Palmer strikes again in Coogee
Crashes disrupt criterium
Many people were expecting another Sutton and Matthews showdown in Coogee but it was the winner of the opening Grand Prix, Tom Palmer riding of Drapac Porsche that went from a long way out and defied the sprinters with a tremendous burst of speed.
Bernie Sulzberger tried hard for Fly V Australia but could not bridge the gap and Michael Matthews, racing in his World Championship jersey, was angry with himself for crossing the line in third place.
Joe Lewis rounded out a great day for Drapac and Chris Sutton (Team Sky) kept his overall lead by grabbing fifth place just ahead of Russian Alex Servos. Sutton is equal with Bernie Sulzberger with 38 points. Tom Palmer moved to third place overall on 30 points with Michael Matthew next on 26 points, one clear of the very consistent Graeme Brown.
The race was reduced to a much smaller field towards the back end of the race when Graeme Brown fell and many of the cyclists stopped claiming they had been blocked. Chief Commissaire Glenn Vigar moved swiftly and eliminated those that took the lap out for a rest. Brown was the only rider that had stopped that escaped a penalty and maintained his aggressive racing for the rest of the event.
The men will now ride the Cronulla Grand Prix, the final event of the NSW Grand Prix Series on Sunday.
1 | Tom Palmer (Aus) Drapac | 12 | pts |
2 | Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Fly V Australia | 10 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Michael Matthews (Aus) AIS | 8 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Joe Lewis (Aus) Drapac | 7 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Chris Sutton (Aus) Team Sky | 6 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Alex Servos (Rus) Russia | 5 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank | 4 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
9 | Greg Henderson (Nzl) Team Sky | 3 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
10 | Wes Sulzberger (Aus) FDJ | 2 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
1 | Chris Sutton (Aus) Team Sky | 38 | pts |
2 | Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Fly V Australia | 38 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Tom Palmer (Aus) Drapac | 30 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Michael Matthews (Aus) AIS | 26 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank | 25 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Wes Sulzberger (Aus) FDJ | 14 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Joe Lewis (Aus) Drapac | 14 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Alex Servos (Rus) Russia | 6 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Rico Rodgers (Aus) Budget Forklifts | 5 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Tom Scully (Aus) Garmin Transitions | 5 | Row 9 - 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
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
New disc brake-equipped Giant Trinity TT bike spotted at Tour de Romandie
Luke Plapp is riding a brand new disc brake-equipped Giant Trinity and new TT helmet at the Swiss stage race -
Tour de Romandie: Brandon McNulty takes comfortable win on stage 3 time trial
Magnus Sheffield (Ineos-Grenadiers) in distant second as Ayuso takes overall lead -
Best electric bikes for commuting: Get to work faster and with less effort
A guide to choosing ebikes for commuting, the perfect boost for your morning commute -
Tim Merlier prepares for big-name Giro d'Italia sprint showdown
‘I was up there in the spring and now I want to be up there in Giro’ says Soudal Quick-Step sprinter