Stage 2 - February 28: Swansea - St Helens, 130km. Start 11.30am, finish 2.30pmResults Preview and course profile Next stage Previous stage Aitken in fine style in St HelensBy Rod Morris Winning the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics will always remain a career highlight, but victory in today's (Feb. 28) second stage of the Skilled Tour of Tasmania was just as sweet for Brett Aitken. Aitken - riding in the No. 1 saddlecloth for the Skilled team - showed his sprinting prowess as a bunch of 61 riders crossed the finish line at St Helens. The tour entourage was credited with a smart time of 2 hours 48.17 minutes for the 130 km race from Swansea to St Helens on Tasmania's East Coast amid brilliant sunshine. But while Aitken was enjoying stage victory, the prestigious yellow jersey recognising tour leadership belonged to day one leader, Russell Van Hout of the Rio Coffee team. Van Hout crossed the line in 16th position and still leads the five day tour by seven seconds from his Rio Coffee teammate Luke Roberts, who recorded his second successive runner-up stage placing. Third in the General Classification is Victorian Jayco Under 23 rider, David Pell, followed by Jeremy Yates (New Zealand) and talented NSW Institute of Sport rider Ashley Humbert. Aitken won the stage, just half a wheel ahead of Roberts, with Victorian Jamie Drew (ITeamNova.com) another wheel length away in third place. "I think that stage was just about tailor made for me," Aitken explained. "It was a fast flat stage and it suited my style of sprint racing." Aitken suffered a fall on day one, which has almost cost him any chance of winning the tour. "When I fell, I just about kissed my chances of winning the GC away," he said. Aitken is currently 47th in GC and 5 mins 49 secs behind Van Hout. "I can't see that position improving up the hills in the next few stages." Both the Wrest Point King of the Mountain Championship and Country Club Sprint Ace Championship saw new leaders after the St Helens stage. New Zealander Jeremy Yates took control of the red/white polka dot jersey for the best mountain climber, just two points ahead of Tasmanian Sid Taberlay, while popular American Mike Tillman is the new Sprint Ace, one point clear of day one leader David Pell. The Teams Championship, which is another prestigious award within the tour, is being led by the Jayco Under 23 unit, which declared at the start of the tour, it was treating the race as experience and development. The best performed Tasmanian riders include Sean Sullivan (7th), Sid Taberlay (18th), Bernard Sulzberger (20th), Caleb Manion (29th) and Nathan Clarke (37th). The original field of 75 has been whittled to 73 with the withdrawals of Brett Lancaster (ITeamNova.com) and Nathan Blackman (Avanti Blackman Bicycles). On Friday (March 1) the tour heads from St Helens (9.30 a.m.) to Launceston (2.30 p.m.) with KOM climbs at Weldborough, Scottsdale and Launceston. The tour will then head to the North-West Coast before finishing back in Launceston with an individual time trial. Results1 Brett Aitken (Aus) Skilled 2.48.17 (52.6 km/h) 2 Luke Roberts (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 3 Jamie Drew (Aus) iTeamnova.com 4 Matt Yates (NZl) New Zealand 5 Bram De Waard (Ned) Skilled Quest 6 Paul Rowney (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 7 Shinri Suzuki (Jpn) Japan 8 Nathan Clarke (Aus) Tas IS 9 Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Tas IS 10 Mike Tillman (USA) Tas IS 2 11 Thomas Boulachi (Cze) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 12 David Pell (Aus) Jayco Under 23 13 Jeremy Yates (NZl) New Zealand 14 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Jayco Under 23 15 Brendan Cato (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 16 Russel Van Hout (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 17 Karl Menzies (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 18 Robin Read (NZl) New