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Central Australia Bike Challenge - NE
Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, March 14-20, 2003
Main Page Results Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 5 - March 19: Old Ghan Preservation - Anzac Hill, 36 km
Tyres like Swiss cheese...
By Joe Ward
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"You're in for one hell of a ride!" chortled race director Jack Oldfield at the pre-race briefing, and hell on two wheels it has been for the field of 54 that remain in this challenging event.
Steel wheels met fat knobby treads at dawn, as riders waited for the start at the Old Ghan Railway south of Alice Springs. Steam power was no match for Chris Jongewaard (Australia/Avanti), the GC leader with an unsurmountable lead of over 20 minutes. His main rival of the GC contention after an unlucky stage 2, Jaap Viergever (Netherlands/Team Tom Tailor), is still out to grab the stage victories, having won the previous three stages.
Swiss Under 23 champion Marcus Amstutz was looking forward to a better day after yesterday's shocker, but 4 km after the start it was a repeat of yesterday, the savage desert thorns inflicted their worst.
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Out at the front Jongewaard and Viergever traded places frequently, while Jongwaard had a minor crash that looked worst than it sounded after his chainring attacked his leg.
A cat and mouse game though the streets of urban Alice ensued climaxing with a sprint finish to the top of Anzac Hill, a 20 percent gradient. Viergever's experience and raw power giving him the win after Jongewarrd's legs gave out 20 meters from the line. Four stages to Viergever, but he can make no ground on Jongewaard's leader's jersey, still 20 minutes out in front.
Back in the pack, lots of skin was lost and tyres pockmarked from a barrage of thorns and prickles. An effective puncture defence strategy has yet to be declared the winner with riders using "Mr Toughy's", "Spin Skins", thorn proof tubes (they're not...), "Slime" and "Stan's No Tubes". Stan's was looking the best until today until Adrian Laing copped a monster thorn that the system could not deal with.
The tour concludes tomorrow with an ITT to Simpson's Gap.
Photos
Images by Joe Ward
- The finish of Stage 4
- Amstutz working an yet another puncture
- Competitors ride along yet another ridgetop
- A perfect moment to be on a bike
- Viergever trails Jongewaard through the grass
- Amstutz leads in the closing moments of the stage
- The slow sprint for the finish
- Amstutz is happy to have finished
Results
1 Jaap Viergever (Ndl) 1.42.20 (21.11 km/h) 2 Chris Jongewaard (Aus) 09 3 Chris Ravenhall (Aus) 52 4 Tommy Velthuyzen (Ndl) 6.50 5 Ben Hodgson (Aus) 7.21 6 Aaron Caden (Aus) 8.19 7 Gwyn Tavener-Smith (Aus) 8.31 8 Marcus Amstutz (Sui) 8.53 9 Adrian Laing (Aus) 9.23 10 Ken Wilyman (Aus) 10.08 11 Andre Voegeli (Aus) 11.21 12 Damian Wells (Aus) 14.16 13 Chris Waring (Aus) 15.17 14 Mark Harris (Aus) 15.55 15 Mark Mannering (Aus) 17.25 16 Julian Fox (Aus) 17.57 17 Benjamin Gooley (Aus) 18.27 18 Graham Rankin (Aus) 19.25 19 Kyle Bawden (Aus) 20.09 20 Jill Burston (Aus) 20.41 21 Peter O'Callaghan (Aus) 22.22 22 Paul Guerin (Aus) 23.17 23 Jack Dermody (Aus) 23.20 24 Michael Greig (Aus) 24.26 25 Adrian Hart (Aus) 24.57 26 Corey Gerdsen (Aus) 25.28 27 John Dermody (Aus) 25.38 28 Michael Tobler (Sui) 26.10 29 Huw Kingston (Aus) 26.13 30 Joe Schifano (Aus) 27.34 31 Sean Keeney (Aus) 27.39 32 Calem Glover (Aus) 27.50 33 Gordon McConnachie (Aus) 28.15 34 Robert Watson (Aus) 29.39 35 Jason Hewerdine (Aus) 31.24 36 Melissa Curry (Aus) 33.26 37 Damian McGrath (Aus) 33.54 38 Miguel Blanco Embun