Cycing NSW

The 2008 Goulburn to Citi has been run in beautiful conditions with a very strong field on the rolling and fast roads of the Southern Tablelands to Camden. The race broke up early in the piece as the peloton shot down the freeway and attacks continued to fly of the front until a group with riders representing each major team with the exception of the Virgin Blue Cycling Team. The lead bunch stayed away for 154km and built a lead of up to 7 min over the peloton. The race was decided on the second climb of Razorback Mountain when the aggressive Panasonic rider, Chris Jory attacked 3 times during the climb to test the legs of the other riders in the lead group. The gallop in the main street of Camden was won by William Clarke with the assistance of his Praties team mate Ben Mather.

0km           The riders meet on the start line on an unseasonably warm morning in the country town of Goulburn.  The riders were flagged away from the start line by Prue Goward, State Member for Goulburn.

1km           The riders exited Goulburn township passing the historic buildings under neutral race conditions.

2km           The riders turned north bound for Camden on the Hume Highway.

2.5km        Two riders Nathan Clarke (Praties Cycling Team) and Matthew Johns (Two Wheel Industries) attacked off the front.

4km           Dual Junior World Champion; Glenn O’Shea (Jayco VIS) showed his impressive speed and jumps across to the group that now has 70m advantage on the peleton.

6km           The bunch saw the danger of O’Shea in a break and pulls the group back quickly.

6.5km        A counter attack of 8 riders. The group includes: Jonathan Lovelock (Jayco-VIS), Glenn O’Shea (Jayco- VIS), Joseph Lewis (Panasonic-FRF/, William Clarke (Praties Cycling Team), Darren Cash (Ben Mikic Foundation), Luis Trueba (Hillbricl/Macarthur), Aiden Lyons (Sutherland), and Kornelis Seitsma (Northern Sydney).

8.5km        The 120 riders in the peloton hurtled down the highway brings the breakaway back

12km         Another break has pulled itself together, Ben King (South Australia.com) Jonathan Lovelock (Jayco- VIS), Michael England (Team Budget Forklifts) Chris Jory (Panasonic- FRF), Nathan Page (KOM Cyclery), Ben Mather (Praties Cycling Team), William Clarke (Praties Cycling Team), Luis Trueba (Hillbrick/Macarthur) and Jeremy Ross (Canberra) want to try their legs up the road.

14km         The lead group has an 80m gap on the main group.

22km         The Highway continues to roll gently and the peleton maintains a constantly fast past yet the lead group has built a 300m advantage.

26km         The lead group has a 400m lead on the bunch and is starting to look dangerous. A chase group has decided the lead group is a threat and is trying to bridge the gap.

30km         The gap between the lead group and the peleton is 500m

41km         The race is rolling along the Hume Highway through the gentle hills of the Southern Highlands and has averaged 46.7kph.

43km         The gap to the peleton is 2 min with a chase group of four riders 30 seconds ahead of the peleton. This group contains Darren Cash (Ben Mikic Foundation), Daniel Abotomey (Ben Mikic Foundation), Jules Galli (Randwick Botany) and Aiden Lyons (Sutherland).

46km         The pursuit group of four have given up the chase and is allowing the peleton to bring them back while the break has settled into a solid rhythm and the pace is picking up.

49km         Back at the front of the race, Ben King (South Australia.com-AIS) is looking very strong and is pushing the pace on the hills.

51km         The nine leaders now have a gap of 2 minutes 20 seconds and 4min over the peleton.  Some of the riders must be thinking they have missed the boat.

60km         The nine leaders continue to push the pace on the rolling roads and their lead has grown to 3:20 and 5.55 to remainder of the field

76km         The leading group is taking the race by the throat and have increased the advantage out to 6min.

80km         The leaders have built their advantage to 7 min by the Berrima feed station, and the sprint for the first King of the Mountains points at Ben Doolleys Hill was won by William Clarke, second Chris Jory and Jonathan Lovelock third.

84.7km      The peloton has passed through the feed station and one of the race favourites; speed king, Glenn O’Shea has crashed.

