Photo: © AFP
2000 Results Stage list Preview Start list Scott Sunderland diary John Lieswyn diary Past winners
Total kilometres: 1349.9 km
Total number of sprints: 168
Total number of hill climbs: 25
The 50th anniversary of the Herald Sun Tour will be held from October 18 to 28, and this year's edition has been beefed up with AU$115,000 prize money, and a field of top Australian pro's hungry for the win. The last Australian to triumph in the tour was Neil Stephens in 1986, and since then a succession of Australian champions, including Stuart O'Grady, Stephen Hodge, Robbie McEwen, Scott McGrory, Henk Vogels, Scott Sunderland and Bradley McGee have tried and failed to break the deadlock.
Already Sunderland, McGee, McEwen, Vogels and Commonwealth Games road champion Jay Sweet have signified their intention to contest the tour, which will start with a lunch-time criterium in Melbourne's central business district on Thursday, October 18.
The 11 day, 15 stage race will be contested by 90 riders from 20 countries, racing in 18 five-man teams. Newly-crowned national champions David McCann (Ireland), Marcus Ljungqvist (Sweden), Jeremy Hunt (Great Britain), Steve Williams (Australia) and Commonwealth Games time trial gold medallist Eric Wohlberg (Canada) will add further lustre to the classy field.
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The very much in-form Sunderland will be riding with his Fakta teammates as captain of the Malaysia Airlines team. He finished second in the 1991 Herald Sun Tour and is determined to break the Aussie blockade. "Winning the 50th Herald Sun Tour would be a dream," he said. "I'm bringing a tremendously strong European team with me and I reckon I can do it."
Besides the prestigious Vicroads yellow jersey for the overall winner, other competitions the Sprint Champion, East Gippsland Shire King of the Mountains, the A H Plant Most Aggressive Rider and the Australia Post Criterium Champion. Local riders will also do battle for the Herald Sun Australian based rider's jersey, incorporating the Casey-Patterson Cup. Prize money in this category has increased to $5000, acknowledging the prestige this award now commands and the competition it generates.
The Regional Challenge Cup will again be contested, with highly-competitive teams from the Latrobe, Southern Grampians, Ballarat and Echuca regions, plus the City of Melbourne, vying for $2000 prize money and the teams trophy.
Rural centres hosting an overnight stop-over of the tour include Morwell, Lakes Entrance, Mount Hotham, Echuca-Moama, Bendigo, Daylesford, Ballarat, Hamilton, Colac and Geelong. The tour will also make a much-anticipated return to Maffra on Saturday, October 20, the home of inaugural winner Keith Rowley in 1952. Other lunch-time stops and stage starts will be in Gembrook, Yarrawonga, Maryborough and Warrnambool.
Highlights include a gruelling 180km stage which finishes up Mount Hotham, a 28km evening criterium in central Bendigo and a testing teams time trial over 31 km from Dunkeld to Hamilton on Friday, October 26. The tour will conclude with a 44 km criterium on Geelong's scenic waterfront on Sunday, October 28.
