Drapac-Porsche dominated the Under 23 men’s criterium championship race, with Daniel Braunsteins making a successful solo break for the victory with two laps remaining. Braunsteins had two team-mates to assist in the eight-man break away and despite his work earlier in the race Thomas Palmer sprinted to second place for the Victorian squad.
New South Wales’ Malcolm Rudolph took the final place on the podium, while Ben Grenda picked up the afternoon’s sprint classification.
“I was just trying to be patient and make my move at the end,” said Braunsteins. “Just as the race started to get hard a group of eight got away with three Drapac riders in it. That let me just sit in and rest my legs a bit more.
“With two laps remaining I just hit them with everything I had,” said the former mountain biker. “I got a gap and stayed away, so I’m stoked.”
The first half of the lap featured constant attacking, with equally as much retaliation from the peloton. It wasn’t until inside the final 15 laps that a break-away was allowed to escape, consisting of six riders.
That group expanded to eight as Rudolph led a two-man Drapac-Porsche time trial across to the lead group. The addition of his team-mates at the front put Braunsteins in the box seat for victory and despite the odds of the team winning in bunch kick, he made the bold move of a solo attack with two laps remaining and never looked back.
Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Braunsteins (VIC) |
| 2 | Thomas Palmer (ACT) |
| 3 | Malcolm Rudolph (QLD) |
| 4 | Ben Grenda (TAS) |
| 5 | Joseph Lewis (NSW) |
| 6 | Douglas Repacholi (WA) |
| 7 | Geoff Straub (NSW) |
| 8 | Brenton Jones (VIC) |
| 9 | Alex Carver (NSW) |
| 10 | Scott Law (NSW) |
| 11 | Alexander Smyth (VIC) |
| 12 | Nicholas Walker (VIC) |
| 13 | Matthew Benson (SA) |
| 14 | Joshua Taylor (NSW) |
| 15 | Reuben Donati (NSW) |
| 16 | Trevor Griffiths (VIC) |
| 17 | Kane Walker (VIC) |
| 18 | Dylan Wallis (SA) |
| 19 | Aaron Donnelly (NSW) |
| 20 | Ivan Cook (QLD) |
| 21 | Craig Hutton (NSW) |
| 22 | Jeremy Hills (TAS) |
| 23 | Danny Pulbrook (TAS) |
| 24 | Kristopher Collins (NSW) |
| 25 | James Hepburn (QLD) |
| 26 | Merlin Spranz (SA) |
| 27 | Joshua Prete (QLD) |
| 28 | Angus Morton (NSW) |
| 29 | Blair Windsor (NSW) |
| 30 | Mohammed Adiq Husainie Othman (MAS) |
| 31 | Michael Hepburn (QLD) |
| 32 | Dale Scarfe (NSW) |
| DNF | Timothy White (VIC) |
| DNF | Owen Cooke (NSW) |
| DNF | Ruan Benson (QLD) |
| DNF | Daniel Hopper (VIC) |
| DNF | Daniel Swanbury (NSW) |
| DNF | David Abraham (TAS) |
| DNF | Peter Braunsteins (VIC) |
| DNF | Mitch Brogden (VIC) |
| DNF | Patrick Drapac (VIC) |
| DNF | Philip Grenfell (NSW) |
| DNF | Patrick Lane (VIC) |
| DNF | Richard Lang (NSW) |
| DNF | Peter Loft (TAS) |
| DNF | Vivian Mccarthy (VIC) |
| DNF | James Mowatt (VIC) |
| DNF | Ryan Obst (SA) |
| DNF | Glenn O'shea (VIC) |
| DNF | Michael Phelan (ACT) |
| DNF | Thomas Robinson (TAS) |
| DNF | Joel Stearnes (TAS) |
| DNF | James Langedyk (VIC) |
| DNS | Alastair Loutit (ACT) |
| DNS | Johann Esterhuyzen (NSW) |
| DNS | Peter Johnstone (VIC) |
-
Dutch cycling federation already eyeing road and MTB combination for Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse at LA 2028 Olympic Games
KNWU's technical director explains how 'a combination is possible' with five days separating men's XCO and road race, only three days between women's events -
The Garmin Varia RCT715 is not only a brilliant rear light but an essential piece of my cycling kit – it's got $50 in this early Black Friday deal
With advanced safety features, including a radar and camera function, it means I never ride without my Garmin Varia, and it's one of the best pieces of cycling tech I've ever owned -
Best Black Friday kids' bikes deals: Cycling savings for your little shredder
Black Friday deals on kids' bikes from major brands like Cannondale, Specialized, and Giant -
Rouleur Live tech gallery: Aero titanium, custom paint, and the return of raw carbon
All the fancy bikes from London's finest fancy bike show
