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National Road Cycling Championships - NE
Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, QLD, September 9-15, 2002
Results Event program and results
Elite Men's Road Race
Klayten The Conqueror
By Anthony Tan, Cyclingnews correspondent in Yandina
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With the most diverse field in terms of cycling ability, the largest group of the day with almost 80 riders and by far the longest distance with 17 laps of a 10 kilometre circuit, the elite men's road race was always going to be an interesting one.
An early break in the form of Stuart Cowin (Astra CC) and Bradley Mills (Parramatta CC) was not at all surprising. Clearly the objective here was to rid themselves of the deadwood early on, and when another three riders bridged across, the break was no doubt for real.
On lap three, the five became seven, and on lap five, the seven became twelve - Caravello were best represented with two very experienced riders: Bart Hickson and Klayten Smith. It may have been early days, but the peloton's anxiety was particularly noticeable as the gap grew to around half a minute at the end of lap four.
From lap five to eight, Brendan Howard (Hinchinbrook CC) was doing the damage in the front group, setting a unrelenting tempo on the climb that none could follow. Howard's gap was never enough to cause permanent damage, and his strongman showing during the middle of the race proved very costly when it mattered - and so Howard's strength became Howard's End.
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Meanwhile the main field containing the likes of Rodney McGee (Paramatta CC) and Eddie Salas (Hinchinbrook CC) became increasingly fragmented when a group of three containing Nathan Russell (Caravello) attempted to bridge across to the lead group. The closest this group got to the select pack of twelve was 1.15, before blowing out to well over two minutes with the peloton never far behind.
From lap ten onwards, the break was gone for good, and it appeared the duo from Caravello were suffering badly when they let small gaps open on the 550 metre-long climb. However for at least one of the two, it turned out to be a perfect game of bluff - not dissimilar to Lance Armstrong's stage win to Alpe d'Huez in the 2001 Tour de France.
Shortly thereafter, the "go-betweens" that found themselves in the unenviable position of being stuck between the lead group and the peloton conceded any attempt at glory, dropping back to the main field. At this stage, the lead group were now close to three minutes ahead - more than content to take a breather after two hours of dog work, and climbing noticeably slower from lap eleven to thirteen.
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Paul Redenbach (Footscray CC) was clearly the strongest from the "best of the rest", visibly annoyed at missing out on the main move of the day. Redenbach decided to go it alone from lap twelve, venting his frustration in a solo effort that would no doubt prove fruitless. As the front group's lead blew out to over three minutes with three laps remaining, all but ten of the remnants of the peloton decided to call it a day. The race was going to be decided up front, and as the kilometres ticked down, the tension grew accordingly.
On the climb of lap fourteen, a fatigued Liam Kelly (Eastern Suburbs) ran out of cookies, and the lead group dwindled down to eleven riders. With less than 25 kilometres remaining, the final selection would most surely be on the either of the final two ascents - it simply became a matter of anticipating which one and what rider/s.
Super-motivated after a successful stint in Belgium, Klayten Smith from Caravello gave it his all on the penultimate climb, successfully breaking away from his remaining breakaway companions.
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Smith's lead quickly grew to 15 seconds, then 30, then 45. The Caravello rider was flying in the 53x14 - straight into a cross-headwind, burning up the main drag back into the town of Yandina for a final lap of honour.
As Smith approached the 14% climb for the 17th and final time, he was a man possessed; it was clear his game of bluff was played to perfection with the gap now at one minute. Swooping down the technical descent that followed soon thereafter, Smith then drove it home, harder again - back into the wind with less than five to go and hurtling along at 45 clicks an hour.
Coming into the final straight, it was an inspiring sight: the ever-so-lean New South Welshman punched the air as he crossed the line victorious, barely able to hold his bike up. Glen Stojanow stomped home for second place, but today the glory was clearly all Klayten Smith's.
Post-race comments
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Klayten Smith (Caravello), 1st:
"It was hard but it was a steady pace [in the break]; probably better than being out in the bunch on a course like that. With a long headwind section and a sharp hill, the bunch is not really too keen to chase - so when the early break grew to seven, I was a bit worried - but I was lucky enough to bridge across with a couple of other fellas.
"I knew that I only had enough juice for one [attack]; the plan was to go once and go very hard. But I waited; on a course like this, you don't want to go too early - if you blow up [early on], it's curtains - so I waited and waited, then gave it all I had - and it worked out.
"I've won some races overseas, but they don't mean so much because you don't know what they are - but the national title is something everyone knows."
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Glen Stojanow, 2nd:
"Last year the same thing happened, so I always had it in the back of my mind that something similar may happen. Once I got in the break, the plan was to hang in there - just survival, because they're really dead roads out there.
"In the kick to the line, I knew I had to come in around third wheel, and I just managed to come around Hilton [McMurdo, Northern Districts CC] - so I'm pretty happy with my performance today with Grafton to Inverell next week."
