Australian Cycling Grand Prix - NE

Ballarat, Australia, August 15-17, 2008

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Stage 2 - August 16: Criterium, 33km

Geelong teenager adds another chapter to Scody Cup history

By Rod Morris in Ballarat

A Geelong teenage sensation yesterday became the sixth most successful rider in the history of the 12 year-old Scody Cup National Cycling Series.

Howard, 19 years-old, won his sixth career race in the Caribou Publications promoted series and although he is still well behind runaway leader Robert McLachlan (19 wins), he has Brett Aitken (9), Wesley Sulzberger (7), Robert Tighello (6) and Grant Irwin (6) in his sights.

Howard produced a whirlwind sprint finish to win the 33 km criterium, which was the second leg of the Australian Cycling Grand Prix (ACGP) which forms part of the 2008 Scody Cup.

The Scody Cup is the new name of the series once known as the Tattersall's Cup and last year, the Timbercorp Cup, and it includes 145 individual races dating back to the 1996 Bellarine Peninsula one day tour.

Whilst Howard ended up on the number one position on the podium yesterday, he was rarely spotted throughout the 30 laps, instead preserving his energy for the final sprint.

Virgin Blue Cycling team-mates David Kemp and Bernard Sulzberger, the current leader of the Scody Cup, were staging their own private war for the intermediate sprint championship.

Kemp won the first two sprints and a couple of minor placings had him holding a handy lead over the Tasmanian, but Sulzberger was not wearing the number one saddlecloth for no reason.

Sulzberger won the third, seventh, 10th and 11th sprints to edge past the Queensland based Kemp, before concentrating on the bigger prize - winning the criterium.

For many other riders, the effort of the intermediates would have been enough, but not Sulzberger, he regained his composure, found a good wheel to follow - Nathan Clarke and looked to the final few laps.

But while Sulzberger was clinging to Clarke's every move, Howard was making moves of his own and in a blistering final sprint came down the inside line to claim victory.

Little known Sydneysider Dale Scarfe flashed home for second, keeping volatile Adelaide rider Chris Jongewaard, the winner of Friday's time trial, in third place, while the two Tasmanians, Clarke and Sulzberger filled the next two placings.

Sulzberger's performances over the first two days of the ACGP has extended his lead in the Scody Cup to 14-points, but he's not getting carried away with his chances in Sunday's 153 km road race at Buninyong.

O'Donnell delivers another blow

Melbourne based doctor Bridie O'Donnell delivered another telling blow to Australian Olympic selectors when she scored an emphatic victory in the women's 33 km criterium in yesterday's second day of the Australian Cycling Grand Prix at Ballarat.

O'Donnell was a surprise omission from the Australian team to contest the Beijing Games and her form at the ACGP has sent a message to officials that she is in fine form.

A day after easily winning the individual time trial, O'Donnell fought off numerous challengers to win the criterium on a rain swept course, raced in bitterly cold conditions.

O'Donnell set the pattern of the race mid-stream when she established a solo breakaway that lasted for five kilometers, a period of the race that destroyed the majority of her opposition.

Queensland-based Tasmanian Kirsty Broun attempted to reel her in - without luck, as did Davina Summers, Belinda Goss and last year's criterium winner Nicole Whitburn.

Eventually O'Donnell was forced - by her own necessity - to drop back to the peloton to regain some breath for the final few laps.

O'Donnell and Carly Hibberd attempted another breakaway at about six laps to go and although the margin reached 15 seconds, the bunch were able to reel nine seconds back before the finish line.

O'Donnell had too much strength, know-how and will-to-win for the final sprint over Hibberd.

Leading the bunch home for third was Broun, a bike length clear of McPherson, with Goss fifth across the line.

A small women's field of just 18 riders are listed to contest Sunday's arduous 81.6 km road race on the Buninyong circuit. The men will race 153km.

