Sean Lake (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) has made history with the first ever back-to-back Crowe Horwath Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic victory, securing the 55th edition of the race with a solo effort to repeat his 2014 achievement.
Despite being unable to compete at the last stop on the men’s Subaru National Road Series calendar, an insurmountable points lead saw New Zealander Patrick Bevin (Avanti Racing) crowned overall champion.
While Jamie Drew won the iconic Grafton to Inverell in 1997 and 1999, Lake becomes the first cyclist to win consecutive editions of what is often labelled the hardest one-day race in Australia. The former rower broke away with 50 kilometres to go, before maintaining his lead on the Inverell descent to beat team-mate Cyrus Monk and Tom Davison (Avanti Racing) by over four minutes.
"It is absolutely amazing," said an exuberant Lake, who has only been cycling competitively for two years, following his win. "I love this race, and especially with my team-mates finishing second and fourth to get our best-ever team result – I am just stoked."
The 228 kilometre epic was particularly special for Avanti Racing, who claimed the Subaru National Road Series team’s title by six points after a tight year-long tussle with CharterMason Giant Racing and finished the season with Bevin in the aggregate leader’s jersey.
Bevin will soon become the latest Avanti Racing rider to join a World Tour team, with the Kiwi set to race for Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling in 2016. While Bevin had an unassailable lead atop the rankings prior to the race, he was pleased to confirm his victory after a strong year.
"To take the title is very satisfying personally and it really underlines a great overall season," said Bevin, who is currently in the United States training with Cannondale-Garmin. "Being the sixth Avanti Racing rider to win the Subaru National Road Series shows the amount of preparation and work that the team does to have top riders every year and manage them through a long season."
Ahead of his forthcoming World Tour switch, Bevin paid credit to Australia’s premier domestic cycling competition and its role developing elite talent.
"The diversity of the Subaru National Road Series puts me in great shape for moving to Cannondale-Garmin next year," he continued. "When you look at the different riders to have won over the last few seasons there is not just one mould of rider, which in my opinion demonstrates that the Series gives all riders the opportunity to showcase their ability."
Lake’s team-mate Monk collected the Jakazni King of the Mountain jersey after his strong effort over the Gibraltar Range and the TopBuild Frame & Truss Sprint King jersey, to cap an impressive day for African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team. The Crowe Horwath Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic concludes the men’s Subaru National Road Series for 2015.
Full Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Lake (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) | 6:01:13 |
| 2 | Cyrus Monk (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) | 0:04:05 |
| 3 | Tom Davison (Avanti Racing Team) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| 4 | Patrick Lane (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| 5 | Lucas Hamilton | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| 6 | Mark O'Brien (Avanti Racing Team) | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| 7 | Samuel Hill (GPM Stulz) | 0:04:51 |
| 8 | Dylan Sunderland (AMR Renault Racing Team) | 0:05:10 |
| 9 | Kristian Juel (Team Budget Forklifts) | 0:09:48 |
| 10 | Michael Torckler (Team Budget Forklifts) | 0:11:46 |
| 11 | Samuel Burston (Mobius Future Racing) | 0:12:35 |
| 12 | Alexander Smyth (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
| 13 | Malcolm Rudolph | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
| 14 | Mitchell Mulhern (Team Budget Forklifts) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
| 15 | Alex Grunke (Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody) | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
| 16 | Saxon Irvine | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
| 17 | Nathan Elliott | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
| 18 | Mathew Ross | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
| 19 | Darcy Woolley (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
| 20 | Joseph Cooper (Avanti Racing Team) | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
| 21 | Ryan Thomas (Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody) | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
| 22 | Rowan Dever (Cobra9 Racing) | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
| 23 | Timothy Cameron (AMR Renault Racing Team) | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
| 24 | Mark Crawford (GPM Stulz) | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
| 25 | Rylee Field (GPM Stulz) | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
| 26 | Brodie Talbot (Team Budget Forklifts) | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
| 27 | Karl Evans | 0:12:41 |
| 28 | Dylan Newbery (Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody) | 0:12:43 |
| 29 | Jeremy Cameron (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) | 0:23:56 |
| 30 | Matthew Rizzuto (AMR Renault Racing Team) | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
| 31 | Aden Reynolds (Mobius Future Racing) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
| 32 | Rob Webb (Mobius Future Racing) | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
| 33 | Aaron Watts (AMR Renault Racing Team) | 0:33:53 |
| 34 | Harrison Wiles (St. George Merida) | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
| 35 | Jordan Payne | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
| 36 | Adam Allen (Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody) | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
| 37 | Ayden Toovey | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
| 38 | Harrison Bailey (GPM Stulz) | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
| 39 | Kurtis Brent (Cobra9 Racing) | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
| 40 | Cameron Judson (Sydney University Velo Club) | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
| 41 | Danny Pulbrook | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
| 42 | Dugald MacArthur (Cobra9 Racing) | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
| 43 | Adam White (Cobra9 Racing) | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
| 44 | David Melville (Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody) | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
| 45 | Daniel Paine | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
| 46 | Jesse Coyle (Sydney University Velo Club) | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
| 47 | John Freiberg (AMR Renault Racing Team) | 0:57:20 |
| 48 | Aaron Dunford | 0:59:09 |
| 49 | Nicholas Leonard | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
| 50 | Rupert Leigh (Cobra9 Racing) | 0:59:12 |