Zealand 19 Stephen Cunningham (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 20 Sean Sullivan (Aus) Tas IS 21 Kazuya Okazaki (Jpn) Japan 22 Dean Johnstone (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 23 Stephen Rossendell (Aus) Tas IS 2 24 Graham Rootes (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 25 Ben Brooks (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 26 Cameron Carlyle (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 27 Anthony Challinor (Aus) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 28 Johny Clarke (Aus) Jayco - Vis 29 Andrew Mason (Aus) Jayco - Vis 30 Bruce Mcintosh (Aus) Jayco Under 23 31 Sid Taberlay (Aus) Tas IS 32 Dave McPartland (Aus) Jayco Under 23 33 Steve Aitken (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 34 Craig Gordon (Aus) Norco-Appleby 35 Ashley Humbert (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 36 Peter Rogers (Aus) Skilled 37 Cameron Jennings (Aus) Skilled 38 Allan Iacuone (Aus) iTeamnova.com 39 Craig Thomson (NZl) Skilled Quest 40 Dave McKenzie (Aus) iTeamnova.com 41 Makato Lijima (Jpn) Japan 42 Andrew Reid (NZl) Skilled Quest 43 Stuart Dangerfield (GBr) Norco-Appleby 44 Cameron Hughes (Aus) Skilled Quest 45 Sion Jones (GBr) Norco-Appleby 46 Tomoya Kano (Jpn) Japan 47 James Taylor (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 48 Alan Duncan (NZl) New Zealand 49 Trent Wilson (Aus) iTeamnova.com 50 David Harrigan (Aus) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 51 Trent Lowe (Aus) Jayco - Vis 52 Klayton Smith (Aus) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 53 Stuart Lowe (NZl) New Zealand 54 Rodney McGee (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 55 Glen Chadwick (Aus) Skilled Quest 56 Mark Bowden (Aus) Norco-Appleby 57 Jade Lean (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 58 Lee Godfrey (Aus) Jayco Under 23 59 Mitsutera Tanaka (Jpn) Japan 60 Nick Sanderson (Aus) Jayco - Vis 61 Mark Jamieson (Aus) Tas IS 2 62 Peter Milostic (Aus) Skilled 0.24 63 Caleb Manion (Aus) Tas IS 64 Matt Rice (Aus) Tas IS 2 1.00 65 Chris Wilding (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 2.57 66 Jai Crawford (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 67 Mark Leis (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 68 Chris Carr (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 69 Todd Parnell (Aus) Norco-Appleby 4.04 70 Sean Finning (Aus) Jayco - Vis 71 Matt Conn (Aus) Tas IS 2 72 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Skilled 16.42 73 Robert Licciardo (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 26.42 DNF Brett Lancaster (Aus) iTeamnova.com DNF Nathan Blackman (Aus) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. Teams 1 Jayco Under 23 8.24.51 2 Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 3 Francaise De Jeux N.S.W.IS 4 Japan 5 Rio Coffee SA 6 Tas IS 7 New Zealand 8 Skilled Quest 9 Skilled 10 Norco-Appleby 11 iTeamnova.com 12 Jayco - VIS 13 Tas IS 2 14 Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 15 Giant -Tasmania 2.57 General classification after stage 2 1 Russel Van Hout (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 5.18.05 2 Luke Roberts (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 0.07 3 David Pell (Aus) Jayco Under 23 0.16 4 Jeremy Yates (NZl) New Zealand 0.19 5 Ashley Humbert (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 0.20 6 David Harrigan (Aus) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 0.24 7 Sean Sullivan (Aus) Tas IS 0.25 8 Stuart Dangerfield (GBr) Norco-Appleby 9 Peter Rogers (Aus) Skilled 0.26 10 Allan Iacuone (Aus) iTeamnova.com 11 Tomoya Kano (Jpn) Japan 12 Shinri Suzuki (Jpn) Japan 13 Ben Brooks (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 14 Thomas Boulachi (Cze) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 15 Dave McPartland (Aus) Jayco Under 23 16 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Jayco Under 