Skilled Bay Cycling Classic - NE

Australia, January 3-7, 2001

2000 Results    Preview    Teams    Past Winners

The Stages

  • Race 1 - January 3rd: Williamstown - 1.00 pm
  • Race 2 - January 4th: Torquay - 12.30 pm
  • Race 3 - January 5th: Apollo Bay - 12.30 pm
  • Race 4 - January 6th Geelong - 12.30 pm
  • Race 5 - January 7th: Crown Casino - 9.30 am

Preview

The Skilled Bay Cycling Classic has established itself as Australia's premier criterium series in more ways than one. Not only do they serve as the start of the Australian racing season for the New Year, but they also attract a top field of Australian and international riders to take part. After the series has finished, there is a short gap until the Melbourne-Sorrento, the Australian Open Road Championships, and the Tour Down Under. The next three weeks will be full of action on the Australian front.

Heading the rider list this year is the Skilled team of Stuart O'Grady, Magnus Backstedt, Luke Roberts, Leigh Bryan and Wayne Van Moorsel. It's a formidable criterium squad but will be matched by the riders in Jayco Caravans: Olympic gold medallist and defending champion Brett Aitken, National champion Jamie Drew, and promising Australian professionals Baden Cooke, Tom Leaper and Brad Davidson.

Other names to look out for in the men's field include Robbie McEwen, Graeme Brown, Scott Sunderland, Scott Suckling, Jay Sweet, and Jeremy Hunt, several of whom are looking for some early season race miles before the European season starts.

In the women's 54 rider field, Australian champion Anna Millward (Wilson) will likely lead the way with few likely to stop her. Millward has been sharpening her legs up in the Carnegie Caulfield criteriums, and will be looking to convert those second and third places into wins.

Of course, riders like Sara Carrigan, Lyndelle Higginson, Liz Tadich, Kristy Scrymgeour, Katie Mactier, Margaret Hemsley, Sandra Smith and Rochelle Gilmore will be vying for the overall honours as well, and it should be a hard fought series.

The first race is in Williamstown on January 3, moving to Torquay the following day. Then there is a new circuit at Apollo Bay, before moving to Geelong for the weekend that concludes the racing. The final race will be held outside Crown Casino in Melbourne.

Teams

Men
Skilled                        Jayco Caravans
1 Stuart O'Grady (SA)          6 Brett Aitken (SA)
2 Magnus Backstedt (Swe)       7 Jamie Drew (Vic)
3 Luke Roberts (SA)            8 Baden Cooke (Vic)
4 Leigh Bryan (Tas)            9 Tom Leaper (Vic)
5 Wayne Van Moorsel (WA)       10 Brad Davidson (Vic)

Crown                          Woolmark AIS
11 Robbie McEwen (Qld)         16 Graeme Brown (NSW)
12 Nick Gates (NSW)            17 Allan Davis (Qld)
13 Jonathon Cantwell (Qld)     18 Scott Davis (Qld)
14 Michael Tillman (USA)       19 Gene Bates (SA)
15 Hilton McMurdo (GBr)        20 Cameron Jennings (Qld)

Sanitarium                     Fitzroy Cycles
21 David McPartland (NSW)      26 Andrew Torney (Vic)
22 Jens Mouris (Ned)           27 Robert Crowe (Vic)
23 Jorne Videler (Ned)         28 Steve Williams (NSW)
24 Jorg Scheiderbauer (Ger)    29 Matt Wilson (Vic)
25 Matt Miller (SA)            30 Ben Day (Qld)

Peugeot                        City of Greater Geelong
31 Baden Burke (NSW)           36 Cadel Evans (Vic)
32 Cameron Hughes (Qld)        37 Andrew Stalder (Vic)
33 Robert Tighello (Vic)       38 Craig McArtney (Vic)
34 Franco Marvulli (Swi)       39 Damien Cranage (Vic)
35 Aaron Kemps (Qld)           40 Lee Godfrey (Vic)

NSWIS                          Pura Milk/NSWIS
41 Brent Dawson (NSW)          46 Stephen Woolridge (NSW)
42 Ashley Hutchinson (NSW)     47 Trent Wilson (NSW)
43 Ben Brooks (NSW)            48 Peter Milostic (NSW)
44 Mark Renshaw (NSW)          49 Adam Cox (NSW)
45 Josh Collingwood (NSW)      50 Jonathon Davis (NSW)

Skilled Development Squad      Balance
51 Scott Sunderland (NSW)      56 Simon Gerrans (Vic)
52 Hilton Clark (Vic)          57 James Taylor (Vic)
53 Darren Rolf (NSW)           58 Kristjan Snorrason (Vic)
54 Nic Brown (WA)              59 Chris Carr (Vic)
55 Tim Bennett (Vic)           60 Greg Henderson (NZl)

Motorola/Alchemy               Cafe Paesano
61 Brett Lancaster (Vic)       66 Jay Sweet (SA)
62 BJ McIntosh (Vic)           67 Jeremy Hunt (GBr)
63 David Salten (Vic)          68 Ben Lindsay (SA)
64 David Harrigan (NSW)        69 Russell Van Hout (SA)
65 Paul Redenbach (Vic)        70 Stephen Cunningham (SA)

Brumby's Bakeries/WAIS
71 Scott Suckling (WA)
72 Ed Hollands (WA)
73 Peter Dawson (WA)
74 Tyson Lawrence (WA)
75 Daniel Mackay (WA)
Women
1 Anna Millward (Vic)          28 Margaret Hemsley (NSW)
2 Anne Gariepy (Can)           29 Emma James (NSW)
3 Lyndelle Higginson (Vic)     30 Jaci Low (SA)
4 Sandra Smith (WA)            31 Jess Morrison (Vic)
5 Sara Carrigan (Qld)          32 Erin Philp (NSW)
6 Rochelle Gilmore (NSW)       33 Jeanette Shwarz (NSW)
7 Kate Bates (NSW)             34 Ann Yew (Vic)
8 Natalie Bates (NSW)          35 Rebecca Cleveland (Vic)
9 Liz Tadich (Vic)             36 Sophie Freshwater (Vic)
10 Rahna Demarte (Vic)         37 Helen Kelly (Vic)
11 Kristy Scrymgeour (NSW)     38 Sue McCarthy (Vic)
12 Bridget Evans (Qld)         39 Dellys Frank (WA)
13 Sally Anne Cowman (Qld)     40 Anna Baylis (Vic)
14 Zoe Southwell (NSW)         41 Louise Hamilton-White (Vic)
15 Rachel Rademaker (Vic)      42 Lia Sarto (Vic)
16 Jessica Amy (Vic)           43 Victoria Kirby (Vic)
17 Vanessa Crawford (Vic)      44 Emma Rickards (Vic)
18 Jennifer Manefield (NSW)    45 Fiona Scarff (WA)
19 Katie Mactier (Vic)         46 Katie Brown (NSW)
20 Maryam Rogers (Vic)         47 Julie Hooper (GBr)
21 Katrina Purcell (Vic)       48 Rebecca McConbell (Vic)
22 Naomi Williams (Tas)        49 Zoe Southwell (NSW)
23 Katie Knight (Vic)          50 Therea Cliff (WA)
24 Felicity Wilson (Vic)       51 Elizabeth Williams (Vic)
25 Kerry Cohen (WA)            52 Hayley Rutherford (WA)
26 Natasha Harrigan (NSW)      53 Susanne Jolidon (Swi)
27 Alex Harrison (Vic)         54 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl)

Past Winners

Men
1999 Brett Aitken (Aus)
Women
1999 Karen Barrow (Aus)