Image courtesy Jarrod Partridge
The peloton’s youngest rider Caleb Ewan (NSWIS) has upstaged his more experienced rivals in blistering heat at stage two of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in Geelong’s Eastern Park today.
As the temperature on the road soared at 45 degrees, Ewan outsprinted 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Allan Davis (Mitchelton Wines – Lowe Farms) and 2008 national criterium champion Bernie Sulzberger (Urban Hotels) for an impressive victory.
The 17-year-old junior world omnium champion, whose parents had to deliver his helmet and shoes to the airport after he left them at home, showed no mercy to his more fancied competitors.
“I felt good with about four laps to go, the (lap) signs came out and I thought to myself I can win this, I’m in a good position,” Ewan said.
“I wasn’t probably looked at as much as the bigger guys and on the last lap I got pushed right back.
“Toward the end I had to weave my way up to the front and found myself on Allan Davis’ wheel which was the right one in the end.
“When you think of some of these guys who have won grand tour stages, it is pretty intimidating being 17.”
The majority of the race was controlled by a lead group of 14 riders who broke away after the first intermediate sprint and survived until the race’s end.
Second position was enough to secure Davis the yellow jersey from New Zealand’s Greg Henderson (Degani Bakery Cafe).
A GreenEDGE rider racing with the Mitchelton Wines – Lowe Farms outfit at the current Jayco Bay Classic, the 2010 world championship bronze medallist is growing more confident with every hit out.
“It’s been a long process over the last few months but I have finally got a bit of momentum and hopefully I can keep it going,” Davis said.
“The team’s looking really good which is more important and I was just a bit peeved off today that I couldn’t pull it off for the boys since we had the numbers.
“But full credit to Caleb, I think we’re going to see this little fella a few more times.”
In the women’s event, it was GreenEDGE-AIS rider Jessie MacLean who drove the race with a brave solo performance lasting four laps of the 1.8km circuit.
But the 26-year-old was caught with five laps to go, with teammate Amanda Spratt and Total Rush/Hyster’s Loren Rowney pushing off the front.
The pair continued on with Rowney, the 2011 Honda Hybrid Tour winner, too good for Spratt in the final sprint. Melissa Hoskins gave GreenEDGE-AIS their second podium position finishing third.
Planning her race to perfection, Rowney used the scorching heat to her advantage.
“After going off the front in an attack I came back to the bunch and Jessie went. I knew I could just catch my breath and bridge across so that’s what I did. I went with about 300 (metres) to go,” Rowney said.
“It hasn’t actually been this hot in Queensland so it’s a bit of a shock to the system, but I race well in the heat so I was looking forward to today and I knew I would have a bit of an advantage.
Rowney’s teammate and stage one winner Chloe Hosking finished fourth to hold onto the yellow jersey.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games road race bronze medallist was a bit more challenged by the conditions.
“It was so hot out there. It did go through my head, ‘it’s too hot I’m pulling out here’, but I thought I probably shouldn’t do that,” Hosking admitted after the race.
In other results, Jayco-VIS won their second race in as many days in the John Cornish Memorial Teams Support Race presented by Urban Hotels when Eric Sheppard finished ahead of Sean Finning (Degani Bakery Cafe).
Michael Gallagher (CCCC Elite Team) finished third whilst yesterday’s winner Alex Morgan settled for fourth.
Bendigo & District Cycling Club’s Shaun McCarthy took out the Individual Support Race presented by Total Rush.
McCarthy had the company of three South Australian’s in a breakaway that survived from the ten minute mark but was too strong on the final lap.
Dane Crawford (Hunter District CC) finished fifth to hold onto the yellow jersey.
Jack Edwards (NSWIS) and Emma Bilston (Ballarat Sebastopol CC) took out the under 17 events.
Earlier in the day, just on 2,000 cyclists of all ages and fitness levels joined champion riders Robbie McEwen, Matt Goss, Baden Cooke and Rochelle Gilmore in the 7th annual Amy’s Ride Geelong in support the cycle-safety initiatives of the Amy Gillett Foundation.
The action moves to Portarlington for stage three tomorrow. The stage has undergone a facelift for 2012 but the new 1.3km circuit will still be very familiar for riders. The start finish will remain on The Esplanade but riders will take off in the opposite direction and take in Harding Street in what should prove the toughest of the four circuits.
