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Australian Cycling Grand Prix - NE
Ballarat, Australia, August 17-19, 2007
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Stage 3 - August 19: Road race, 153/91.8km
Ford clinches toughest win yet
By Rod Morris in Buninyong
Men's race
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Riding with a fractured rib since early August, did not stop exciting Victorian youngster William Ford from winning the final leg of the Australian Cycling Grand Prix, the 153-kilometre road race around the gruelling Buninyong circuit near Ballarat. Ford (19) timed his ride perfectly, reeling in early breakaways, Mitch Docker and Steven Robb and then sprinting away from them to win by 31 seconds from Docker's Drapac Porsche teammate Stuart Shaw.
Ford fractured a rib in the opening lap of the opening race of the Tour of Gippsland, which kick started this year's Timbercorp Cup national series. "I fell on the first lap at Mallacoota earlier this month and have been in a bit of pain ever since," Ford said. "It only hurts when I laugh and there was nothing to laugh about at Buninyong."
How it unfolded
Docker and Robb broke away from the peloton about 70 kilometres into the test and for six laps shared points and prize bonuses in the intermediate sprints and King of the Mountain championships. "We had a little pact going once we were away, in that I would win the sprint points and Steve [Robb] would take the KOM points," Docker said. "At about five to go I told him I was going to attack on the next climb and he decided to go too, it worked for a while before the chasers got to us.
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"Unfortunately they didn't stop although we were able to stay with them after a little while," he said.
Stuart Shaw held a small lead at the bell lap, but the train of Ford, Docker and Robb were keeping him honest.
Ford made his winning move up the final hill on Geelong Road and then attacked even further on the last KOM, giving him enough leeway down the descents back into Buninyong. "This feels great, I have worked hard and our team – southaustralia.com – has enjoyed a good series so far," Ford continued. "I wasn't too worried about the fractured rib today, as this course is more about looking after your legs.
"The last hill climb certainly worked in my favour and it was exciting with a big crowd cheering up the home straight."
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A horrific crash 37 kilometres into the race saw at least seven riders hit the deck. Most were able to recover almost immediately, although Damien Turner, Evan Corry, Scott Kilmartin and Stuart Grimsey weren't so lucky. Turner suffered a possible broken leg, Corry, a broken collarbone and Kilmartin and Grimsey were sporting extensive cuts and bruises and none were able to finish the race.
The accident happened on the Fisken Road descent, causing havoc for the peloton when they came around over the next three laps.
Turner was in obvious pain, but the assistance of a local paramedic, Ian Cabby, intensive nurse Thelma McKurdy and race medic Bobby Hall, made things slightly easier until an ambulance crew arrived.
The Timbercorp Cup lead was handed to Peter McDonald after his solid weekend of racing, which included a third in Friday's individual time trial and victory in Saturday's criterium and 26th in the road race.
Women's race
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In the women's race over 91.8 kilometres, newly crowed ACGP Time Trial champion, Bridie O'Donnell from Melbourne, capped off a successful weekend with a stunning three-minute victory. O'Donnell rode almost half the race distance on her own as she spread-eagled the field to win from Jenny MacPherson and tough Tasmanian Grace Sulzberger.
MacPherson had her revenge however in the ACGP points series with an accumulative tally of 21 points from all three events over the weekend, edging out O'Donnell on 20. O'Donnell however did not ride in Saturday's street race criterium and that decision almost certainly cost her overall victory.
How it unfolded
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Queensland's Carly Hibberd established an early pattern in the women's race, picking up the first four KOM points, whilst Amber Jenkins clinched the sprint title with a solid early ride. But once the field settled down, Bridie O'Donnell made her presence felt. She very quickly put time and distance between herself and the peloton and the small chasing group was showing the strain.
A three-minute margin showed Australian selectors are the right tram with confidence in O'Donnell for events over season, including next month's Trophee European in France.
MacPherson led the bunch home for second spot, which clinched the ACGP title, with Sulzberger showing her liking for the course with a gutsy third. Fellow Tasmanians Rowena Fry and Kate Warren also finished in the top 10.
The series continues next week with the eight-day Fishers IGA Tour of the Murray River from August 26 to September 2 and will climax with the Tour of Tasmania from October 2-7.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Shane Goss/www.licoricegallery.com
- Riders in the women's road race pass the Buninyong Library.
- Riders in the women's road race speed by the 'Local' in Buninyong.
- The women's peloton at the top of the course on Mt.Buninyong.
- The move is made… Bridie O'Donnell gets the gap on the rest in the women's road race.
- The chase group in search of Bridie O'Donnell at the top of Mt.Buninyong.
- Jessica Berry from Victoria in action during the women's road race in Buninyong.
- The chasing group of riders let Bridie O'Donnell increase the gap over the concluding laps.
- Bridie O'Donnell huffs and puffs her way towards another victory at the Grand Prix.
- Bridie O'Donnell from Victoria takes out the women's road race in Buninyong.
- Jenny MacPherson from Victoria brings home the peloton for the minor placings.
- Bridie O'Donnell from the Brunswick Cycling Club winner of the women's road race at the Ballarat Australian Cycling Grand Prix.
- The women's podium spray (L-R): Jenny MacPherson, Bridie O'Donnell and Grace Sulzberger.
- The men's peloton head up Mt.Buninyong on their 153km journey.
- Riders descend beneath the trees into Buninyong.
- The men's peloton make their way up the Midland Highway out of Buninyong.
- Riders corner into Mt.Buninyong Road, but not for a scenic drive.
- The remnants of a rider's machine after nasty crash on a descent at the back of the course.
- The leading duo of Mitchell Docker and Steven Robb made a break for it and looked like hanging on until the concluding laps.
- Stuart Shaw (Drapac Porsche) adopts a streamlined position on a descent.
