Walker shakes up general classification with stage win in Metung

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Will Walker (Drapac) just may have completed a fairytale return to competitive racing, winning Stage 8 of the Tour of Gippsland and catapulting himself in the overall lead on Saturday afternoon.

Walker triumphed in the 69.3km road stage having spent most of the race in a breakaway, ahead of Patrick Shaw (Genesys) and Ben Hill (RBS Morgans-ATS Pro Cycling). The victory gives Walker a 14 second lead in the general classification with the previous caretaker of the yellow jersey, Anthony Giacoppo (Genesys) left chasing the race-winning break over a minute in arrears.

The 26 year-old former Australian Champion and U23 world championship silver medallist announced in February that he had been given the all-clear by doctors to return to competition, having made a premature exit from the sport in 2009 due to tachycardia.

"I'm still not as strong as I could be but I'm smarter," Walker said of his version 2.0-self and he believes he can retain the race lead with one stage left.

"I'd like to make the Drapac team and Lakes Oil proud."

On Friday, Walker earned his first podium in his return, finishing runner up behind Jack Beckinsale (Jayco-Honey Shotz) in the 102km road stage to Dargo.

Splits were always a possibility on this rolling stage, with the situation contained by the peloton's neutral declaration in 2011 and this time around, the riders wasted no time with four riders jumping off the front by the 10km mark. The four soon turned into 10 with Jai Crawford, Pat Shaw (Genesys), Cameron Bayly (Search2Retain), Robbie Hucker (Team Torq / Bicycle Superstore), Ed White (GPM - Wilson Racing), Rhys Pollock, Lachlan Norris, Darren Lapthorne (Drapac) Joe Lewis, Nic Dougall (RBS Morgans-ATS Pro Cycling) , and Gordon McCauley (Lakes Oil) gaining a 35 second advantage.

Budget Forklifts led the chase and the gap was reduced to 20 seconds with the bunch strung out into single file due to the pace. The team which led the race after day 1 got the desired result with three-time stage winner Luke Davison bridging across to join the breakaway just ahead of the second sprint.

It was becoming clear that the breakaway just might have a chance today with more and more riders making it across the gap, as the selection expanded to 20 riders including Giacoppo, Walker and National Road Series leader, Mark O'Brien (Budget Forklifts). At its peak, the escape had a 1:40 advantage on the peloton with around 45km of racing down.

The final sprint of the day, forced the leading group to split and with 17km left to race, Giacoppo, Davison and Lapthorne were left behind as the gap was reduced to 54 seconds but the damage had been done with the peloton left to chase and 13 riders left fighting it out to the finish line.

Just one stage remains at the Tour of Gippsland, a 44km criterium in Paynesville on Sunday with Walker now likely to hold on to the overall lead.

Giacoppo holds a one-point lead in the Sprint Championship and a three-point lead in the Criterium Championship. Hill will be crowned Hotondo Homes King of the Mountains with no bonuses available in the classification in tomorrow's criterium. The most aggressive prize is up for grabs however with Lapthorne and JoshTaylor (GPM-Wilson Racing) locked on four points, with Shaw, Alex Carver (Genesys), Cameron Peterson (RBS Morgans-ATS Pro Cycling) and Norris all on two points.

RBS Morgans-ATS Pro Cycling rocketed up the team classification on today's penultimate stage and now hold a 51 second lead over Genesys with Drapac a further six seconds back.

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