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Stage 3, Warners Bay Criterium, 30 km

Sunday, November 5, 2000, 17:10 - 17:52
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Ageless McMurdo motors in Warners Bay

By Jeff Jones
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Hilton McMurdo
Photo: © Tom Balks

38 year old Englishman Hilton McMurdo (Glen Parker Cycles) showed his younger colleagues how it was done by taking the third stage, a 30 km twilight criterium in Warners Bay. McMurdo was part of a four man breakaway that escaped with 8 laps to go, just holding off the peloton to win. In second was Dutchman Bjorn Hoeben (Websdale), third Grzegorsz Wajs (Mroz) and fourth went to local hero Phil Thuaux (Central Coast).

There were a few tired legs after this morning's stage in Newcastle, and from very early on it became clear who the strongest teams were. The Polish Mroz team led the attacks, with Grzegorz Wajs, Pawel Niedzwiecki and Dariusz Skoczylas continuously launching themselves off the front. Race leader Jans Koerts was also looking in fine form, riding near the front when it mattered, and closing down one threatening break mid-way through the race.

With 10 laps to go, three riders managed to steal a few seconds on the field: Hilton McMurdo (Glen Parker Cycles), Grzegorz Wajs (Mroz), and Bjorn Hoeben (Websdale). With Koerts in the yellow, Hoeben did not have to do a great deal of work, and it was up to the other teams to chase them down.

NSW Institute of Sport tried, as did Jeremy Hunt and Brent Dawson (QANTAS), but Mroz, Glen Parker Cycles-Fondriestand Koerts kept the field in check. With three laps to go, NSW Sport & Rec rider, Phil Thuaux successfully bridged across to the break - a huge effort from this young rider who hails from the Central Coast. Although the crowd may have got him up there, he could do no better than fourth in the end but his time will surely come in this race.
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Skocylas attacks
Photo: © Tom Balks

The surprise winner of the day was the 38 year old expatriate Hilton McMurdo, who has been out of serious competition for 6-7 years, but still had enough power to turn his 11 tooth cog to beat Hoeben and Wajs. Thuaux took fourth with Graeme Brown (NSWIS) leading the bunch home for fifth, although he was later given a warning by the commissaires for "unseemly behaviour".

Jans Koerts therefore held onto his leader's jersey, with an 18 second gap to McMurdo, now in second place. In third place now is Wajs, whose Mroz team are starting to show their cards.

"I didn't expect to win it," said McMurdo afterwards. "I did a lot of work but I don't know where I got that sprint from. I expected to get third or fourth in this, not first. I normally sprint OK from a small group but not normally that well."

McMurdo came from Western Australia as the experienced captain. "I brought the young team over and expected them to be showing how to do it, not me," said McMurdo. "We can lay back because the pressure's off now to win a stage - that's what we came here to do but it wasn't meant to be me!"

As to who the strongest rider in the criteriums is, there is no contest "Jans Koerts. If it came to a bunch finish he'd win hands down."

Tomorrow will see the riders on the open road for the first time, with a short (60 km) but tough stage from Newcastle to Port Stephens (Nelson Bay), followed by a 30 km lunchtime criterium in Nelson Bay.

Results

1 Hilton McMurdo (Aus) Glen Parker-Fondriest  38.17 (47.02 km/h)
2 Bjorn Hoeben (Ned) Websdale
3 Grzegorz Wajs (Pol) Mroz
4 Phil Thuaux (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
5 Graeme Brown (Aus) NSWIS                     0.02
6 Dirk Schumann (Ger) Bosch
7 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Caravello
8 Thorsten Wilhelms (Ger) Bosch
9 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Casino Canberra
10 Jans Koerts (Ned) Websdale
11 Dariusz Skoczylas (Pol) Mroz
12 Yento Bartko (GBr) Dupont
13 Julian Winn (GBr) Dupont
14 Cameron Hughes (Aus) Peugeot
15 Giles Baudet (Aus) Team Caravello
16 Jaarod Poad (NZl) Glen Parker Cycles-Fondriest
17 Cameron Jennings (Aus) Peugeot
18 Adam Cox (Aus) Bates Bikes
19 Peter Milostic (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
20 Paul Van Schalen (Ned) Websdale
21 Michael Tolhurst (Aus) Casino Canberra
22 Ashley Hutchinson (Aus) NSWIS
23 Martin Lonie (GBr) Bates Bikes
24 Anthony Malarczyk (GBr) Dupont
25 Steve Williams (Aus) Team Caravello
26 Dariusz Wojciechowski (Pol) Mroz
27 Scott Suckling (Aus) Glen Parker Cycles-Fondriest
28 Alan Sieper (Aus) Casino Canberra
29 Timo Scholz (Ger) Bosch
30 Russel Van Hout (Aus) Bates Bikes
31 Bart Duraj (Aus) Mroz
32 Tino Haakman (Ned) Websdale
33 Tomas Buchacek (Cze) Bates Bikes
34 Huw Pritchard (GBr) Dupont
35 Chris White (Aus) Team Caravello
36 Andrew Payne (Aus) Team Caravello
37 Danilo Klaar (Ger) Bosch
38 Dennis Mungovern (Aus) Casino Canberra
39 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Qantas-One World
40 Brent Millar (Aus) Casino Canberra
41 Pawel Niedwicki (Pol) Mroz
42 Stephan Gottschling (Ger) Bosch
43 Matt Illingworth (GBr) Dupont
44 Heiko Szonn (Ger) Qantas-One World
45 Ben Brooks (Aus) NSWIS
46 Henk Vaassen (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
47 Martijn Simons (Ned) Websdale
48 Joshua Collingwood (Aus) NSWIS
49 Ben Day (Aus) Bates Bikes
50 Brent Dawson (Aus) Qantas-One World
51 Jono Davis (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
52 Eddie Hollands (Aus) Glen Parker Cycles-Fondriest
53 Darren Rolfe (Aus) NSWIS
54 Scott Bradburn (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
55 Glen Chadwick (Aus) Peugeot
56 Danny Clark (Aus) Qantas-One World
57 Dan Smith (GBr) Qantas-One World
58 Baden Burke (Aus) Peugeot
59 Mark Chadwick (Aus) Peugeot

