today adding to points already scored at the Tour of Gippsland, Tour of Geelong and Tour of the Murray River.
It was Sulzberger’s second runner-up placing this week, finishing bridesmaid both times to Cantwell who has now won six races of the last 24 conducted throughout the Scody Cup series.
Today’s criterium, held on a rectangular, hilly course within the school grounds of Burnie’s Marist College, offered riders little respite from tough Tasmanian racing.
Eleven intermediate hill climbs from laps 6 to 26 saw the peloton put the hammer down and the tempo saw many riders fall by the wayside, unable to maintain the pace.
British Champion Kristian House, who started the stage 10th overall, 22 seconds behind Sulzberger, featured in a number of the time-bonus primes. He moved to third overall, but lost a second to the leader, now 23 seconds ahead.
Former Australian road champion Darren Lapthorne won the award as the stage’s most aggressive rider and it was his tempo that was largely responsible for the decimation of the field.
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But the stage, like the opening in Devonport on Monday, belonged to Fly V Australia. Sulzberger and Cantwell being supported strongly this week by Ben Day, Ben King, David Kemp, Hayden Brooks and American Phillip Zajicek.
