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Toohey's Extra Dry Criterium Series #1 - NE
Ulverstone, Tasmania, November 19, 2005
Goss wins from six-man escape
By Rod Morris in Ulverstone
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Newly crowned Tasmanian Sportsman of the Year, Matt Goss continued his rise up the ranks of cycling, with an impressive victory in the opening round of the Tooheys Extra Dry Tasmanian Criterium Championship in Ulverstone at the weekend.
Goss, fresh from a team pursuit victory in Australian colours at the Moscow round of the World Cup, is back home in the Apple Isle and ready to stamp his authority in his chosen sport.
Goss was part of a six man breakaway group which turned the 35 lap race into a hectic affair. Goss and his fellow escapees raced in even time, finishing the 31.5 km event in 31.5 minutes.
Nathan Clarke and Bernard, two of the three defending champions from 2004, finished second and third respectively, while the fifth placing of young Launceston rider Tom Robinson, suggests he could be in for a solid summer of racing. Robinson is in his first year in senior racing and won the recent Latrobe 40 event.
Goss made his intentions known early in the race when he stepped out from the main bunch and established a small lead. That lead grew as the Sulzberger brothers, Bernard and Wesley, along with Clarke, Robinson and Hobart based Stephen Rossendell formed the front group. Intermittent rain towards the middle section of the race, gave the surface a slippery surface, but riders were able to handle the conditions comfortably enough.
Goodstone Entertainment Group have been attracted to the event as a major sponsor and the inaugural Goodstone Sprint Championship saw six hotly contested intermediate sprints. Wesley Sulzberger won the first and fifth sprints, Bernard Sulzberger collected the spoils in the second, third and last sprints and Nathan Clarke bobbed up in the fourth. Bernard Sulzberger claimed overall honours with 9 points, just one ahead of his other two lap winners.
In the final sprint to the finish line, Goss had just a metre to spare from Clarke with Bernard Sulzberger beaten into third.
"Its good to keep the form I had in Moscow and I'm looking forward to a good summer at home with some quality racing," Goss said. "This was a really good field for the opening race and I hope the next two rounds are equally as good."
The top 10 riders to finish all earn points towards the State title and leading the bunch home for seventh was Will Robinson ahead of Jarrod Harman, Tim Walker and newcomer Richie Port.
Ryan Sullivan and Mark Jamieson were both starters, but surprisingly did not finish. Jamieson lost contact with the leading bunch early in the race and had to use a lot of energy chasing and it took its obvious toll. "That was a tough race and the Goss, Clarke and the Sulzberger brothers started it wasn't going to get any easier," Jamieson said.
The State Criterium Championship will continue in Devonport this Saturday for Round 2 before the third and final round is held back in Ulverstone on December 10 on the same circuit. The Devonport circuit will be a 1000 m hot dog shape and will coincide with the annual Devonport Show.
Aside of the Elite Men's race, all other grades of riders are contesting their State titles.
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Grace Sulzberger was a comfortable winner of the Invitational Women's race, ahead of Kate Warren and Bethany Coleman. Burnie based Matthew McDonagh won the B Grade Men's by a clear margin ahead of Launceston duo Clay Murfett and Jamie Perry. Perry had earlier won the A Grade section of the North-West Veterans race.
Aurora Energy sponsored the three junior races which saw victory going to Matthew Kent (Junior 1), Luke Ockerby (Junior 2) and Izac Guest (Junior 3) respectively.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Lynne Ryan
- The men's A Grade bunch.
- Bernard Sulzberger (TIS-Cyclingnews.com) corners hard.
- Matt Goss (TIS-Cyclingnews.com) leads team-mate Bernard Sulzberger into a corner.
- Nathan Clarke finished second in the elite men's race.
- Eventual winner Matt Goss (TIS-Cyclingnews.com) sits on the wheel of Nathan Clarke.
- The TIS-Cyclingnews.com crew - (L to R) Wed Sulzberger, Bernard Sulzberger and Matt Goss.
- Matt Goss (TIS-Cyclingnews.com) dives into a corner.
- Matthew McDonagh wins the men's B grade race.
- Jamie Perry takes third place in the men's B grade race.
