Skilled Geelong Bay Classic - NEAustralia, January 2-6, 2002 |
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Day 4 - January 5: Port Arlington. Start 12.30pm, finish 3.30pm
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iteamNova.com's first win as McKenzie take's the day
By Karen Forman In Portarlington
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McKenzie's teammates Jamie Drew, Alan Iacuone, Brett Lancaster, and Trent Wilson, couldn't have been more delighted with Maccas win at iteamNova.com's first competitive outing since its launch in Melbourne in December.
Now they are hoping to add an Australian jersey before they go overseas to contest their first European season.
"Everyone knows it's a big deal to have a national champion in your team and we will be doing everything to win one," McKenzie said after his win at Portarlington, a pretty coastal township on Port Phillip Bay west of Melbourne.
"This (win) gives me a lot more confidence. Generally Australia loves the Aussie battler and reality is, iteamNova hasn't got three, four or even 10 million dollars . But we have a group of committed people and people are supporting us as their team, the Austrlaian team."
Certainly Macca had plenty of support as he rode out and away from the bunch in what watchers have come to regard a typical Mackenzie move today.
It wasn't the first time he has gone for the solo effort - and managed to hold off a chasing bunch long eough to win.
There was a stage in last year's Tour Down Under. Wins in last year's Grafton to Inverell Cycling Classic and the Melbourne to Warnambool . . .
Mackenzie is highly regarded for his strength, his guts and his ability to read a bunch - and put the information gleaned to very good use.
Such was the case today.
"I was feeling good halfway through the race and the bunch was settling in a bit. Stuart (O'Grady-Skilled) and (Robert) Tighello-Ashburton Cycles and (Adriano) Baffi -Fitzroy Cycles were there and I knew that they were going to be hard to beat.
"I was going to wait for the sprint, then Tighello attacked up a hill, then sat up, and I saw he had used a lot of energy - so I counter attacked."
The risk paid off and a committed Mackenzie was never truly in danger from then on despite an all out attempt by the chasers to catch him before the line.
The 28 year old from Melbourne had started the Sprints race on equal fourth points (two) with David Pell and, Greg Henderson, after picking up points with second spot in the second sprint on day two at Barwon Heads. He hadn't figured on the overall pointscore at all.
"I didn't have the speed in my legs for the first three days but the hills on the course today suited me more and I was feeling good," he said.
"I like this course. I won here three years ago and it's always good, I have good memories. "
Still, he knew he would have a battle on his hands with the likes of race leader Robbie McEwen (Crown Casino) looking for a fourth Bay Classic win, Hilton Clarke (SBR-Elite), two points behind McEwan on the pointscore, and Brett Aitken (Rio Coffee) in third place with 19 points.
Also hungry was sprint ace leader and team mate to Clarke, Graeme Brown, whose relegation from first to 11th by commissaires for illegal sprinting on day two at Barwon Heads, added fire to his desire to get either he or Clarke across the line first.
Then there was Italian sprinting hero Adriano Baffi, looking retirement down the barrel at the age of 39, but doing enough to make him 10th on the pointscore going into today's race.
After three days of flat, tight courses, it was obvious this course, with three hills in less than a kilometre, was going to sort the field out.
"This is one of the best courses you could ever ride," McEwan said at the start.
With fine, sunny weather and almost no wind, the field got straight down to business. Brown, as he has done in previous days, headed for the front with Clarke and team mate Greg Henderson but it wasn't going to be a teams time trial this time.
NSW Institute of Sport rider Jono Davis headed a break away with James Taylor (Balance/Carnegie CC), Tighello and Rodney McGee (NSW Institute) and strung out the field.
McGee attacked and was hunted down by Tighello and Italian Enzo Melloni (HLP Homeloans) and spectators began to see that this would be a race of attack, attack, attack.
Stuart O'Grady (Skilled) was next to try to get away, with Tighello and SBR rider David Pelle on his tail. He was caught and a working bunch of eight or so riders formed, including Jayco VIS rider Cadel Evans, Tighello, Matt Farmer of NSW Institute of Sport, Peter Rogers (Ashburton Cycles), Corey Sweet (Skilled and Clark.
The field was snaked out all over the course which made the first intermediate sprint a little simpler for Mark Renshaw (NSW) to win, with Brown second and a well positioned Tighero third.
In the excitement of the sprint, Iacuone and Righello formed a two-man breakaway, joined by McKenzie and Henderson. O'Grady was out alone, chasing and Brown was doing his best to bring the bunch up.
The second sprint gave Baffi his first win of the series, with McKenzie second and Evans third and the field totally cracked up afterward.
Suddenly there were 11 leaders including the major players - McKenzie, Baffi, Tighero. And finally, after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, a bunch of 13 formed at the front including SBR rider Krisjan Snorrason, Tighello, Evans, Peter Rogers (Ashburton Cycles), Baffi, O'Grady, Iacuone, McKenzie, International rider Peter Milostic, Matt White (NSW) and Graeme Miller (Skilled).
Twenty minutes out, with one sprint to go, MacKenzie broke away, taking with him Tighello, Milostic, Henderson and O'Grady, with Evans and Baffi chasing hard.