| 51 | Marcus Culey (Mobius Future Racing) | 1:04:19 |
| 52 | Lucas Laxale (Mobius Future Racing) | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
| 53 | Andrew Finlayson | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
| 54 | Wesley Hurrell | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
| 55 | Benjamin Harvey (St. George Merida) | 1:09:00 |
| DNF | Michael Schweizer (African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team) | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Benjamin Hill (Charter Mason Giant Racing Team) | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Sam Crome (Charter Mason Giant Racing Team) | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | David Edwards (Charter Mason Giant Racing Team) | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Joshua Taylor (Charter Mason Giant Racing Team) | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Tom Leaper (Charter Mason Giant Racing Team) | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Tom Robinson (Charter Mason Giant Racing Team) | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Nicholas Katsonis (Charter Mason Giant Racing Team) | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Anthony Giacoppo (Avanti Racing Team) | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Fraser Gough (Avanti Racing Team) | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Taylor Gunman (Avanti Racing Team) | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Neil Van Der Ploeg (Avanti Racing Team) | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Jacob Kauffmann (Team Budget Forklifts) | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Matthew Slee (AMR Renault Racing Team) | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Ben Carman (AMR Renault Racing Team) | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Terence Bonner (Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody) | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Kyle Bridgwood (Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody) | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Joel Walsh (GPM Stulz) | Row 72 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Edward White (GPM Stulz) | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Jesse Ewavanti Racing Team (GPM Stulz) | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Patrick Sharpe (St. George Merida) | Row 75 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Tamas Allenby (St. George Merida) | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Daniel Bonello (St. George Merida) | Row 77 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Rhys O'Shea (Sydney University Velo Club) | Row 78 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Mark Keefe (Sydney University Velo Club) | Row 79 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Nicholas Woods | Row 80 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Andrew Fell | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Thomas Coates | Row 82 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Patrick Wilson | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Samuel Volkers | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avanti Racing Team | 190 | pts |
| 2 | Charter Mason Giant Racing Team | 184 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
| 3 | African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team | 90 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
| 4 | Team Budget Forklifts | 64 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
| 5 | Pat's Veg Cycling | 54 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
| 6 | Navitas Satalyst Racing Team | 50 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
| 7 | search2retain-health.com.au Cycling Team | 32 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
| 8 | Mobius Future Racing | 30 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
| 9 | AMR Renault Racing Team | 27 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
| 10 | OTOC Vault Racing | 25 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
| 11 | Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody | 25 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
| 12 | Swiss Wellness Cycling Team | 23 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
| 13 | Swiftcarbon PhysioHealth Cycling Team | 23 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
| 14 | GPM Stulz | 20 | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
| 15 | Subaru NSWIS Development Team | 19 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
| 16 | Team Scody Downunder | 13 | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
| 17 | Oliver's Real Food Racing | 13 | Row 16 - Cell 3 |
| 18 | Phoenix Cycling Collective | 10 | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
| 19 | Seight Cycling Team | 10 | Row 18 - Cell 3 |
| 20 | Subaru Albion Development Team | 9 | Row 19 - Cell 3 |
| 21 | Jayco/John West/VIS | 8 | Row 20 - Cell 3 |
| 22 | Wormall Civil CCS Cycling Team | 8 | Row 21 - Cell 3 |
| 23 | SASI/Callidus Cycling Team | 6 | Row 22 - Cell 3 |
| 24 | Dulux TIS Racing Team | 5 | Row 23 - Cell 3 |
| 25 | Anchor Point South Coast | 4 | Row 24 - Cell 3 |
| 26 | St. George Merida | 3 | Row 25 - Cell 3 |
| 27 | Team Lightsview | 3 | Row 26 - Cell 3 |
| 28 | Team McDonalds Downunder | 2 | Row 27 - Cell 3 |
| 29 | DH Racing | 1 | Row 28 - Cell 3 |
| 30 | GDT Provident Racing | 1 | Row 29 - Cell 3 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Bevin (NZl) Avanti Racing Team | 82 | pts |
| 2 | Michael Schweizer (Ger) African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team | 51 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
| 3 | Joseph Cooper (NZl) Avanti Racing Team | 43 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
| 4 | Brad Evans (NZl) Pat's Veg Cycling | 39 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
| 5 | Raphael Freienstein (Ger) Charter Mason Giant Racing Team | 38 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
| 6 | Benjamin Hill (Aus) Charter Mason Giant Racing Team | 36 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
| 7 | Patrick Shaw (Aus) Avanti Racing Team | 36 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
| 8 | Scott Sunderland (Aus) Team Budget Forklifts | 32 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
| 9 | Sean Lake (Aus) African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team | 30 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
| 10 | Sam Crome (Aus) Charter Mason Giant Racing Team | 27 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
| 11 | Daniel Fitter (Aus) Charter Mason Giant Racing Team | 26 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
| 12 | Matthew Clark (Aus) Avanti Racing Team | 24 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
| 13 | Keagan Girdlestone (NZl) Charter Mason Giant Racing Team | 22 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
| 14 | Jack Bobridge (Aus) Team Budget Forklifts | 18 | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
| 15 | Neil van der Ploeg (Aus) Avanti Racing Team | 18 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1