Photography
Photos by Tom Balks
- Rodney McGee (Paramatta CC) didn't quite have the form today, eventually retiring with around 30 kilometres remaining
- Jarron Poad (Northern Districts CC) most likely never imagined such a brutal day in the saddle
- The lead group of eleven, being driven by Glen Stojanow and Bart Hickson (Caravello)
- Paul Redenbach (Footscray CC) was quite clearly the best of the rest within the peloton, but it was simply a case of too little, too late
- Glen Stojanow was one of the select group of 12 riders that rode in the break and stayed in the break, right up until the very end
- The select group of eleven riders begin the penultimate ascension of the 550 metre climb. Little did they know that a wiry Klayten Smith (Caravello, far right) was about to unleash a devastating attack that none could follow
- Klayten Smith (Caravello) gives it his all on the penultimate ascension of the climb, and from there on in, simply road away from the remaining break of ten
Results
1 Klayten Smith (NSW) Caravello 4.21.28 2 Glenn Stojanow (NSW) Parramatta 3 Jaaron Poad (WA) Northen Districts CC 4 Hilton Mcmurdo (WA) Northen Districts CC 5 Bart Hickson (NSW) Caravello 6 James Taylor (VIC) Carnegie Caulfield CC 7 Stuart Cowin (QLD) Astra CC 8 Cameron Jennings (QLD) Rockhampton CC 9 Bart Duraj (QLD) Astra CC 10 Brendan Howard (NSW) Hinchinbrook CC 11 Paul Redenbach (VIC) Footscray CC 12 Russell Van Hout (SA) Adelaide CC 13 Jose Rodriguez (NSW) Eastern Suburbs 14 Anthony Kellen (QLD) Astra CC 15 Daniel Maggiacomo (ACT) Canberra CC 16 Nathan Russell (NSW) Caravello 17 Wayne Anderson (NSW) Caravello 18 Liam Kelly (NSW) Eastern Suburbs DNF Stephen Blackburn (ACT) Canberra CC DNF Adrian Booth (QLD) FFAST DNF Wayne Bower (NSW) Hunter District CC DNF Ashley Bryant (QLD) Murwillumbah DNF Troy Bunney (QLD) Caboolture CC DNF Craig Cahill (NSW) CATS DNF Chris Carr (VIC) Carnegie Caulfield CC DNF Mark Chadwick (QLD) Rockhampton CC DNF Anthony Challinor (NSW) Parramatta CC DNF Hilton Clarke (VIC) Carnegie Caulfield CC DNF Andrew Curro (NSW) Bicisport DNF Justin Davis (VIC) Carnegie Caulfield CC DNF Daniel Di Stefano (NSW) Kooragang Open CC DNF Warren Doyle (NSW) Hinchinbrook CC DNF Grant Gaston (QLD) Sunshine Coast CC DNF Brad Glennan (NSW) St George CC DNF Trent Goatley (VIC) St Kilda CC DNF Luke Gowty (NSW) St George CC DNF Shem Guthrie (QLD) Astra CC DNF Alistair Hartley (NT) Darwin CC DNF Luke Harvey- Palmer (NSW) Bicisport DNF Patrick Hayburn (NSW) Sydney CC DNF Dean Heathcote (QLD) Gold Coast Goldstars CC DNF Shayne Hendren (QLD) Broncos CC DNF Peter Herzig (QLD) Uni Cycle Club DNF Ben Hitchens (QLD) Astra CC DNF Campbell Kerr (NSW) Sutherland Shire CC DNF Brian King (NSW) St George CC DNF Chris Klem (QLD) Townsville CC DNF Chris Marassovich (ACT) Canberra CC DNF Rod Mcgee (NSW) Parramatta CC DNF Bradley Mills (NSW) Parramatta DNF Peter Milostic (NSW) Penrith Panthers CC DNF Martin Mullin (ACT) Canberra CC DNF Sam Nelson (ACT) Canberra CC DNF Kane Oakley (QLD) Gold Coast Goldstars CC DNF Michael O'Donoghue (QLD) Uni Cycle Club DNF Cain Pasque (VIC) Camperdown DNF Martin Pearce (QLD) FFAST DNF Mark Petterson (WA) Southern Districts CC DNF Edward Salas (NSW) Hinchinbrook CC DNF Kirril Shields (NSW) Caravello DNF Brendan Shipp (NSW) St George CC DNF Allan Sieper (ACT) Canberra CC DNF Garry Silk (TAS) Hobart Wheelers/ Dirt Devils DNF Todd Sinclair (NSW) Northern Sydney DNF Brent Skippen (NSW) Parramatta CC DNF Kristjan Snorrason (VIC) Carnegie Caulfield CC DNF Stephen Storer (QLD) Gold Coast Goldstars CC DNF Tony Sunderland (QLD) Townsville CC DNF Chris Thomas (NSW) St George CC DNF Phillip Thuaux (NSW) Central Coast DNF Robert Tidey (VIC) Carnegie Caulfield CC DNF Des Trindall (QLD) Sunshine Coast CC DNF Steven Williams (NSW) Sutherland DNF Christopher Tymms (VIC) Carnegie Caulfield CC DNF Ben Van Der Kamp (QLD) Victor Cycle DNF Nathan Waddell (QLD) FFAST DNF Nicholas Wood (NSW) St George CC
