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Tattersall's Cup Tour of the Murray River - NE

Australia, August 29-September 3, 2006

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Stage 8 - September 2: Merbein criterium, 33 km

Aitken notches up another

By Rod Morris in Merbein

Brett Aitken from South Australia
Photo ©: Shane Goss
(Click for larger image)

After being spat out the back of the Stage 7 road race the day before and losing almost 7 minutes, South Australian star Brett Aitken staged his own personal revival to win his third race of the tour. Aitken (35), winner of the gold medal in the Madison title at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, proved age is no barrier by blitzing an all class field in the 33 km criterium in Merbein, west of Mildura.

Like his previous wins this week at Echuca and Kerang, Aitken was rarely spotted throughout the early laps, but timed his final sprint to perfection and for the fifth time in eight races throughout this tour, he was part of the same winning trifecta.

Luckless Leigh Egan of Shepparton finished second for the third time, whilst Robert McLachlan took third place, but more importantly wrested the overall lead away from overnight champ, David Kemp (Qld).

"I have tried everything to get over Brett Aitken this weekend and nothing's worked," Egan said. "I have tried to outsprint him from behind, tried from in front and he's just too quick. About the only thing I haven't tried is putting him into someone's front yard," he joked.

McLachlan said concentrating on the intermediate sprints took its toll on him having a red hot go at the final sprint. "I was having a go during the race and didn't have a lot left for the end, but I'm not disappointed," he said.

Michael Ford from Victoria drives the peloton
Photo ©: Shane Goss
(Click for larger image)

Aitken said he was surprised at his success through the tour. "Basically I'm using this event as practice for the Herald Sun Tour and next year's Tour Down Under. I'm going okay in the criteriums, but the road stages are knocking me about a fair bit."

The intrigue in general classification is taking more twists than an Agatha Christie novel. Queensland's David Kemp and McLachlan have been like two pit bulls at each other's throats all week and the presenters are getting giddy with the continual swapping of the leader's prized yellow jersey. Kemp started the day two seconds ahead of McLachlan, but after 11 intermediate sprints, the Canberrian had edged back to a one second lead. In the final sprint, McLachlan picked up a further six seconds bonus for finishing third, while Kemp missed any further bonuses by finishing ninth.

One down side to the final lap of the criterium was a six rider crash, with Victorian Adam Murchie transferred to nearby Mildura Hospital with a suspected broken wrist. All other fallen riders emerged unscathed.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Shane Goss/www.licoricegallery.com

Results

1 Brett Aitken                      44.51 (44.15 km/h)
2 Leigh Egan                             
3 Robert McLachlan                       
4 Jeremy Betts                           
5 Joshua Marden                          
6 Robert Cater                           
7 Wesley Sulzberger                      
8 Brendan Rowbotham                      
9 David Kemp                             
10 Johnnie Walker                        
11 Brad Edmunds                          
12 Peter Smith                           
13 Tim Hucker                            
14 Damien Turner                         
15 Jason Hegert                          
16 Nick Culvenor                         
17 Marcus Wettenhall                     
18 Matthew Wood                          
19 Jarrod Harman                         
20 Craig Mackie                          
21 Timothy Decker                        
22 Tom Middleton                         
23 Christopher Wilding                   
24 Nicholas Walker                       
25 Nicholas Sanderson                    
26 Chris Jongewaard                      
27 Luke Pledger                          
28 Brendan Brooks                        
29 Richie Porte                          
30 Peter McDonald                        
31 Joshua Gundry                         
32 Casey Munro                           
33 James Hannam                          
34 Thomas Baxter                         
35 Joe McDonnell                         
36 Zakkari Dempster                      
37 Jai Crawford                          
38 Fabio Calabria                        
39 Will Dickeson                         
40 Stuart Shaw                           
41 Cameron Peterson                      
42 Kyle Marwood                          
43 Adam Murchie                          
44 Brendan Hill                          
45 Darren Harry                          
46 Hamish Mackirdy                       
47 Daniel Newnham                        
48 Cameron Irwin                         
49 Michael Ford                      0.09
50 Kym Howard                            
51 Daniel Furmston                       
52 Peter Ladd                            
53 Andrew Ward                           
54 Matthew Delahunty                     
55 Stephen Cunningham                    
56 Brett Franklin                        
57 David Hiley                           
58 Glen Peterson                         
59 Adrian Hanson                         
60 Chris Steffanoni                      
61 Patrick Shaw                      0.17
62 Bradley Clark                         
63 Gilbert Gutowski                  0.18
64 Jack Anderson                     0.20
65 Jacob Sutherland                      
66 Ricky Peoples                         
67 Peter Barnett                         
68 Mark O'Brien                          
69 Jamie Kelly                           
70 Matthew Jensen                        
71 Sean Finning                          
72 Phillip Stokes                        
73 Matthew Davis                         
74 Scott Peoples                         
75 Simon Pearson                         
76 Daniel Burtt                          
77 Gary Mueller                          
78 Benjamin Juzwin                   0.26
79 Matthew Sherwin                       
80 Simon Van Der Aa                      
81 James Fitzgerald                      
82 Craig McCartney                       
83 Grant Webster                         
84 David Tozer                           
85 Will Wettenhall                       
86 Matthew Kennett                       
87 Nigel Sullivan                        
88 Tremain Permewan                  0.32
89 James Kelly                       0.50
90 Damon De Angelis                  1.19
91 Peter Herzig                      1.25
92 Steven Pilson                     1.35
93 William Murray                    3.00
94 James Robinson                        
95 Peter Milostic                    4.30
 
