Australian Cycling Grand Prix - NE

Ballarat, Australia, August 17-19, 2007

2006 results Stage List Preview Start List Past winners

The Stages

Stage 1 - August 17: Time trial, 38.5/27.4km
Stage 2 - August 18: Criterium, 33km
Stage 3 - August 19: Road race, 153/91.8km

Preview

Reigning Australian Road Cycling champion Darren Lapthorne will return to the scene of his greatest triumph when the Timbercorp Cup National Series continues this weekend as part of the Australian Cycling Grand Prix. Lapthorne won the national title on the tough Buninyong circuit outside of Ballarat in January this year and will be the nominal favourite in the field of 100 for the third leg of the ACGP.

The three day Grand Prix series starts on August 17 with individual time trials in Learmonth, followed by criterium street racing in Ballarat on Saturday before Sunday’s grueling 153 kilometre road classic. The Buninyong route is well known in cycling circles and has been used in previous major events.

Queensland’s Grant Irwin is currently second in the Timbercorp Cup National Series, which started earlier this month with the Tour of Gippsland, four points shy of Zak Dempster (Vic). Dempster headed overseas last week for the World Under 23 Championships and will almost certainly lose his grip on the Timbercorp lead. Dempster won last year's ACGP Time Trial from David Pell and Mitch Docker and the latter two riders are expected to clinch victory on Friday. Docker was the best overall rider in last year's ACGP after his third placing in the ITT, second in the criterium and a fourth in the road race.

More than 320 entries have been received for the ACGP events, with Kathy Watt headlining the female races. But the former Australian Olympian won't have everything her own way, particularly in the criterium where young Victorian Jessica Berry will start as defending champion.

Another young rider to watch will be Tasmanian Grace Sulzberger, little sister of topliners Bernard and Wesley Sulzberger, both former winners of the Sid Patterson Young Rider of the Future award.

The Timbercorp Cup National Series has replaced – in name only – the 11 year-old Tattersall's Cup and the modified points scoring system includes the Tour of Gippsland, the ACGP, Tour of the Murray River (August 26 – September 2) and the Tour of Tasmania (October 2-7). Seven of the current top 12 riders in the series have entered for the Ballarat action, including Grant Irwin, Chris Jory, Patrick Shaw, Peter McDonald, Ben Mather, Steven Robb and Nicholas Sanderson.

Start List

Men

1  Darren Lapthorne (Vic)             
2  David Pell (Vic)                   
3  Mitchell Docker (Vic)              
4  Peter Milostic (NSW)               
5  Robert Williams (NSW)              
6  Peter Mcdonald (NSW)               
7  Chris Jory (NSW)                   
8  Matt King (Nt)                     
9  Casey Munro (Vic)                  
10  Patrick Shaw (Vic)                
11  Reece-Emerson Van Beek (Vic)      
12  Chris Pryor (Qld)                 
13  Ben Mather (Tas)                  
14  Tony Mann (Qld)                   
15  Grant Irwin (Qld)                 
16  Robert Lyte (NSW)                 
17  Craig Mccartney (Vic)             
18  Jarrod Harman (Tas)               
19  Jason Hegert (Vic)                
20  Darcy Rosenlund (Qld)             
21  Miles Watson (Vic)                
22  Jack Hudson (Qld)                 
23  Gavin Nicholls (Qld)              
24  Joe Mcdonnell (NSW)               
25  Daniel Furmston (Tas)             
26  Daniel Braunsteins (Vic)          
27  Cameron Carlyle (Vic)             
28  Matthew Chessum (Vic)             
29  Joshua Chugg (Tas)                
30  Angus Morton (NSW)                
31  Mark Gainsmith (Vic)              
32  Wayne Gebert (Vic)                
33  Stuart Grimsey (Vic)              
34  Pip Grinter (Vic)                 
35  Jeremy Hills (Tas)                
36  Mark Hooper (Vic)                 
37  Chris Jensen (Vic)                
38  Hayden Josefski (Qld)             
39  Scott Kilmartin (Qld)             
40  Adam King (Vic)                   
41  Benjamin King (WA)                
42  Nicholas Mitchell (Vic)           
43  Darren Pearce (Vic)               
44  Simon Pearson (SA)                
45  Robert Regester (Vic)             
46  Samuel Rix (Vic)                  
47  Andrew Rolland (Vic)              
48  Simon Shaw (Vic)                  
49  Matthew Sherwin (Vic)             
50  Matt Sillars (Nz)                 
51  Martin Tobin (Vic)                
52  Marcus Wettenhall (Vic)           
53  Timothy White (Vic)               
54  Nathan Wise (Vic)                 
55  Tom Middleton (SA)                
56  Brad Edmunds (Vic)                
57  Will Wettenhall (Vic)             
58  Damien Turner (Vic)               

Women

202  Bridie O'donnell (Vic)           
203  Grace Sulzberger (Tas)           
204  Dana Faletic (Tas)               
205  Katherine Baker (Act)            
206  Amber Jenkins (NSW)              
207  Stephanie Frawley (NSW)          
208  Nicole Whitburn (Vic)            
209  Clare Vlahopoulos (Vic)          
210  Liz Young (Qld)                  
211  Suzanne Always (Vic)             
212  Leila Bunnett (Vic)              
213  Vanessa Courtot (SA)             
214  Rowena Fry (Tas)                 
215  Helen Griffiths (Qld)            
216  Carly Hibberd (Qld)              
217  Lisa Jacobs (Vic)                
218  Jenny Macpherson (Vic)           
219  Lorraine Meinke (Vic)            
220  Jemma O'brien (NSW)              
221  Rachel Rayner (Vic)              
222  Kirsty Robb (Vic)                
223  Penny Robinson (Vic)             
224  Joanna Somerville (NSW)          
225  Simone Spykers (Vic)             
226  Vicki Whitelaw (Act)