Tighero took the third intermediate sprint with Milostic second and O'Grady third and still the breakaway held off its unfortunately second half and the original bunch, back further.
Four to go and MacKenzie broke away and had 100 metres on his opponents within seconds. And despite all the best efforts of Henderson, Milostic, Baffi, Tighello and O'Grady, he stayed out there for a convincing win.
Second spot came down to a fiesty sprint between Tighero and Baffi, with Tighero just getting there first.
On the podium, Baffi paid tribute to the other riders and the course.
He will enjoy a couple of days rest on the farm owned by Australian cycling legend Phil Anderson before returning to Italy to contest six days and a few other road races before considering retirement from the sport which has rewarded him with two stages of the Giro d'Italia and a win in the Tour of Spain in recent years.
Photography
- Scott McGrory - enjoying the home-country attention
- You put your - right foot in.....
- Adriano Baffi - talks history with Phil Liggett
- Adriano Baffi - knows a thing or two about being on a podium.
- Robert Tighello (Vic) Ashburton Cycles and Adriano Baffi (Ita) Fitzroy Cycles - sprint for the line
- iteamNova.com's team captain David McKenzie - signs up a young fan
- David McKenzie, Robert Tighello and Adriano Baffi, with everyone being very low key.
- David McKenzie - and iteamNova.com celebrate their first win
These photos kindly provided by Brett Barnard-"YOYO"
- Graeme Brown- Team SBR Elite leads the bunch out on the first lap.
- Hilton Clark - starts the break and looks to see who's coming.
- Hilton Clark - mid corner and looking ahead
- Greg Henderson - leads the Break at Port Arlington with 5 laps to go, followed by Cadel Evens.
- At the ront of the pack - Robbie McEwen leads Graeme Brown
- Robbie McEwen - and Hilton Clark shadow each other
- Kristjan Snorrenson -Team SBR Elite leads the Bunch for the third sprint
Results
1 David McKenzie (Vic) iteamNova.com 2 Robert Tighello (Vic) Ashburton Cycles 3 Adriano Baffi (Ita) Fitzroy Cycles 4 Greg Henderson (NZl) SBR ( Swim Bike Run 5 Stuart O'Grady (SA) Skilled 6 Peter Milostic (NSW) Fitzroy Cycles 7 Peter Rogers ACT Ashburton Cycles 8 Brent Dawson (NSW) NSWIS 9 Graeme Millar (NZl) Skilled 10 Alan Iacune (Vic) iteamNova.com Sprint 1 1 Mark Renshaw (NSW) NSWIS 2 Graeme Brown (NSW) SBR ( Swim Bike Run 3 Robert Tighello (Vic) Ashburton Cycles Sprint 2 1 Mark Renshaw (NSW) NSWIS 2 David McKenzie (Vic) iteamNova.com 3 Cadel Evans (Vic) Jayco VIS Sprint 3 1 Adriano Baffi (Ita) Fitzroy Cycles 2 Peter Milostic (NSW) Fitzroy Cycles 3 Stuart O'Grady (SA) Skilled Sprint ace 1 Graeme Brown (NSW) SBR ( Swim Bike Run (17) 2 Mark Renshaw (NSW) NSWIS (12) 3 Jono Davis (NSW) NSWIS 2 (5) 3 Baden Burke (ACT) Ashburton Cycles (5) 5 Robert Tighello (Vic) Ashburton Cycles (4) 5 David McKenzie (Vic) iteamNova.com (4) 5 Rod McGee (NSW) NSWIS (4) 5 Lee Godfrey (Vic) City of Greater Geelong (4) 9 Alan Iacune (Vic) iteamNova.com (3) 10 Jan Koerts (Ned) Fitzroy Cycles (3) 10 Adriano Bafi (Ita) Fitzroy Cycles (3) 12 David Pelle (Vic) SBR ( Swim Bike Run (2) 12 Greg Henderson (NZl) SBR ( Swim Bike Run (2) 12 Peter Milostic (NSW) Fitzroy Cycles (2) 12 Cadel Evans (Vic) Jayco VIS (2) 16 Stuart O'Grady (SA) Skilled (1) Pointscore after Day 4 1 Robbie McEwen (Qld) Crown Casino (30) 2 Hilton Clarke (Vic) SBR ( Swim Bike Run (28) 3 Brett Aitken (SA) Rio Coffee (19) 4 Greg Henderson (NZl) SBR ( Swim Bike Run (18) 5 Graham Roots (SA) Rio Coffee (17) 6 Robert Tighello (Vic) Ashburton Cycles (14) 7 Graeme Brown (NSW) SBR ( Swim Bike Run (13) 8 Peter Milostic (NSW) Fitzroy Cycles (12) 9 David McKenzie (Vic) iteamNova.com (12) 9 Scott McGrory (Vic) Skilled Quest (11) 11 Adriano Bafi (Ita) Fitzroy Cycles (10) 12 Brent Dawson (NSW) NSWIS (9) 13 Graeme Millar (NZl) Skilled (8) 14 Stuart O'Grady (SA) Skilled (6) 14 Mark Renshaw (NSW) NSWIS (6) 16 Baden Burke (ACT) Ashburton Cycles (5) 16 Leigh Egan (Vic) Ashburton Cycles (5)