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Herald Sun Tour, Australia, October 14-24, 2004
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Matt Goold's Sun Tour diary
Although it's one of the two biggest stage races his home country hosts, Australian Matthew Goold is riding the Malaysia Airlines Herald Sun Tour of Provincial Victoria as part of the multi-national Active for Life Team, alongside Canadians Eric Wohlberg and Dominique Perras, New Zealander Glen Mitchell and Jorge Libonatti from Uruguay.
Hailing from the Southern Australian state of Victoria, Goold is a former state road champion whose role in the team will be to ride support for Wohlberg in the hunt for stage victories.
Stage 13 - October 24: Traralgon Kermesse, 57 km
Not a total disaster
The 2004 Herald Sun Tour did not finish as we had hoped. We are disappointed, but as any sportsman or woman will know, things do not always go to plan. The Active For Life team managed to secure a stage win, and a second placing. Glen Mitchell finished fifth overall, and the team secured second in the team classification, so it was not a total disaster.
The final stage in Traralgon was fantastic. Unfortunately I was not feeling any better, and didn't start the stage. Our captain, Eric Wohlberg was the opposite, and he launched an attack in the early stages of the race, with a group of around eight riders. He was leading the race with six laps to go, and was looking very confident and comfortable. Unfortunately as soon as he managed to put a gap between himself and the chasers, he punctured, so it was down to a bunch sprint at the finish.
The final day of the tour is always a carnival-type affair, and Traralgon put on a great show. The family entertainment and children's activities were extremely well coordinated and received, and the Latrobe region should be proud of the way the event was conducted.