Sprints
 
Sprint 1 - End of Lap 6
1 Patrick Shaw                          3 pts
2 Peter Barnett                         2
3 Marcus Wettenhall                     1
 
Sprint 2 - End of Lap 8
1 Chris Jongewaard                      3 pts
2 Brendan Hill                          2
3 Patrick Shaw                           
 
Sprint 3 - End of Lap 10
1 Chris Jongewaard                      3 pts
2 Brendan Hill                          2
3 Adam Murchie                          1
 
Sprint 4 - End of Lap 12
1 Patrick Shaw                          3 pts
2 Marcus Wettenhall                     2
3 Brendan Hill                          1
 
Sprint 5 - End of Lap 14
1 Patrick Shaw                          3 pts
2 Peter Barnett                         2
3 Scott Peoples                         1
 
Sprint 6 - End of Lap 16
1 Chris Jongewaard                      3 pts
2 Patrick Shaw                          2
3 Brendan Hill                          1
 
Sprint 7 - End of Lap 18
1 Daniel Furmston                       3 pts
2 Marcus Wettenhall                     2
3 Peter Barnett                         1
 
Sprint 8 - End of Lap 20
1 Robert McLachlan                      3 pts
2 Stuart Shaw                           2
3 David Kemp                            1
 
Sprint 9 - End of Lap 22
1 Joe McDonnell                         3 pts
2 Casey Munro                           2
3 Chris Jongewaard                      1
 
Sprint 10 - End of Lap 24
1 Robert McLachlan                      3 pts
2 David Kemp                            2
3 Ricky Peoples                         1
 
Sprint 11 - End of Lap 26
1 Casey Munro                           3 pts
2 Ricky Peoples                         2
3 Patrick Shaw                          1
 
General Classification after stage 8
 
1 Robert McLachlan               10.10.42
2 David Kemp                         0.07
3 Casey Munro                        0.54
4 Joshua Marden                      1.27
5 Brad Edmunds                       1.31
6 Chris Jongewaard                   1.59
7 Wesley Sulzberger                  2.01
8 Sean Finning                       2.54
9 Johnnie Walker                     3.02
10 Zakkari Dempster                  3.10
11 Jason Hegert                      3.15
12 Peter McDonald                    3.37
13 Stuart Shaw                       3.46
14 Joe McDonnell                     3.47
15 Nicholas Sanderson                    
16 Robert Cater                      3.49
17 Nicholas Walker                   3.52
18 Kyle Marwood                      4.03
19 Ricky Peoples                     4.06
20 Brendan Brooks                    4.13
21 James Hannam                      4.19
22 Stephen Cunningham                4.21
23 Peter Ladd                        4.28
24 Daniel Burtt                      4.38
25 Leigh Egan                        5.13
26 Patrick Shaw                      5.36
27 Brendan Hill                      5.43
28 Brendan Rowbotham                 5.49
29 Timothy Decker                        
30 Craig Mackie                      5.55
31 Scott Peoples                     5.56
32 Peter Barnett                     5.58
33 Gilbert Gutowski                  6.07
34 Jacob Sutherland                  6.09
35 Mark O'Brien                          
36 Craig McCartney                   6.11
37 Kym Howard                        6.24
38 Tim Hucker                        6.49
39 Darren Harry                      6.55
40 Daniel Newnham                    7.12
41 Marcus Wettenhall                 7.35
42 Fabio Calabria                    7.41
43 Joshua Gundry                     7.44
44 Nick Culvenor                     7.45
45 Richie Porte                          
46 Gary Mueller                      7.46
47 Michael Ford                      7.52
48 David Hiley                       7.53
49 Chris Steffanoni                      
50 Andrew Ward                       7.54
51 Jack Anderson                     8.00
52 Luke Pledger                      8.55
53 Thomas Baxter                         
54 Christopher Wilding               9.08
55 Jeremy Betts                      9.13
56 Adrian Hanson                     9.15
57 Brett Aitken                      9.28
58 Will Wettenhall                   9.58
59 Jai Crawford                     11.13
60 Cameron Irwin                    11.28
61 Tom Middleton                    11.38
62 Brett Franklin                   11.57
63 Matthew Davis                    12.32
64 Matthew Jensen                   12.40
65 Peter Milostic                   12.41
66 David Tozer                      12.56
67 Bradley Clark                    13.03
68 Hamish Mackirdy                  13.13
69 Phillip Stokes                   13.56
70 Jamie Kelly                      14.20
71 Glen Peterson                    17.45
72 Daniel Furmston                  19.21
73 Will Dickeson                    19.25
74 Jarrod Harman                    19.28
75 Adam Murchie                     20.37
76 Peter Smith                      22.02
77 Matthew Delahunty                22.11
78 Nigel Sullivan                   22.28
79 Cameron Peterson                 23.25
80 Steven Pilson                    23.37
81 Simon Pearson                    24.09
82 Matthew Kennett                  24.15
83 Matthew Sherwin                  25.09
84 Grant Webster                    29.04
85 Tremain Permewan                 29.51
86 Peter Herzig                     33.22
87 Benjamin Juzwin                  35.03
88 Matthew Wood                     36.21
89 Damon De Angelis                 36.39
90 Damien Turner                    40.44
91 James Fitzgerald                 43.09
92 Simon Van Der Aa                 59.32
93 William Murray                 1.01.04
94 James Robinson                 1.08.01
95 James Kelly                    1.18.24
 