Race Results
Jayco Bay Cycling Classic (2012) - Stage 2
Elite Men’s Results
1 Caleb Ewan (NSW) NSWIS 0:49:27
2 Allan Davis (QLD) Mitchelton Wines / Lowe Farms
3 Bernie Sulzberger (Tas) Urban Hotels
4 Nathan Haas (ACT) Bike Bug
5 Zak Dempster (Vic) Degani Bakery Cafe
6 James Mowatt (Vic) Rapido Cycles / Four Points Geelong
7 Dean Windsor (NSW) Degani Bakery Cafe
8 Mitch Docker (Vic) GreenEdge Cycling
9 Trent Derecourt (WA) John West Cycling 0:00:05
10 Johnnie Walker (Vic) Degani Bakery Cafe
11 Wesley Sulzberger (Tas) GreenEdge Cycling 0:00:28
12 Luke Durbridge (WA) Mitchelton Wines / Lowe Farms 0:00:36
13 Campbell Flakemore (Tas) Genesys Wealth Advisers 0:00:47
14 Mark O’Brien (Vic) Budget Forklifts 0:01:18
15 Greg Henderson (NZ) Degani Bakery Cafe 0:01:19
16 Patrick Lane (Vic) Mitchelton Wines / Lowe Farms 0:02:00
17 Michael Hepburn (QLD) Mitchelton Wines / Lowe Farms
18 Robbie McEwen (QLD) GreenEdge Cycling
19 Blair Windsor (NSW) Budget Forklifts
20 Oliver Kent-Spark (Vic) John West Cycling
21 Leigh Howard (Vic) GreenEdge Cycling
22 Sam Witmitz (Vic) Budget Forklifts
23 Kazushige Kuboki (Jpn) Geelong Mazda
24 Rene Kolbach (NSW) John West Cycling
25 Scott Liston (Vic) Rapido Cycles / Four Points Geelong
26 Chris Sutton (NSW) Urban Hotels 0:02:05
27 Matthew Goss (Tas) GreenEdge Cycling
28 Luke Williams (NSW) NSWIS
29 Anthony Giacoppo (WA) Bike Bug
30 Steele Von Hoff (Tas) Bike Bug
31 Baden Cooke (Vic) Mitchelton Wines / Lowe Farms
32 Nathan Bradshaw (NSW) NSWIS
33 Blake Hose (Vic) Genesys Wealth Advisers
34 Richard Lang (NSW) Urban Hotels
35 Heinrich Haussler (NSW) Bike Bug
36 Nic Sanderson (Vic) Genesys Wealth Advisers
37 Alex Carver (NSW) Bike Bug
38 Joel Pearson (NSW) Genesys Wealth Advisers
39 Michael Knoff (Vic) John West Cycling
40 Tom Leezer (Ned) Rapido Cycles / Four Points Geelong
41 Kazuhiro Mori (Jpn) Geelong Mazda
42 Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Geelong Mazda
DNF Koen de Kort (Ned) Urban Hotels
DNF Bert de Backer (Bel) Urban Hotels
DNF Mark Jamieson (Tas) Degani Bakery Cafe
DNF Kane Walker (Vic) Genesys Wealth Advisers
DNF Peter Loft (Tas) Budget Forklifts
DNF Luke Ockerby (Tas) Budget Forklifts
DNF Nicholas Brian (NSW) John West Cycling
DNF Tirian McManus (NSW) NSWIS
DNF Jack McCulloch (NSW) NSWIS
DNF Takuya Takashi (Jpn) Geelong Mazda
DNF Eya Hashimoto (Jpn) Geelong Mazda
DNF Jos van Emden (Ned) Rapido Cycles / Four Points Geelong
DNF Neil van der Ploeg (Vic) Rapido Cycles / Four Points Geelong
General Classification after Stage 2
1 Allan DAVIS Mitchelton Wines/Lowe Farms
2 Bernie SULZBERGER Urban Hotels
3 Caleb EWAN NSWIS
4 Greg HENDERSON Degani Bakery Café
5 Chris SUTTON Urban Hotels
6 Dean WINDSOR Degani Bakery Cafe
7 Nathan HAAS Bike Bug
8 Zak DEMPSTER Degani Bakery Cafe
9 Steele VON HOFF Bike Bug
10 Anthony GIACOPPO Bike Bug
Elite Women’s Results
1 Loren ROWNEY Total Rush/Hyster
2 Amanda SPRATT GreenEdge-AIS
3 Melissa HOSKINS GreenEdge-AIS
4 Chloe HOSKING Total Rush/Hyster
5 Rochelle GILMORE BikeExchange.com.au Dream Team
6 Annette EDMONDSON Pitcher Partners
7 Isabella KING Pitcher Partners
8 Liza RACHETTO Spencers Race
9 Kate FINEGAN Spencers Race
10 Gracie ELVIN Jayco – AIS
General Classification after Stage 2
1 Chloe HOSKING Total Rush/Hyster
2 Melissa HOSKINS GreenEdge-AIS
3 Rochelle GILMORE BikeExchange.com.au Dream Team
4 Loren ROWNEY Total Rush/Hyster
5 Amanda SPRATT GreenEdge-AIS
6 Tiffany CROMWELL GreenEdge-AIS
7 Jessie MACLEAN GreenEdge-AIS
8 Annette EDMONDSON Pitcher Partners
9 Kirsty BROUN BikeExchange.com.au Dream Team
10 Peta MULLENS BikeExchange.com.au Dream Team
