Giacoppo too good for Renshaw in Australian Criterium Championship

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Anthony Giacoppo (Genesys Wealth Advisers) has continued his run of form from the Jayco Bay Series Cycling Classic to win the Australian Criterium title in Ballarat on Thursday evening. Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) was second in the bunch sprint with the field coming together on the final corner, with Steele Von Hoff (Chipotle Development Team) third.

Giacoppo won stage 3 and finished third overall in the four race series, behind winner Allan Davis and Caleb Ewan. At the time, the 25-year-old said that Tuesday's win was the biggest in his career, but found himself repeating the same statement to reporters after claiming the national title.

"I'm going to have to find a new line," the Perth native laughed with reporters. "It's been a great week - a good result in the Bay Crits and it's nice to follow up by going well today.

"As a team, we really gel well together and every guy knows what his job is," he continued, before delivering the Orange Army's mantra, "Team work wins races."

It was the almost race-long effort of teammate "domestique extraordinaire" Pat Shaw that Giacoppo had to be thankful for, the Ballarat-local animating the race as a regular part of several breakaway groups which tried their luck throughout the 40-lap event. Also trying their hand was Zak Dempster and Bernie Sulzberger, who had both been active throughout the Bay Crits earlier in the week.

Giacoppo had finished as runner-up in the 2011 edition of the championship and so had made Thursday a bit of a target.

"It's a great way to start the weekend and a great way to start the season, so hopefully we can just build from here and keep going," he said. "I got second last year, so we've always had it in our heads that this is the one race where you can go quite well."

Renshaw meanwhile, chose to sit out the Australian season opener, and instead continued to train at home.

"I felt good, it's my first race [and] it feels like my heart rate is 180," he explained. "These guys have come off the Bay Crits, but I'm really happy.

"I said earlier I would be happy to podium and I've done that, so I'm where I need to be."

The thrilling 44 kilometre criterium came to a head on the final lap with Robbie McEwen, who later revealed that he was suffering food poisoning causing him to vomit throughout the race, made a charge down the back straight. Both he and GreenEdge teammate Baden Cooke came into the final corners at top speed and required full use of their considerable bike handling skills to stay upright however, probably lost their best chance of a win with it.

Giacoppo was following the wheel of Renshaw en-route to the finish line, having been delivered into perfect position by Von Hoff, although he admitted it was a tough task.

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