Alexander Ray wins stage six with solo attack

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The international depth of the Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland was reinforced today when the first three placegetters in the Stage Six Bairnsdale criterium hailed from overseas countries.

New Zealanders Alexander Ray and the aggressive Gordon McCauley filled the first and second spots, with Malaysian speedster Harrif Saleh in third place.

The 19-year-old Ray, having his second start in the Gippsland tour, relished the rainy conditions in the 33km street race and won in bold style following a solo breakaway over the last eight kilometres.

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The amazing McCauley, 38, winner of the inaugural Tour of Gippsland in 2005, displayed some of his former tenacity in leading the 150-strong peloton in the chase after Ray and hung on for an impressive minor placing.

McCauley, who also won a bronze medal in the road time trial at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, was rewarded for his efforts by being awarded the most aggressive rider in the stage which featured three major crashes in the slippery conditions.

The performances of the New Zealanders propelled them into contention for overall honours in the five-day tour which concludes tomorrow with a 44km waterfront criterium at the sea-side fishing village of Paynesville.

McCauley was in seventh place, 40 seconds in arrears of tour leader Patrick Shaw after this afternoon’s Stage Seven 77km road race from Bairnsdale to Lake Entrance. Ray was in ninth position, trailing by 51 seconds.

Another New Zealander, Brett Tivers, was holding down 10th place, at 53 seconds.

Shaw, a member of the Patrick Jonker-managed Virgin Blue team, is riding a brilliantly consistent tour and finished second to Melbourne’s Steele Von Hoff (Genesys) in the Bairnsdale-Lakes Entrance trek, which took in some testing country around Bruthen and Nowa Nowa.

Shaw will take a 14-second advantage over Sydney’s Joseph Lewis into the Paynesville criterium. In third place is Queenslander Cameron Jennings, at 33 seconds down, with another New Zealander, Rico Rogers, at 34 seconds.

Shaw, 24, was mildly confident of notching the biggest win of his career but was also cautious.

“When you have so many good riders in this race it makes it so much harder to win,” he said.

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