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Tooheys Tasmanian Criterium Championship #3 - NE
Ulverstone, Tasmania, Australia, December 11, 2004
Series ends in 3-way tie
By Rod Morris in Ulverstone
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The future of the Tooheys Tasmanian Criterium Championship looks secured after the series ended in a unique three-way tie. Launceston-based rider Bernard Sulzberger emerged from the shadows of Round 1 winner Karl Menzies and Round 2 victor Nathan Clarke, to pinch the third and final round in Ulverstone from under their noses.
With Sulzberger, Menzies and Clarke all claiming a win, a second and a third placing, race organisers and major sponsor, Tooheys, decided to declare them joint winners. However under Cycling Tasmania race technical regulations, Sulzberger was announced winner of the Tasmanian Criterium Championship on a countback courtesy of his last race result.
Just back from a bold showing in the Jayco Tour of Queensland, Sulzberger was always going to feature in the end result, as he maintained a position at the head of the field.
Held on a tight - but extremely fast 900 m circuit - the field travelled 27.9 km in just 27.07 minutes.
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The field boasted two current or former world champions - Matt Goss and Mark Jamieson; a former Tour de France and Giro d'Italia rider - Michael Wilson - the reigning sprint king and a former sprint champ from the Herald Sun Tour - Menzies and Clarke and numerous winners of major Tasmanian track handicap wheelraces, such as Gareth Atkins, Stephen Rossendell, Matthew Atkins, Daniel Cutting, John Abblitt and Caleb Manion.
There was class on every corner. But in a hectic sprint to the line, it was the "Big Three" - Sulzberger, Menzies and Clarke - that fought out the podium placings.
In the corresponding women's championship, series leader Louise Yaxley held on to win the championship, despite finishing third in the last race behind Belinda Goss and Grace Sulzberger.
Goss was unable to compete in the first two rounds because of racing commitments in Victoria, but showed a clean pair of heels when it counted in the final race.
Yaxley won the series by 1-point from Sulzberger with Devonport 17-year-old Natasha Mapley claiming third place.
Jarrod Harman won the B Grade Men's series ahead of Will Robinson and Kaidan Homan, whilst it was Robinson who won the final race in that category.
Ulverstone's Carrie Price won the final round race in the B Grade Women's but the series went to Kate De Paoli after she scored a succession of fourth placings to earn her enough points.
Winners of the three age group races on Saturday included Clay Murfett (U17), Andrew Smith (U15) and Jake Laskey (U13). Smith and Laskey also won their series' titles, whilst Daniel Jamieson claimed overall honours in the U17 category.
Darryn Pugh was the stand out rider in both the Masters and North-West Veterans championships.
Tasmanian cycling will now turn its attention to track racing with the annual Rosebery Carnival scheduled for December 18 before the big Basslink Christmas Carnivals from Boxing Day through to New Year's Day. Racing will include carnivals at Latrobe (Dec. 26), Launceston (Dec. 28), Devonport (Dec.29-30) and Burnie (Jan. 1).
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Kevin Tabotta
- Belinda Goss (TIS-Cyclingnews) leads the women's field
- Louise Yaxley leads Belinda Goss through the streets of Ulverstone
- The women's podium Grace Sulzberger, Belinda Goss and Louise Yaxley
- The top three women wave from the podium
- TIS-Cyclingnews riders Mark Jamieson, Wes Sulzberger and Matt Goss wait for the start
- Ready for the off
- Wes Sulzberger leads the field out of a turn
- Wes Sulzberger working hard on the front
- Mark Jamieson (TIS-Cyclingnews) gets a move on in the Ulverstone criterium
- Look, cyclists! The next generation gets interested in racing
- Action from the Ulverstone crit
- TIS-Cyclingnews riders lead the bunch
- Bernard Sulzberger takes the win in the final round and lands the series on countback
Results
Elite Men 1 Bernard Sulzberger 2 Karl Menzies 3 Nathan Clarke 4 Matt Goss 5 Gareth Atkins 6 Josh Wilson 7 Kharne Hammersley 8 Ben Price 9 Stephen Rossendell 10 Jai Crawford Elite Women 1 Belinda Goss 20.21 2 Grace Sulzberger 3 Louise Yaxley 4 Natasha Mapley 5 Amelia Cox 6 Tarrisha Jones 7 Laura McCaughey 8 Katherien Field B Grade Men 1 Will Robinson 19.37 2 Jarrod Harman 3 Kaidan Homan 4 Jamie Perry 5 John Abblitt 6 Aaron Jones 7 Abram Manion 9 Dylan Forbes 9 John Rayner 10 Colin Barnes B Grade Women 1 Carrie Price 20.21 2 Bethany Coleman 3 Tiffany Manion 4 Kate De Paoli 5 Lauralee Sharman 6 Coby Harris 7 Christie Smith 8 Deb Reynolds 9 Alitta Laskey 10 Emma Heynes Masters 1 Darryn Pugh Under 17 1 Clay Murfett 16.43 2 Daniel Jamieson 3 Tom Robinson 4 Ben Grenda 5 Alex Holden 6 Mitch Stewart 7 Matthew McDonagh 8 Alex Benson 9 Brenden Sutton 10 Beau Windebank Under 15 1 Andrew Smith 15.25 2 Andrew Redman 3 David Lyons 4 Brandon Stewart 5 Sam Brett 6 Ed Robinson 7 Emma Smith 8 Ryan Mather 9 Luke Ockerby 10 Tim Taylor Under 13 1 Jake Laskey 11.10 2 Kodey West 3 Izac Guest 4 Daniel Roberts North-West Veterans A Grade 1 Jamie Perry 15.33 2 Darryn Pugh 3 Shane Cresswell 4 Peter Gleeson 5 Dean Wilson 6 Paul Guest 7 Dylan Forbes B Grade 1 Frederic Guilbert 2 Les Davison 3 Phil Hays 4 Ben Bright C Grade 1 Nick Millington 1 Paul Jones 3 Julian Clayton 4 Tom McDonagh D Grade 1 Mark Kitteridge 2 Peter Dadson 3 David Christie Final series placings Elite Men 1 Bernard Sulzberger 1 Karl Menzies 1 Nathan Clarke 4 Josh Wilson 5 Ben Price Elite Women 1 Loiuse Yaxley 2 Grace Sulzberger 3 Natasha Mapley 4 Kate Warren B Grade Men 1 Jarrod Harman 2 Will Robinson 3 Kaidan Homan 4 Aaron Jones B Grade Women 1 Kate De Paoli 2 Carrie Price 3 Tiffany Manion 4 Bethany Coleman Masters 1 Darryn Pugh 2 Shane Cresswell 3 Glenn Myler Under 17 1 Daniel Jamieson 2 Tom Robinson 3 Ben Grenda Under 15 1 Andrew Smith 2 Andrew Redman 3 David Lyons Under 13 1 Jake Laskey 2 Kodey West 3 Izac Guest North-West Veterans A Grade 1 Darryn Pugh 2 Peter Gleeson 3 Shane Cresswell B Grade 1 Frederic Guilbert 2 Bob Bright 3 Les Davison C Grade 1 Nick Millington 2 Julian Clayton 3 Terry Jackson D Grade 1 Peter Dadson 2 David Christie 3 Marcus Langham