 89km        The peleton has again seen the urgency of the situation and has picked up the pace brining the deficit back to 6min

110km       The race speed has slowed with an average speed of 43.8kph. The lead group is now taking water on board from the following commissaire vehicle

115km       At the Bargo Intermediate sprint William Clarke took the 3 points followed closely by Michael England, Nathan Page.

124km       Tahmoor Sprint, William Clarke took the lead followed closely by Ben Mather and third Chris Jory. The chasing bunch is coming back to the peleton and their advantage is only 35 seconds. The main bunch has increased the tempo and reduced the deficit to the leading group of 9 to 5min.

134km       The climb on the exit of Picton is proving to be a challenge to the gutsy division 2 rider, Jeremy Ross even though the 8 Division 1 riders are not pushing the pace.

137km       The lead group has begun the first climb of Razorback pushing a good pace and Ross begins to cramp up. William Clarke takes the King of the Mountain sprint. A chase group of William Ford (South Australia.com- AIS), Joshua Chugg (Praties Cycling Team 2), Brendan Jones (Mace Rock and Dirt) and Blair Windsor (Bathurst) are trying to bridge the gap to the leaders and are now half way between the lead group of 8 and the pursuing group of 4 riders on the road.

139km       The results for the first sprint over the top of Razorback are William Clarke, Chris Jory and Jonathan Lovelock third.

141km       The lead group safely negotiated the first descent of Razorback  

143km       The lead group of 8 Ben King, Jonathan Lovelock, Chris Jory, Michael England, Ban Mather, William Clarke, Nathan Page, Luis Trueba

146km       The riders are watching each other and pacing themselves as they begin the accent of Razorback. None of the riders want to make an early move and show their climbing form as they know the climb kicks up in steepness towards the top.

147km       The chase group is at 2min 30 as Jonathan Lovelock paces the lead group through the winding road in the middle of the crucial climb

147.5km    The climb has increased in gradient and the riders are starting to bob around as the pain from their legs starts to kick in.

147.7km    Chris Jory sees the opportunity to attack as the other riders suffer. No one moves to close and he builds a lead of 30m.

148km       Chris Jory’s lead is growing and the rider’s don’t appear interested in chasing his move.

148.2km    Jonathan Lovelock kicks to jump across to Chris Jory and Michael England reacts quickly to catch his wheel. Lovelock’s pace has brought Jory back into the fold at the expense of Ben Mather and Ben King who have been dropped by the increase in pace, followed by Luis Trueba a few meters later as Lovelock sets the pace up the hill shadowed by the aggressive Jory.

149.3km    James Lovelock  swings off the front momentarily as the other riders roll through. Jory attacks again and Lovelock is left to do the chasing.

149.8km    Northern Sydney rider Nathan Page has been dropped while Jory has a 40m lead.

150.5km    Chris Jory has a 70m lead at the king of the Mountain sprint and is pulling away from the chasers. The other places in the sprint are Jonathan Lovelock second and Michael England third.

151km       Chris Jory is increasing his lead as the riders travel over the crest of the final mountain sprint on Razorback.

152.5km    The lead has risen to 150m and the riders have started descending Razorback for the second time. Ben Mather has ridden past the other dropped riders and is working hard to rejoin the leaders but needs to gain 600m

154.2km    The descending skills of the chasing riders has made the difference as they bring  Chris Jory back again.

156km       Having been reduced to a lead group of 4 riders, they now have a sense of urgency to reach the finish line and increased the pace.

157.9km    The leaders are now in the residential area of Camden South and are negotiating the local traffic furniture. James Lovelock attacks down the left hand side and Michael England covers the move to bring the other riders up to him.

158.5km    The riders are becoming wary of each other now that both Jory and Lovelock have attacked and they have started watching each other.

160km       Ben Mather has ridden within a few metres and the lead 4 are unaware of the Praties rider’s location.

162km       The riders are now moving closer to the centre of Camden and can see the outskirts of the township. Ben Mather has quietly ridden his way back into the lead group and the other riders are looking at each other wondering where the Tasmanian has come from.

163km       The riders are now watching each other knowing that Praties have a team advantage for the sprint.

163.9km    Ben Mather moves to the front to lead the bunch as Clarke sits on Mather’s wheel.

164.5km    The riders are passing through the streets of Camden and the local residents have come out to cheer them on.