Results

Elite women

1 Bridie O'Donnell (Vic)     55.25
2 Carly Hibberd (Qld)             
3 Kirsty Broun (Qld)          0.06
4 Jenny Macpherson (Vic)          
5 Belinda Goss (Tas)              
6 Davina Summers (WA)             
7 Chloe McConville (Vic)          
8 Nicole Whitburn (Vic)       0.14
9 Rebecca Domange (Vic)           
10 Tess Downing (Vic)         0.20
11 Liz Young (Qld)            0.43
DNF Suzanne Always (Vic)          
DNF Lisa Friend (Vic)             
DNF Rebecca Barwick (ACT)         
DNS Rebecca Locke (Vic)           
DNS Jacqui Hickey (Vic)           
 
Elite men

1 Leigh Howard (Vic)         46.21
2 Dale Scarfe (NSW)               
3 Chris Jongewaard (SA)           
4 Nathan Clarke (Tas)             
5 Bernard Sulzberger (Tas)        
6 Jason Hegert (Vic)              
7 David Kemp (Qld)                
8 Kyle Marwood (Vic)              
9 Daniel Braunsteins (Vic)        
10 Peter Milostic (NSW)           
11 Brett Tivers (NZl)         0.03
12 Reuben Meneaud-You (SA)        
13 Michael England (Qld)          
14 Cameron Hughes (Qld)           
15 Tim Guy (NSW)              0.04
16 Damien Turner (Vic)            
17 Pip Grinter (Vic)              
18 Brad Edmunds (Vic)             
19 Lachlan Norris (Vic)           
20 Timothy Roe (SA)               
21 Chris Jory (NSW)               
22 James Langedyk (Vic)           
23 Dylan Newell (Vic)             
24 Rob Doyle (Vic)                
25 Blair Windsor (NSW)        0.10
26 Joseph Lewis (NSW)             
27 Benjamin King (WA)             
28 Nathan Wise (Vic)              
29 Cameron Carlyle (Vic)      0.15
30 Richard England (Vic)      0.17
31 Tom Leaper (Vic)               
32 Peter Smith (Vic)              
33 Ashley Baines (Vic)            
34 Darren Rolfe (Qld)             
35 Vaughan Bowman (Vic)           
36 Craig Mccartney (Vic)          
37 Jonathan Lovelock (Vic)    0.23
38 Dione Locke (Qld)              
39 Glenn O'shea (Vic)             
40 Sean Finning (Vic)         0.28
41 Phillip Thuaux (NSW)           
42 Joel Pearson (NSW)         0.38
43 William Clarke (Tas)       0.47
44 Peter Herzig (NSW)         0.51
45 Jason Rigg (WA)            0.52
46 Timothy Walker (Tas)       1.06
47 Gregory Campbell (Qld)     1.29
48 Mark O'Brien (Vic)         1.40
49 Bradley Scarfe (NSW)       1.46
DNF Bradley Clark (Vic)           
DNF Adam Murchie (Vic)            
DNF Benjamin Juzwin (Vic)         
DNF Scott Kilmartin (Qld)         
DNF Glen Peterson (Vic)           
DNF David Tozer (Vic)             
DNF Trent Stevenson (Vic)         
DNF Kane Walker (Vic)             
DNF Will Tehan (Vic)              
DNF Daniel Furmston (Tas)         
DNF Troy Clarke (Vic)             
DNF Dontas Bludzis (Vic)          
DNF Grant Irwin (Qld)             
DNF Darren O'Grady (SA)           
DNF Jacob Sutherland (Vic)        
DNF Craig Gibbs (Qld)             
DNF David Pell (Vic)              
DNF Jay Bourke (Vic)              
DNF Cal Britten (Vic)             
DNF Charles Howlett (Vic)         
DNF Matthew Davis (Vic)           
DNF Peter Dennis (Vic)            
DNF Will Dickeson (SA)            
DNF Ben Grieve-Johnson (Tas)      
DNF Chris Pryor (Qld)             
DNF Russell Gill (SA)             
DNF Adrian Hanson (Tas)           
DNF Mark Isaacs (Vic)             
DNS Josh Chugg (Tas)              
DNS Peter Aquilina (Vic)          
DNS Anthony Bennett (NSW)         
DNS Mark Hooper (Vic)             
DNS Lachlan Stewart (Vic)         
DNS Grant Webster (Vic)           
DNS Angus Riddoch (Vic)           
DNS Robert Hodgson (NSW)          
DNS Samuel Rix (Vic)              
DNS William Alexander (NZl)       
DNS Benjamin Hegerty (Vic)        
DNS Casey Munro (Vic)             
DNS Jan Willhoft (Vic)