Spain 36.13 39 Steve Bryan (Aus) 36.47 40 Alex McNee (Aus) 39.28 41 Garry Lyon (Aus) 42.19 42 Daniel Davis (Aus) 45.19 43 Brian Sandercock (Aus) 46.28 44 Jon Presswell (Aus) 46.50 45 Bruce McEllister (Aus) 47.34 46 Nadine Kelly (Aus) 47.59 47 Cameron Gray (Aus) 49.05 48 Graham Butt (Aus) 50.38 49 Tim Vidler (Aus) 54.21 50 Alison Culpin (Aus) 58.36 51 James Bateman (Aus) 1.05.19 52 Tony Roberts (Aus) 1.07.53 53 Jennifer Caldwell (Aus) 1.09.00 54 Peter Haarsma (Aus) 1.11.43 55 Michael Kerr (Aus) 1.13.47 56 Marc Carney (Aus) 1.14.13 57 Sue McConnachie (Aus) 1.19.52 58 Lawrie Nicholas (Aus) 1.20.09 59 Gary Laver (Aus) 1.20.30 Asprint Hill Sprint KOM Chris Jongewaard Open Males 1 Chris Jongewaard 11.16.35 2 Jaap Viergever 20.04 3 Marcus Amstutz 1.14.32 4 Adrian Laing 1.51.51 5 Ben Hodgson 2.05.29 6 Chris Ravenhall 2.27.20 7 Ken Wilyman 2.49.00 8 Damian Wells 2.57.09 9 Gwyn Tavener-Smith 3.04.49 10 Tommy Velthuyzen 3.19.24 11 Mark Harris 3.37.26 12 Andre Voegeli 3.37.44 13 Aaron Caden 3.40.32 14 Graham Rankin 3.58.26 15 Julian Fox 4.23.40 16 Joe Schifano 4.24.45 17 Damian McGrath 4.25.13 18 Mark Mannering 4.31.32 19 Michael Tobler 4.37.12 20 Michael Greig 4.47.36 21 Kyle Bawden 4.48.13 22 Sean Keeney 4.48.14 23 Benjamin Gooley 4.50.10 24 Corey Gerdsen 5.00.07 25 Huw Kingston 5.05.12 26 Jack Dermody 5.09.59 27 Paul Guerin 5.40.22 28 Jason Hewerdine 5.56.20 29 Steve Bryan 6.11.45 30 Miguel Blanco Embun 6.13.19 31 Daniel Davis 6.15.34 32 Gordon McConnachie 6.27.40 33 Brian Sandercock 6.56.54 34 Calem Glover 7.14.43 35 Alex McNee 7.33.09 36 Tony Roberts 7.57.37 37 Cameron Gray 8.57.26 38 Bruce McEllister 9.10.49 39 Tim Vidler 12.00.04 40 Marc Carney 12.27.38 Females 1 Jill Burston 15.39.32 2 Melissa Curry 1.39.45 3 Alison Culpin 4.11.07 4 Nadine Kelly 4.19.14 5 Sue McConnachie 5.22.50 6 Jennifer Caldwell 5.51.01 Veteran Males 1 John Dermody 15.13.45 2 Robert Watson 27.58 3 Peter O'Callaghan 1.06.56 4 Garry Lyon 3.46.51 5 Jon Presswell 5.16.02 6 Graham Butt 5.29.50 7 Peter Haarsma 5.43.40 8 Lawrie Nicholas 8.17.32 Overall Position 1 Chris Jongewaard (Aus) 11.16.35 2 Jaap Viergever (Ndl) 20.04 3 Marcus Amstutz (Sui) 1.14.32 4 Adrian Laing (Aus) 1.51.51 5 Ben Hodgson (Aus) 2.05.29 6 Chris Ravenhall (Aus) 2.27.20 7 Ken Wilyman (Aus) 2.49.00 8 Damian Wells (Aus) 2.57.09 9 Gwyn Tavener-Smith (Aus) 3.04.49 10 Tommy Velthuyzen (Ndl) 3.19.24 11 Mark Harris (Aus) 3.37.26 12 Andre Voegeli (Aus) 3.37.44 13 Aaron Caden (Aus) 3.40.32 14 John Dermody (Aus) 3.57.10 15 Graham Rankin (Aus) 3.58.26 16 Jill Burston (Aus) 4.22.57 17 Julian Fox (Aus) 4.23.40 18 Joe Schifano (Aus) 4.24.45 19 Robert Watson (Aus) 4.25.08 20 Damian McGrath (Aus) 4.25.13 21 Mark Mannering (Aus) 4.31.32 22 Michael Tobler (Sui) 4.37.12 23 Michael Greig (Aus) 4.47.36 24 Kyle Bawden (Aus) 4.48.13 25 Sean Keeney (Aus) 4.48.14 26 Benjamin Gooley (Aus) 4.50.10 27 Corey Gerdsen (Aus) 5.00.07 28 Peter O'Callaghan (Aus) 5.04.06 29 Huw Kingston (Aus) 5.05.12 30 Jack Dermody (Aus) 5.09.59 31 Paul Guerin (Aus) 5.40.22 32 Jason Hewerdine (Aus) 5.56.20 33 Melissa Curry (Aus) 6.02.42 34 Steve Bryan (Aus) 6.11.45 35 Miguel Blanco Embun (Spa) 6.13.19 36 Daniel Davis (Aus) 6.15.34 37 Gordon McConnachie (Aus) 6.27.40 38 Brian Sandercock (Aus) 6.56.54 39 Calem Glover (Aus) 7.14.43 40 Alex McNee (Aus) 7.33.09 41 Garry Lyon (Aus) 7.44.01 42 Tony Roberts (Aus) 7.57.37 43 Alison Culpin (Aus) 8.34.04 44 Nadine Kelly (Aus) 8.42.11 45 Cameron Gray (Aus) 8.57.26 46 Bruce McEllister (Aus) 9.10.49 47 Jon Presswell (Aus) 9.13.12 48 Graham Butt (Aus) 9.27.00 49 Peter Haarsma (Aus) 9.40.50 50 Sue McConnachie (Aus) 9.45.47 51 Jennifer Caldwell (Aus) 10.13.58 52 Tim Vidler (Aus) 12.00.04 53 Lawrie Nicholas (Aus) 12.14.42 54 Marc Carney (Aus) 12.27.38
