Timbercorp Cup Tour of the Murray River - NE

Australia, August 31-September 7, 2008

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Stage 6 - September 2: Swan Hill - Manangatang, 88.4km

Norton claims victory

By John Craven

Former Victorian open road champion Brad Norton resurrected his flagging cycling career with a gutsy victory in the sun-bleached sixth stage of the Timbercorp Tour of the Murray River today. The 24 year-old, riding for the vastly-improved Praties contingent, trounced current state champion David Pell and Charles Howlett in the 88 km trek from Swan Hill to Manangatang.

It was Norton's first upper-level victory since he annexed the inaugural Victorian open title at Mansfield in 2005. Near-disaster followed his open triumph when he crashed in a beachside criterium early in 2006, rupturing a disc in his back. He was forced to cancel a contract he had just signed with a French amateur team, lost motivation and was axed from the Victorian Institute of Sport squad.

The Melbourne-based Norton regained interest in cycling earlier this year when he was picked up by the Tasmanian Praties team: "They are a fantastic outfit," Norton enthused. "They do not put any pressure on me and realise that I work 40 hours a week."

Norton works in the leisure department at Bunnings but this afternoon's ride was far from a leisure jaunt. He was involved in a seven-man breakaway which had established a 2 minute 45 second break on the peloton at the 60 km mark. The margin at the end was 2.09.

Norton, however, still trailed tour leader, Queenslander David Kemp, by more than 36 minutes after his stage win.

"I had a massive crash on Sunday and that was the end of me," he said. It's just nice to get back on the podium.

Crashes continued to mar the tour on the Swan Hill-Manangatang stage. Victorian 100 km champion Dylan Newell sustained a suspected broken collar bone when he fell with another four riders at the 35 km mark. More than 40 of the original 86-man field have taken tumbles in the first three days of the race.

The most consistent rider in the day's racing was David Pell (Savings and Loans) who recorded two minor placings and stated his determination to win a stage before the tour concludes with a 60 km kermesse in Mildura on Sunday.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Shane Goss/www.licoricegallery.com

The Tour leave Swan Hill bound for Manangatang on the 88.4km stage six.
Nathan Clarke (Praties) leads the peloton on the straight roads out of Swan Hill.
Air time: Tour leader David Kemp (Virgin Blue Cycling) gets airborne over a railway line on stage six.
Luke Durbridge (NSWIS/RoadSafe Mildura/Decked Out) wheel stands his way over a railway line on stage six.
Bunny hopping on the Tour during stage six.
David Kemp (Virgin Blue Cycling) will have Jayco/VIS's Leigh Howard breathing down his neck for the remainder of the Tour.
Cameron Hughes (Team Budget Forklifts) is the oldest rider in the Tour at 36 years of age.
The peloton head towards Manangatang and in search of a leading group of riders up the road.
The lead group had opened up a significant break on the peloton with thirty kilometres remaining.
Victorian Brad Norton (Praties) was in the lead group and looking for a stage win for the Tasmanian based team.
Seven riders had escaped the peloton's clutches and were powering towards Manangatang.
Brendan Schultz (SRT Titans) and Matt Meisel-Dennis (ACTAS) were trying their best to bridge the gap to the leading seven.
Charles Howlett (Cycle City Ballarat) has been on the improve since the Tour of Gippsland and was searching for another podium placing.
Peter Ladd (Team Budget Forklifts) drives the lead group towards the finish.
The lead group with ten kilometres to go and stretching the lead out to more than three minutes.
Cameron Hughes and Team Budget Forklifts teammate Benjamin King (L) back in the peloton with teammate Peter Ladd in the lead group.
The back of the race roll past some barren landscape heading into Manangatang.
Counter lunches were on hold as spectators left their beers to watch the finish to stage six in Manangatang.
Brad Norton (Praties) wins stage six of the Tour into the tiny township of Manangatang.
Bittersweet day for Praties: Dylan Newell receives treatment for a fractured AC joint after teammate Brad Norton had won the stage.
The stage six podium (L-R): David Pell (2nd,Savings and Loans), Brad Norton (1st,Praties) and Charles Howlett (3rd, Cycle City Ballarat).
Malcolm Rudolph (Team Budget Forklifts) received the Tourism Victoria King of the Mountains jersey on stage six.
David Kemp (Virgin Blue Cycling) remains the Tasco Inland Sprint Points leader after six stages.
Still in yellow: David Kemp (Virgin Blue Cycling) holds onto a 23 second lead over Jayco/VIS's Leigh Howard after six stages.

