Cure, Tansley wrap up Adelaide victory

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Neil Van der Ploeg (search2retain p/b health.com.au) has won the Mike Turtur Kemesse, the final stage of the Jarvis Subaru Adelaide Tour, ahead of Scott Law (GPM Data#3) and Jack Beckinsale (Huon Salmon-Genesys Wealth Advisers). 

George Tansley (Euride Racing) led home the main bunch two seconds in arrears to confirm his overall victory.

"We are a new team and to come out and win only the third tour we’ve raced in, especially in our home town as well is amazing," Tansley said.

"We did a lot of recon for this course because we knew this was our best opportunity to win a tour this year, but we had a lot of pressure on our shoulders but everyone really lifted to the occasion."

The locally-based Euride squad maintained control of the peloton for the majority of the 22-lap race, ensuring no attack gained too much of an advantage.

Jason Spencer (CharterMason Drapac Development Team) was one rider who was able to gain an ever-so-slight upper hand however, needing eight points at the start of the day to claim the lead in the king of the mountains classification from Joel Strachan (Target-Trek Racing Team). Spencer took maximum points on three-straight KOMs to move into the virtual lead, with Strachan unable take enough points to counter the raid.

The bunch was all together with two laps to go, with the Huon-Genesys squad at the head of affairs, closely followed by CharterMason Drapac, before Van der Ploeg, Law, Beckinsale and Theodore Yates (Satalyst-Giant Racing Team) emerged at the front to contest the sprint to the line.

The win marks Van der Ploeg's second in as many tours, having also taken out the final criterium at the last-up Tour of Toowoomba.

"That was the first time all five of the boys in the team did a big turn on the last lap and at the end my run was timed to perfection," explained Van der Ploeg.

Cure takes third for start-to-finish win

Amy Cure (Polygon Australia) wrapped up her overall victory in the Jarvis Subaru Adelaide Tour with third place in the sprint behind Mike Turtur Kemesse winner, Rebecca Wiasak (Suzuki-Bontrager).

Wiasak took the win comfortably ahead of Ashlee Ankudinoff (Target-Trek) and Cure with the first two riders featuring in a breakaway group of nine riders that maintained a gap off the front of the peloton until the final 100 metres of the 15-lap race.

"I really really wanted to win, I haven’t won a race that is not a time trial or a pursuit, so it was pretty special," said Wiasak, 28, who added to her time trial victories at the Mersey Valley Tour and Battle on the Border. "I was worried I wouldn’t be able to stay away as I was really hurting, but I gritted my teeth and its amazing to come away with the win, particularly in front of my family."

Cure's win in this third event of the women's National Road Series, breaks the streak of Pensar - SPM which through Katrin Garfoot and Ruth Corset claimed the opening two tours of the 2013 season.

"It is fantastic to be able to ride as a team in an Australian tour and pull off the win," Cure said. "Of course our main focus was to just make sure we held onto that jersey and the whole team contributed equally once again.

Wiasak shot to the front of the race after taking maximum points on the first sprint of the day and was joined by Jenny Fay (Specialized - Securitor), Judith Betts (Bikebug), Lisa Barry (Bicycle Superstore). With seven laps gone, the quartet earned a gap of 29 seconds with the chase being led by Polygon's Cure and Grace Sulzberger.

With seven laps to go, Ankudinoff attacked and with Lucy Coldwell (Holden Women), Kate Finegan (Building Champions Squad), Kendelle Hodges (Jayco-Apollo VIS) and Jasmin Hurikino (Team Bikebug) for company, joined the four out front.

Just before the bell lap, Ankudinoff attacked her fellow escapees but the New South Wales rider couldn't hang on.

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