Sprints classification
 
1 David Kemp                           51 pts
2 Joshua Marden                        39
3 Chris Jongewaard                     36
4 Wesley Sulzberger                    35
5 Casey Munro                          32
6 Brad Edmunds                         30
7 Patrick Shaw                         26
8 Robert McLachlan                     24
9 Zakkari Dempster                     17
10 Peter McDonald                      16
11 Joe McDonnell                       15
12 Scott Peoples                       13
13 Peter Barnett                       11
14 Craig Mackie                        10
15 Marcus Wettenhall                   10
16 Sean Finning                         7
17 Johnnie Walker                       6
18 Stuart Shaw                          6
19 Brendan Hill                         6
20 Jeremy Betts                         5
21 Gary Mueller                         5
22 Craig McCartney                      4
23 Will Dickeson                        3
24 Daniel Furmston                      3
25 Kyle Marwood                         3
26 Robert Cater                         3
27 Ricky Peoples                        3
28 Jason Hegert                         2
29 Peter Milostic                       2
30 Adrian Hanson                        2
31 Adam Murchie                         2
32 Michael Ford                         2
33 Nicholas Walker                      1
34 Chris Steffanoni                     1
35 Tom Middleton                        1
36 Nicholas Sanderson                   1
37 Brendan Brooks                       1
38 Brett Aitken                         1
39 Peter Herzig                         1
40 James Hannam                         1
41 David Hiley                          1
42 Joshua Gundry                        1
 
Mountains classification
 
1 Casey Munro                            
2 Chris Jongewaard                     16 pts
3 Robert McLachlan                      6
4 Brad Edmunds                          5
5 Joshua Marden                         3
6 David Kemp                            2
7 Matthew Wood                          1
8 Stuart Shaw                           1
9 Brendan Brooks                        1
10 Zakkari Dempster                     1
11 Wesley Sulzberger                    1
 
Criterium Championship
 
1 Robert McLachlan                     42 pts
2 Brett Aitken                         39
3 Leigh Egan                           35
4 Wesley Sulzberger                    26
5 David Kemp                           25
6 Gary Mueller                         20
7 Joshua Marden                        19
8 Jeremy Betts                         15
9 Robert Cater                          9
10 Chris Jongewaard                     9
11 Brendan Rowbotham                    8
12 Johnnie Walker                       6
13 Daniel Furmston                      5
14 Sean Finning                         4
15 Darren Harry                         4
16 Nicholas Sanderson                   4
17 Casey Munro                          3
18 Brad Edmunds                         1
19 Jacob Sutherland                     1
20 Ricky Peoples                        1
 
Most aggressive rider
 
1 Wesley Sulzberger                     4 pts
2 David Kemp                            3
3 Chris Jongewaard                      2
4 Zakkari Dempster                      2
5 Brad Edmunds                          2
6 Peter Barnett                         2
7 Robert McLachlan                      1