23 17 Craig Gordon (Aus) Norco-Appleby 18 Sid Taberlay (Aus) Tas IS 1.45 19 Bruce Mcintosh (Aus) Jayco Under 23 1.48 20 Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Tas IS 1.49 21 Klayton Smith (Aus) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 1.50 22 Cameron Hughes (Aus) Skilled Quest 23 Paul Rowney (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 2.15 24 Cameron Jennings (Aus) Skilled 2.16 25 Trent Wilson (Aus) iTeamnova.com 26 Kazuya Okazaki (Jpn) Japan 27 Brendan Cato (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 28 Robin Read (NZl) New Zealand 29 Caleb Manion (Aus) Tas IS 2.40 30 Matt Yates (NZl) New Zealand 2.55 31 Bram De Waard (Ned) Skilled Quest 3.00 32 Anthony Challinor (Aus) Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 3.02 33 Stuart Lowe (NZl) New Zealand 34 Alan Duncan (NZl) New Zealand 35 Trent Lowe (Aus) Jayco - Vis 36 Lee Godfrey (Aus) Jayco Under 23 37 Nathan Clarke (Aus) Tas IS 38 Mark Jamieson (Aus) Tas IS 2 39 Karl Menzies (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 40 Andrew Reid (NZl) Skilled Quest 41 Stephen Cunningham (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 42 Makato Lijima (Jpn) Japan 4.12 43 Jai Crawford (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 4.47 44 Mike Tillman (USA) Tas IS 2 5.22 45 Mitsutera Tanaka (Jpn) Japan 5.29 46 Steve Aitken (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 5.43 47 Brett Aitken (Aus) Skilled 5.49 48 Mark Leis (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 5.59 49 Chris Carr (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 50 Rodney McGee (Aus) Francaise De Jeux NSWIS 6.04 51 Andrew Mason (Aus) Jayco - Vis 52 Graham Rootes (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 53 James Taylor (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 54 Mark Bowden (Aus) Norco-Appleby 7.56 55 Jamie Drew (Aus) iTeamnova.com 8.10 56 Johny Clarke (Aus) Jayco - Vis 8.16 57 Sion Jones (GBr) Norco-Appleby 58 Chris Wilding (Aus) Giant -Tasmania 9.01 59 Dave McKenzie (Aus) iTeamnova.com 9.45 60 Cameron Carlyle (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 61 Matt Rice (Aus) Tas IS 2 10.45 62 Todd Parnell (Aus) Norco-Appleby 14.30 63 Sean Finning (Aus) Jayco - Vis 14.32 64 Nick Sanderson (Aus) Jayco - Vis 16.57 65 Stephen Rossendell (Aus) Tas IS 2 66 Craig Thomson (NZl) Skilled Quest 67 Jade Lean (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 68 Dean Johnstone (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 69 Matt Conn (Aus) Tas IS 2 21.01 70 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Skilled 26.27 71 Glen Chadwick (Aus) Skilled Quest 27.12 72 Peter Milostic (Aus) Skilled 27.36 73 Robert Licciardo (Aus) Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 53.54 Country Club Sprint Ace classification 1 Mike Tillman (USA) Tas IS 2 7 pts 2 David Pell (Aus) Jayco Under 23 6 3 Brett Aitken (Aus) Skilled 5 4 Russel Van Hout (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 3 5 Matt Yates (NZl) New Zealand 3 6 Todd Parnell (Aus) Norco-Appleby 2 7 Bruce Mcintosh (Aus) Jayco Under 23 2 8 Luke Roberts (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 1 9 Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Tas IS 1 Wrest Point King of the Mountain classification 1 Sid Taberlay (Aus) Tas IS 9 pts 2 Jeremy Yates (NZl) New Zealand 11 3 Russel Van Hout (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 5 4 Stuart Dangerfield (GBr) Norco-Appleby 2 69 Luke Roberts (Aus) Rio Coffee SA 3 Teams classification 1 Jayco Under 23 15.55.33 2 Avanti - Blackman Bicycles N.S.W. 1.24 3 Francaise De Jeux N.S.W.IS 1.50 4 Japan 1.50 5 Rio Coffee SA 2.26 6 Tas IS 2.48 7 New Zealand 4.26 8 Skilled Quest 6.36 9 Skilled 7.28 10 Norco-Appleby 7.30 11 Giant -Tasmania 9.33 12 iTeamnova.com 9.40 13 Jayco - VIS 16.04 14 Tas IS 2 16.58 15 Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 17.33
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