Eventually the group splintered with Bobridge and Pollock attacking to get away with about 30km to go. Pollock attacked at the perfect moment with 6km remaining after the breakaway regrouped while everyone just let him go. Nice one Rhys!
Well, that pretty much relegates the entire field except for the top 10 riders. Everyone past tenth is already over 8 minutes down and there’s only 3 stages and a crit to go. Let the Fun Tour begin!
Thanks to Veeral Patel for his sensational photos as per usual.
Don’t forget to enter the SRAM Hotlap Competition for this Saturday’s stage on Arthurs Seat!
- Stage 1 start at Whittlesea
- The eventual winning break just getting established shortly into the stage
- In the GUTTER!
- The race getting split to pieces in the crosswinds
- 15 riders broke away within the first 10 kilometres. Jack Bobridge (Garmin-Cervelo), Jonas Aen Jorgensen (Saxo Bank – SunGard), Jens Debusschere (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Jonny Clarke (UnitedHealthcare), Mitch Docker, Koen de Kort (Skil – Shimano), Mal Rudolph (Jayco-AIS), Pat Shaw, Nathan Haas (Genesys), Nic Hamilton (Jelly Belly p/b Kenda), Joe Lewis (Australian National Team), Tim Gudsell (Pure Black) , Reinardt JanseVan Rensburg (MTN - Qhubeka), Bernard Sulzberger (V Australia) and Rhys Pollock (Drapac).
- Richie Port driving the pace but eventually abandoning from the discomfort of a deviated septum operation only a few days earlier
- V Australia stringing out the bunch
- The winning break of Rhys Pollock (Drapac), along with Jonas Jorgen (SaxoBank Sungard), Nathan Haas (Genesys Wealth Advisers), Jens de Busschere (Omega Pharma Lotto) and Reinardt van Rensburg (MTN Qhubeka). Bobridge off the front at this point.
- Local guy attacking a pack of PROs at 6km to go = BIGRING AWARD!
- Nathan Haas holds both the Sprint jersey and the Victorian U23 jersey after stage 1
- Rhys Pollock in the lead heading into Stage 2. Can he hold it?
- Jack Bobridge | Nathan Haas
- Heinrich Haussler | Rhys Pollock
- Baden Cooke | Yukihiro Doi
- Darren Lapthorne | Stuart Shaw
- Sun Tour Podium Girls