Davison adds Sun Tour stage to growing palmares

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Luke Davison (SASI) has won the 147.7km second stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour having bridged the gap across to the race defining breakaway after around 90km of racing. Davison finished four seconds ahead of breakaway companion Will Walker (Drapac) with Oliver Kent-Sparks (Target Trek) third across the finish line, 11 seconds later.

After the race lead of Aaron Donnelly (Huon - Genesys) was stolen on the road by Davison, the stage winner's lead was reduced enough to ensure the 21-year-old would wear yellow for another day. Davison began the day in fifth overall, 2:38 behind Donnelly and realised he was virtual leader but didn't ever think he would be in the same position by the time he reached the finishing circuit in Healesville.

"A group of 80 is always going to be a bit stronger than a group of two but it was just a matter of committing to it," Davison explained after his win. "We had no other choice and we left everything out there."

Davison now sits in fourth overall, 2:11 behind Donnelly. It's been a big few months for Davison who took out the 2012 Australian National Road Series following an impressive run of results.

"It's always good to be able to start the new year with some results and coming off last year, there’s obviously a lot of expectation in my new team," he admitted, having signed to Australian Continental outfit Drapac for 2013.

There was actually confusion for the race winner with officials informing him that he still had another lap of the Healesville finishing circuit, despite being on his second. The result was that there was no victory celebration as he crossed the finish line.

"I was coming through and from about 300 metres to go someone was saying: 'one to go, one to go,' he explained. "I came in and a really didn't rehearse the finish too much. Will told me there was a lap to go from then and I was really confused what was going on. I think someone needs to get a bell for the commissaries - I might get them one for tomorrow.

"I had the same problem with the track yesterday. I came in with a kilometre to go and there was probably 600-700 metres and I thought maybe there was another lap. I think from now on I'll just sprint for every lap."

Donnelly had a lot of pressure on his 21-year-old shoulders out on the road but did well considering that if his lead was going to come under a serious challenge from rival big name teams, it would be on this stage.

"I was feeling very every kilometre of yesterday," he said. "Early on the in the stage I was feeling very tired and very sore, but I got better as the day went on which is a good sign."

As for whether he can hold on to the race lead for the final day, Donnelly remains optimistic of his chances to join a list of cycling greats as a winner of the Sun Tour.

"People say my pain threshold's pretty high, my new coach Brad McGee is surprised with how much I can push myself so hopefully I can do it tomorrow."

How it unfolded...

With the race potentially on the line for a number of teams, it was no surprise to see numerous attacks off the front of the bunch, and the peloton strung out under the pressure of pace.

As the race headed into Seymour a crash brought down Rowan Dever and Brock Roberts (Target Trek) and Samuel Lowe (Great Britain National Team) at kilometre 23. Roberts and Lowe would withdraw from the race.

Meantime up the road Neil Van Der Ploeg took out the opening sprint of the day, adding to his four points collected during Stage 1. Total Rush - Hyster's pair of Shannon Johnson and Tom Leaper collected the minor points. Sprint classification leader Aaron Donnelly (Huon-Genesys) didn't get any points on offer today but remains in the lead with Van Der Ploeg now second on 10 points, six points in arrears.

Just up the road, the bones of the first big break of the day formed with Nathan Haas, Simon Clarke, Jay McCarthy (Australian National Team), Adam Phelan, Jack Beckinsale (Degani Bakery Cafe World Tour Academy), Rhys Pollock, Darren Lapthorne (Drapac), Cameron Bayly (search2retain), Luke Davison (SASI), Joseph Cooper (Huon - Genesys), James Oram (Gray's Online New Zealand National Team) initially over two groups before merging soon after. With 45 kilometres of racing complete, their advantage stood at just over a minute.

Given that Phelan and Clarke were in the break (at 2:44 and 2:45), the peloton wasn't too keen to let the group go and so heading up the first climb of the day the gap actually closed. Repeating his efforts of yesterday, Haas was first man over the first KOM point, followed by McCarthy and Phelan. With the descent complete, the ascent to the second KOM began straight away with the gap dropping further again, down to 18 seconds. Haas then increased his lead in the KOM classification taking the point on the second climb ahead of Clarke and Lapthorne.

It was a break never meant to last, slowly disintegrating until being caught by the bunch on the outskirts of Yea.

The action was far from over however with Stuart Smith (search2retain), Joe Lewis (GPM Data #3) and Budget Forklifts due Sam Horgan and Karl Evans moving off the front of the bunch. Perhaps sensing that an opportunity was in the works, Will Walker (Drapac) and Luke Davison (SASI) - set to be teammates in Australian National Road Series events this season - took off in pursuit after attacking through the feed zone. The group of four lead riders became a group of six just over 90km of racing.

Just before the 100km mark, Davison moved into the lead on the road with the gap out to 2:45. It would mark the breakaway's biggest advantage with the margin slowly closing in. With 33km to go and the fast descent not far off coming in to Healesville, Davison and Walker skipped of the front leaving the other four riders behind. That in turn forced a reaction but the tough stage was taking a toll and only Lewis and Smith could mount a challenge but they couldn't get close to the leaders. Evans and Horgan were further back again with the latter going backwards by the turnoff to Toolangi and swallowed by the fast approaching peloton and spat out the other side.

The challenging descent, which drops around 450 metres in elevation in just below 10km was added motivation for the peloton with the gap shrinking down to just 1:30 at the base. Only Davison and Walker would survive intact with Kent-Sparks jumping away from the peloton on the outskirts of Healesville. Davison then edged ahead of Walker with just over two kilometres of racing to go.

"I knew where the finish was but I was completely gone," said Walker at the finish. The stage took quite a toll on the 27-year-old who admitted he failed to get enough water in his system as the stage came to its conclusion.

"I knew there was one lap, but I think I underestimated how much I'd had to drink and I was just absolutely gone, hallucinating on the last hill around the back. I actually thought it might be better to just fall of the bike.

"Davo was super-strong. He was a motor on the descent, so he deserved the win anyway. What do you do, I could barely get out of the seat at the end."

The Jayco Herald Sun Tour ends on Sunday with a 93km stage from Moonah Links to Arthurs Seat.

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