- William Ford (SouthAustralia.com/AIS) and Stuart Shaw (Drapac Porsche) left the chasing group and hunted down the leading pair.
- Steven Robb does the work as Mitchell Docker checks to see how much the gap is to Ford and Shaw.
- Stuart Shaw (Drapac Porsche) attacks Docker, Robb and Ford in the home-straight.
- The attack from Shaw was short lived and William Ford soon put the foot down attacking the Drapac Porsche pair and Steven Robb.
- William Ford (SouthAustralia.com/AIS) celebrates his stirring win in the men's road race.
- William Ford (SouthAustralia.com/AIS) punches the air a winner at the Ballarat Australian Cycling Grand Prix.
- William Ford (SouthAustralia.com/AIS) is congratulated by early leader Mitchell Docker (Drapac Porsche).
- The podium spray (L-R): Stuart Shaw (Drapac Porsche), William Ford (SouthAustralia.com/AIS), and Mitchell Docker (Drapac Porsche).
- The final Grand Prix overall podium (L-R): Peter McDonald (NSWIS/FRF), Mitchell Docker (Drapac Porsche), and Hayden Josefski (Ord Minnett/Triple Play).
- The best local rider of the race, Jason Hegert from Ballarat on the podium in Buninyong.
- The leader of the Timbercorp Cup National Cycling Series after the second leg in Ballarat, Peter McDonald of the NSWIS/FRF outfit.
- William Ford (SouthAustalia.com/AIS) another great Aussie talent getting a good result on home soil.
Results
Elite Men - 153 km 1 William Ford 4.10.18 (36.675 km/h) 2 Stuart Shaw 0.31 3 Mitchell Docker 0.58 4 Steven Robb 0.59 5 Daniel Braunsteins 1.45 6 Tom Middleton 7 Robert Williams 8 Jonathan Cantwell 1.49 9 Darcy Rosenlund 10 Angus Morton 11 Benjamin King 12 Brendan Schultz 10.57 13 Matt Sillars 14 Jason Hegert 11.13 15 Miles Watson 11.17 16 Josh Page 13.34 17 Marco Duys 18 Ben Mather 13.41 19 Mark O'brien 20 Trent Stevenson 21 Joe Mcdonnell 22 David Tozer 23 Robert Lyte 16.48 24 Joshua Chugg 19.14 25 Tom Leaper 26 Peter Mcdonald 24.42 27 Jacob Lea 28 Hayden Josefski 29 Jay Bourke 30 Daniel Furmston 26.42 DNF Mark Gainsmith DNF Josh Hawkes DNF Sean Finning DNF Miles Olman DNF Evan Corry DNF Darren Lapthorne DNF Cameron Carlyle DNF Vaughan Bowman DNF Peter Milostic DNF Casey Munro DNF David Pell DNF Shaun Higgerson DNF Nicholas Sanderson DNF Tom Southam DNF Mark Hooper DNF Mark Jamieson DNF Danny Kah DNF Grant Irwin DNF Matt King DNF Nicholas Walker DNF Doug Repacholi DNF Alexander Machin DNF Shaun Mccarthy DNF Jeremy Hills DNF Nicholas Mitchell DNF Simon Shaw DNF Peter Mueller DNF Matthew Sherwin DNF Peter Smith DNF Luke Aggett DNF Chris Steffanoni DNF Grant Webster DNF Nathan Wise DNF Michael Johnstone DNF Christopher Tymms DNF Simon Pearson DNF Scott Kilmartin DNF Shayne Kirby DNF David Lunn DNF Pip Grinter DNF Adam Murchie DNF Gavin Nicholls DNF Stuart Grimsey DNF Glen Peterson DNF Andrew Ward DNF Damien Turner DNF Samuel Rix DNF Will Wetenhall DNF Craig Robertson DNF Brad Edmunds DNS Chris Jory DNS Andrew Rolland DNS Tony Mann DNS Bradley Clark DNS Rowan Dever DNS Matthew Davis DNS Danny Cohen DNS Brendon Sharratt DNS Nigel Sullivan DNS Peter Trigar DNS Craig Mccartney DNS Marcus Wettenhall DNS Chris Jensen DNS Chris Pryor DNS Peter Barnett DNS Daniel Doherty DNS Matthew Jones DNS Jarrod Harman DNS Jack Hudson DNS Brendan Washington DSQ Patrick Shaw DSQ Gilbert Gutowski Sprint Championship 1 Mitch Docker (Vic) King of the Mountain Championship 1 Steven Robb (Vic) Australian Cycling Grand Prix 1 Mitch Docker (Vic) Timbercorp Cup leader 1 Peter McDonald (NSW) Elite Women – 91.8 km 1 Bridie O'Donnell 2.54.15 (31.609 km/h) 2 Jenny Macpherson 3.00 3 Grace Sulzberger 4 Carly Hibberd 5 Rowena Fry 6 Jemma O'brien 7 Helen Griffiths 8 Kate Warren 9 Simone Spykers 10 Leila Bunnett 3.02 11 Liz Young 6.06 12 Jacqui Hickey 13 Amber Jenkins 14 Jessica Berry 6.07 15 Clare Vlahopoulos 19.22 16 Nicole Whitburn 17 Radele Berriman 38.44 18 Turi Berg 58.06 DNF Katherine Baker DNS Suzanne Always DNS Kathryn Watt DNS Dana Faletic DNS Vicki Whitelaw DNS Jenni King DNS Cristine Foster DNS Lorraine Meinke DNS Joanna Somerville DNS Kerryn Charman Sprint Championship 1 Amber Jenkins (NSW) Queen of the Mountain Championship 1 Carly Hibberd (Qld) Australian Cycling Grand Prix 1 Jenny MacPherson (Vic)