General classification after stage 3:

1 Jans Koerts (Ned) Websdale                2.29.41
2 Hilton McMurdo (Aus) Glen Parker-Fondriest   0.18
3 Grzegorz Wajs (Pol) Mroz                     0.23
4 Dirk Schumann (Ger) Bosch                    0.25
5 Graeme Brown (Aus) NSWIS
6 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Qantas-One World
7 Bjorn Hoeben (Ned) Websdale                  0.30
8 Phil Thuaux (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec            0.33
9 Dariusz Skoczylas (Pol) Mroz                 0.40
10 Danilo Klaar (Ger) Bosch
11 Peter Milostic (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
12 Adam Cox (Aus) Bates Bikes
13 Julian Winn (GBr) Dupont
14 Yento Barker (GBr) Dupont
15 Eddie Hollands (Aus) Glen Parker-Fondriest
16 Steve Williams (Aus) Team Caravello
17 Baden Burke (Aus) Peugeot
18 Dariusz Wojciechowski (Pol) Mroz
19 Danny Clark (Aus) Qantas-One World          0.47
20 Pawel Niedwiecki (Pol) Mroz
21 Stephan Gottschling (Ger) Bosch
22 Timo Scholz (Ger) Bosch
23 Henk Vaassen (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
24 Jono Davis (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
25 Ben Day (Aus) Bates Bikes
26 Russel Van Hout (Aus) Bates Bikes
27 Matt Illingworth (GBr) Dupont
28 Anthony Malarczyk (GBr) Dupont
29 Ben Brooks (Aus) NSWIS
30 Darren Rolfe (Aus) NSWIS
31 Scott Suckling (Aus) Glen Parker-Fondriest
32 Tino Haakman (Ned) Websdale
33 Dan Smith (GBr) Qantas-One World
34 Brent Dawson (Aus) Qantas-One World
35 Giles Baudet (Aus) Team Caravello
36 Chris White (Aus) Team Caravello
37 Andrew Payne (Aus) Team Caravello
38 Cameron Hughes (Aus) Peugeot
39 Cameron Jennings (Aus) Peugeot
40 Glen Chadwick (Aus) Peugeot
41 Brent Millar (Aus) Casino Canberra
42 Ashley Hutchinson (Aus) NSWIS               0.52
43 Bart Duraj (Aus) Mroz                       1.02
44 Scott Bradburn (Aus) NSW Sport & Rec
45 Martin Lonie (GBr) Bates Bikes
46 Tomas Buchacek (Cze) Bates Bikes
47 Joshua Collingwood (Aus) NSWIS
48 Paul Van Schalen (Ned) Websdale
49 Heiko Szonn (Ger) Qantas-One World
50 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Caravello
51 Dennis Mungovern (Aus) Casino Canberra
52 Michael Tolhurst (Aus) Casino Canberra
53 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Casino Canberra
54 Huw Pritchard (GBr) Dupont                  1.47
55 Martijn Simons (Ned) Websdale
56 Mark Chadwick (Aus) Peugeot
57 Thorsten Wilhelms (Ger) Bosch               4.45
58 Jaarod Poad (NZl) Glen Parker-Fondriest
59 Alan Sieper (Aus) Casino Canberra           5.22

Points classification:

1 Jans Koerts (Ned) Websdale                         10 pts
2 Hilton McMurdo (Aus) Glen Parker-Fondriest          5
3 Grzegorz Wajs (Pol) Mroz                            3
4 Dirk Schumann (Ger) BOSCH                           3
5 Graeme Brown (Aus) NSW Institute of Sport           3
6 Bjorn Hoeben (Ned) Websdale                         3
7 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) QANTAS-One World                  3
8 Ashley Hutchinson (Aus) NSW Institute of Sport      2
9 Phil Thuaux (Aus) NSW Sport & Recreation            1
Singapore Trishaw Series - Race 3 
1 Peter Fitzpatrick (NSW) Bohemia                5 pts
2 Ben Kersten (NSW) DuPont                       3
3 Chris Sutton (NSW) Snap Printing               2
4 Jeff Hopkins (NSW) DuPont                      1
5 Trent Wilson (NSW) Glenmore Meats
6 Brett Waygood (NSW) Diamond Delta Tools
7 Steve Fitzpatrick (NSW) Giant
8 Jai Redman (NSW) Qantas
9 Gavin Bates (NSW) Bates Bikes
10 Phil Hutt (NSW) Hill Street Tavern

Overall standings after race 3:

1 Ben Kersten (NSW) DuPont                      12 pts
2 Chris Sutton (NSW) Snap Printing              10
4 Peter Fitzpatrick (NSW) Bohemia                9
3 Jeff Hopkins (NSW) DuPont                      6
5 Jai Redman (NSW) Qantas                        2
6 Steve Fitzpatrick (NSW) Giant                  1
6 Trent Wilson (NSW) Glenmore Meats              1
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