Results

1 Bradley Norton (Praties Cycling)                      2.03.13 (43.046 km/h)
2 David Pell (Savings & Loans)                                 
3 Charles Howlett (Cycle City Ballarat)                        
4 Sean Finning (VIS)                                           
5 Gregory Campbell (Virgin Blue Cycling)                       
6 Timothy Decker (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)               0.04
7 Peter Ladd (Team Budget Forklifts)                       0.13
8 Brendan Schultz (SRT Titans)                             2.09
9 Matt Meisel-Dennis (ACTAS)                                   
10 Peter Johnstone (Australian Road Cycling (ARC))         3.42
11 Nathan Clarke (Praties Cycling)                             
12 Jeremy Hills (Praties Cycling)                              
13 Kyle Marwood (Dixon Homes Cycling Team)                     
14 Luke Aggett (SRT Titans)                                    
15 Richard Lang (NSWIS)                                        
16 Leigh Howard (VIS)                                          
17 Robert Lyte (NSWIS)                                         
18 Will Tehan (Total Rush)                                     
19 Bernar Sulzberger (Virgin Blue Cycling)                     
20 James Langedyk (VIS)                                        
21 David Kemp (Virgin Blue Cycling)                            
22 Scott Law (NSWIS)                                           
23 Craig Gibbs (Cycle City Ballarat)                           
24 James Ibrahim (Moama Bowling Club)                          
25 Ryan Brodie (Euston Bowling & Recreation)                   
26 Adrian Hanson (Dixon Homes Cycling Team)                    
27 Luis Trueba (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)                
28 Matthew Davis (Euston Bowling & Recreation)                 
29 Joshua Gundry (SRT Titans)                                  
30 Benjamin King (Team Budget Forklifts)                       
31 William Alexander (Virgin Blue Cycling)                     
32 Patrick Lane (Australian Road Cycling (ARC))                
33 Glenn O'Shea (VIS)                                          
34 Nicholas Walker (VIS)                                       
35 Luke Durbridge (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)                  
36 Cameron Hughes (Team Budget Forklifts)                      
37 Hayden Brooks (Virgin Blue Cycling)                         
38 Trent Williams (Moama Bowling Club)                         
39 Ashley Baines (Cycle City Ballarat)                         
40 Rohan Dennis (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)                    
41 Samuel Genge (Australian Road Cycling (ARC))                
42 Sean Boyle (Euston Bowling & Recreation)                    
43 Timothy Hucker (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)                  
44 Alastair Loutit (ACTAS)                                     
45 Joel Pearson (Savings & Loans)                              
46 Michael Matthews (ACTAS)                                    
47 Darren Rolfe (Virgin Blue Cycling)                          
48 Alex Carver (NSWIS)                                         
49 Jamie Crass (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)                     
50 Jonothan Lovelock (VIS)                                     
51 Joseph Lewis (NSWIS)                                        
52 Scot Cronly-Dillon (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)         
53 Shaun Mccarthy (Dixon Homes Cycling Team)                   
54 Glen Peterson (Total Rush)                                  
55 Cameron Peterson (Euston Bowling & Recreation)              
56 William Clarke (Praties Cycling)                            
57 Abram Manion (Team Budget Forklifts)                        
58 Joel Stewart (ACTAS)                                        
59 Kane Walker (Moama Bowling Club)                            
60 Malcolm Rudolph (Team Budget Forklifts)                     
61 Daniel Furmston (Praties Cycling)                           
62 Brendan Brooks (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)             
63 Anthony Bennett (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)            
64 Craig McCartney (Savings & Loans)                           
65 Matthew Jensen (Total Rush)                                 
66 Nathan Wise (Cycle City Ballarat)                           
67 Mark Hooper (SRT Titans)                                    
68 Peter Milostic (Team Budget Forklifts)                      
69 Peter Smith (Euston Bowling & Recreation)                   
DNF Dylan Newell (Praties Cycling)                             
DNS Nathan Haas (ACTAS)                                        
 