- Grace Sulzberger wins the elite women's race.
- U13 winner Izac Guest.
- U15 winner Luke Ockerby.
- U17 winner Matthew Kent.
Results
Elite Men 31.5 km
1 Matt Goss 31.51
2 Nathan Clarke
3 Bernard Sulzberger
4 Stephen Rossendell
5 Tom Robinson
6 Wesley Sulzberger
7 Will Robinson
8 Jarrod Harman
9 Tim Walker
10 Richie Port
Goodstone Sprint Championship
Sprint 1
1 Wesley Sulzberger
2 Nathan Clarke
3 Matt Goss
Sprint 2
1 Bernard Sulzberger
2 Tim Walker
3 Jarrod Harman
Sprint 3
1 Bernard Sulzberger
2 Stephen Rossendell
3 Matt Goss
Sprint 4
1 Nathan Clarke
2 Matt Goss
3 Wesley Sulzberger
Sprint 5
1 Wesley Sulzberger
2 Matt Goss
3 Nathan Clarke
Sprint 6
1 Bernard Sulzberger
2 Nathan Clarke
3 Wesley Sulzberger
Points tally
1 Bernard Sulzberger 9 pts
2 Wesley Sulzberger 8
2 Nathan Clarke 8
4 Matt Goss 6
5 Tim Walker 2
5 Stephen Rossendell 2
7 Jarrod Harman 1
Invitational Women 22.5 Km
1 Grace Sulzberger 26.42 minutes
2 Kate Warren
3 Bethany Coleman
4 Kate de Paoli
5 Tarrisha Jones
6 Sarah Eaves
7 Tiffany Manion
8 Emma Smith
9 Melissa Barnes
10 Emma Haynes
Intermediate Sprints
Sprint 1: Grace Sulzberger
Sprint 2: Grace Sulzberger
B Grade Men 22.5 Km
1 Matthew McDonagh 24.56 minutes
2 Clay Murfett
3 Jamie Perry
4 Adam Hartley
5 Daniel Jamieson
6 Alex Holden
7 Michael Smith
8 Craig Burrows
9 Andrew Loft
10 Codie Redman
Intermediate Sprints
Sprint 1: Daniel Jamieson
Sprint 2: Daniel Jamieson
Sprint 3: Matthew McDonagh
North-West Veterans 18 Km
A Grade
1 Jamie Perry 20.30
2 Peter Gleeson
3 Tim Elmer
4 Craig Price
5 Steve Martini
6 Craig Burrows
7 Darryn Pugh
B Grade
1 Tim Hicks
2 Fred Guilbert
3 David Weeks
4 Nick Millington
5 Julian Clayton
Intermediate Sprints
Sprint 1: Craig Price
Sprint 2: Tim Elmer
Sprint 3: Steve Martini
Sprint 4: Steve Martini
Most Aggressive: Steve Martini.
Aurora Energy Devonport Junior 1 (Under 17) 18 Km
1 Matthew Kent 21.34
2 Andrew Smith
3 Ben Grenda
4 Alex Benson
5 Ed Robinson
6 Brenden Sutton
7 Timothy Taylor
8 Andrew Dolan
9 Matthew Sermicki
10 Jonathon Taylor
Intermediate Sprints
Sprint 1: Ben Grenda
Sprint 2: Ben Grenda
Sprint 3: Matthew Kent
Most Aggressive: Matthew Kent
Aurora Energy Devonport Junior 2 (Under 15) 15.3 Km
1 Luke Ockerby 18.50
2 Sam Brett
3 Amy Cure
4 Brandon Stewart
5 Ryan Mather
6 Jacob Fielding
7 Ryan Ockerby
8 Kodey West
9 Madison Catlin
10 Jason Bounday
Intermediate Sprints
Sprint 1: Luke Ockerby
Sprint 2: Sam Brett
Sprint 3: Luke Ockerby
Aurora Energy Devonport Junior 3 (Under 13) - 5.4 Km
1 Izac Guest, 8.11 minutes
2 Liam Ockerby
3 Drew Redman
4 Danieka West
Intermediate Sprints
Sprint 1: Liam Ockerby
Sprint 2: Liam Ockerby