Last Updated 18/10/01 Echuca-Moama Malaysia Airlines 1 Eugen Wacker (Kyr) 6 Scott Sunderland (Aus) 2 Remigius Lupeikis (Ltu) 7 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) 3 Zbigniew Piatek (Pol) 8 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) 4 Piotr Chmielewski (Pol) 9 Jorgen Bo Petersen (Den) 5 Kazimierz Stafiej (Pol) 10 Morten Sonne (Den) Australia Post Foster's Lightice 11 Eric Wohlberg (Can) 16 Andy De Smet (Bel) 12 John Lieswyn (USA) 17 Bart Heirewegh (Bel) 13 Dave McCook (USA) 18 Tim Lenaers (Bel) 14 Greg Henderson (Aus) 19 Nathan Clarke (Aus) 15 David Pell (Aus) 20 Peter Dawson (Aus) Active For Life Custom Fleet 21 Alessandro Pozzi (Ita) 26 Bradley McGee (Aus) 22 Peter Milostic (Aus) 27 Rodney McGee (Aus) 23 Robert Tighello (Aus) 28 Trent Wilson (Aus) 24 James Taylor (Aus) 29 Ashley Humbert (Aus) 25 Robert Boag (Aus) 30 Tomas Buchacek (Cze) Jayco Latrobe City 31 Henk Vogels (Aus) 36 David McCann (Irl) 32 Brett Lancaster (Aus) 37 Aiden Duff (Irl) 33 David McKenzie (Aus) 38 Paul Griffin (Irl) 34 Hilton Clarke (Aus) 39 Tommy Evans (Irl) 35 Matt Wilson (Aus) 40 Mark Scanlon (Irl) Southern Grampians Ballarat*Eureka! 41 Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) 46 Olaf Pollack (Ger) 42 Rik Reinerink (Ned) 47 Saulius Ruskys (Ltu) 43 Jan Van Velzen (Ned) 48 Federico Morini (Ita) 44 Sean Sullivan (Aus) 49 Peter Wrolich (Aut) 45 Corey Sweet (Aus) 50 Rene Haselbacher (Aut) City Of Melbourne AH Plant - Caffe Paesano 51 Jay Sweet (Aus) 56 Baden Burke (Aus) 52 Alexandre Chouffe (Fra) 57 Stephen Cunningham (Aus) 53 Benjamin Levecot (Fra) 58 Russell Van Hout (Aus) 54 Stephane Barthe (Fra) 59 Jade Lean (Aus) 55 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) 60 Brett Bellchambers (Aus) Caravello NSW Institute Of Sport 61 Dennis Rasmussen (Den) 66 Jans Koerts (Ned) 62 Ari Hojgaard Jensen (Den) 67 Dan Smith (GBr) 63 Phillip Thuaux (Aus) 68 Steve Williams (Aus) 64 Bart Hickson (Aus) 69 Ben Brooks (Aus) 65 David McPartland (Aus) 70 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Fitzroy Cycles Australian Abalone Exports 71 Robbie McEwen (Aus) 76 Tim Decker (Aus) 72 Robert Crowe (Aus) 77 Garry Parsons (Aus) 73 Andrew Torney (Aus) 78 Saul Pasque (Aus) 74 Nick Gates (Aus) 79 Klayten Smith (Aus) 75 David Harrigan (Aus) 80 Karl Menzies (Aus)
2000 Eugen Wacker (Kgz) Echuca-Moama 1999 Michael Blaudzun (Den) Home-Jack&Jones 1998 Alessandro Pozzi (Ita) Italy 1997 Norm Alvis (USA) USA 1996 Scott Moninger (USA) USA 1995 Andy Bishop (USA) USA 1994 Christian Henn (Ger) Germany 1993 David Mann (GBr) England 1992 Bart Bowen (USA) USA 1991 Michael Engleman (USA) USA 1990 Udo Bolts (Ger) Germany 1989 Marcel Arntz (Ned) Netherlands 1988 Adri Van Der Poel (Ned) Netherlands 1987 Stefano Tomasini (Ita) Italy 1986 Neil Stephens (Aus) ACT 1985 Malcolm Elliot (GBr) England 1984 Gary Sutton (Aus) New South Wales 1983 Shane Sutton (Aus) New South Wales 1982 Terry Hammond (Aus) Victoria 1981 Clyde Sefton (Aus) Victoria 1980 David Allan (Aus) Victoria 1979 John Trevorrow (Aus) Victoria 1978 Terry Hammond (Aus) Victoria 1977 John Trevorrow (Aus) Victoria 1976 Peter Besanko (Aus) Victoria 1975 John Trevorrow (Aus) Victoria 1974 Graham McVilly (Aus) Tasmania 1973 Graham McVilly (Aus) Tasmania 1972 Ken Evans (Aus) Victoria 1971 Graham McVilly (Aus) Tasmania 1970 Trevor Williamson (Aus) Victoria 1969 Keith Oliver (Aus) New South Wales 1968 Barry Waddell (Aus) WA 1967 Barry Waddell (Aus) WA 1966 Barry Waddell (Aus) WA 1965 Barry Waddell (Aus) WA 1964 Barry Waddell (Aus) WA 1963 Bill Lawrie (Aus) Queensland 1962 Bill Knevitt (Aus) Victoria 1961 John Young (Aus) Victoria 1960 Peter Panton (Aus) WA 1959 Peter Panton (Aus) WA 1958 John Young (Aus) Victoria 1957 Russell Mockridge (Aus) Victoria 1956 George Goodwin (Aus) Victoria 1955 Allan Geddes (Aus) Victoria 1954 Hec Sutherland (Aus) Victoria 1953 Basil Halsall (Aus) Victoria 1952 Keith Rowley (Aus) Victoria