General Classification after Stage 6
 
1 David Kemp (Virgin Blue Cycling)                      9.12.43
2 Leigh Howard (VIS)                                       0.23
3 Bernar Sulzberger (Virgin Blue Cycling)                  0.35
4 Glenn O'Shea (VIS)                                       1.00
5 Kyle Marwood (Dixon Homes Cycling Team)                  1.07
6 Nathan Clarke (Praties Cycling)                          1.11
7 Benjamin King (Team Budget Forklifts)                    1.14
8 Cameron Hughes (Team Budget Forklifts)                   1.17
9 James Langedyk (VIS)                                     1.23
10 Peter Milostic (Team Budget Forklifts)                  1.51
11 Hayden Brooks (Virgin Blue Cycling)                     1.53
12 Joel Pearson (Savings & Loans)                          1.54
13 Darren Rolfe (Virgin Blue Cycling)                      3.06
14 David Pell (Savings & Loans)                            4.33
15 Joseph Lewis (NSWIS)                                    4.45
16 Patrick Lane (Australian Road Cycling (ARC))            7.05
17 Mark Hooper (SRT Titans)                                7.19
18 Shaun Mccarthy (Dixon Homes Cycling Team)              12.06
19 Michael Matthews (ACTAS)                               13.38
20 Luis Trueba (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)           14.05
21 Rohan Dennis (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)               14.14
22 Jamie Crass (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)                15.28
23 Nicholas Walker (VIS)                                  16.00
24 Sean Finning (VIS)                                     16.48
25 William Clarke (Praties Cycling)                       17.03
26 Malcolm Rudolph (Team Budget Forklifts)                     
27 Alex Carver (NSWIS)                                    17.31
28 Brendan Schultz (SRT Titans)                           17.33
29 Peter Smith (Euston Bowling & Recreation)              17.35
30 Luke Durbridge (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)             17.42
31 Richard Lang (NSWIS)                                   17.46
32 Alastair Loutit (ACTAS)                                18.31
33 Brendan Brooks (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)        21.29
34 Will Tehan (Total Rush)                                21.41
35 Timothy Hucker (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)             21.46
36 Kane Walker (Moama Bowling Club)                       22.22
37 Ryan Brodie (Euston Bowling & Recreation)              22.31
38 Peter Johnstone (Australian Road Cycling (ARC))        23.05
39 Jeremy Hills (Praties Cycling)                         23.34
40 Charles Howlett (Cycle City Ballarat)                  23.41
41 James Ibrahim (Moama Bowling Club)                     23.43
42 Daniel Furmston (Praties Cycling)                      24.51
43 Craig McCartney (Savings & Loans)                      25.20
44 Joel Stewart (ACTAS)                                   25.25
45 Matthew Davis (Euston Bowling & Recreation)            25.47
46 Ashley Baines (Cycle City Ballarat)                    26.24
47 Nathan Wise (Cycle City Ballarat)                      26.45
48 Robert Lyte (NSWIS)                                    26.46
49 Abram Manion (Team Budget Forklifts)                   27.01
50 Adrian Hanson (Dixon Homes Cycling Team)               27.37
51 Anthony Bennett (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)       27.45
52 William Alexander (Virgin Blue Cycling)                28.08
53 Cameron Peterson (Euston Bowling & Recreation)         31.31
54 Scott Law (NSWIS)                                      31.48
55 Luke Aggett (SRT Titans)                               32.10
56 Matt Meisel-Dennis (ACTAS)                             33.27
57 Sean Boyle (Euston Bowling & Recreation)               34.16
58 Timothy Decker (NSWIS/Roadsafe Mildura/De)             34.21
59 Gregory Campbell (Virgin Blue Cycling)                 35.58
60 Bradley Norton (Praties Cycling)                       36.09
61 Samuel Genge (Australian Road Cycling (ARC))           37.26
62 Glen Peterson (Total Rush)                             37.57
63 Scot Cronly-Dillon (Swan Hill Rural City Council P)    46.13
64 Jonothan Lovelock (VIS)                                48.40
65 Joshua Gundry (SRT Titans)                             48.41
66 Peter Ladd (Team Budget Forklifts)                     53.07
67 Matthew Jensen (Total Rush)                            55.30
68 Craig Gibbs (Cycle City Ballarat)                    1.10.14
69 Trent Williams (Moama Bowling Club)                  1.12.34