Neither Hansen nor Rogers is in great shape at the moment, but Hansen put up a great ride that almost brought home the win. Unfortunately, Shaun Higgerson just edged him out.
Results:
1 Shaun Higgerson Drapac Porsche Development Program 45'14 2 Adam Hansen Team High Road + 11 3 Miles Olman Drapac Porsche Development Program + 27
4 Bradley McGee Team CSC + 35
5 Cadel Evans Silence - Lotto + 48
6 Russell Van Hout Willems Veranda's Continental Team + 1'13
7 Zak Dempster SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 1'16
8 Rory Sutherland Health Net presented by Maxxis + 1'34 9 Michael Rogers Team High Road + 1'45 10 Mark Jamieson SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 2'06
11 Cameron Meyer SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 2'15
12 Travis Meyer SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 2'25
13 Stephen Wooldridge Pezula Racing + 2'37
14 Ben Day Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team + 2'48
15 Cameron Wurf Rapha - Condor - Recycling.co.uk + 2'58
16 Luke Roberts Team Kuota - Senges + 3'13
17 Jack Bobridge SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 3'17
18 Jonathon Clarke Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team + 3'22
19 Benjamin King SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 3'31
20 Allan Davis Silence - Lotto + 3'37
21 Jai Crawford Davitamon - Lotto - Jong Vlaanderen + 3'52
22 Hayden Josefski SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 4'02
23 Nic Sanderson Jelly Belly Cycling Team + 4'03
24 Matt Wilson Team Type 1 + 4'11
25 Caleb Manion P3Transfer - Batavus + 4'19
26 Steven Robb Team Kuota - Senges + 4'33
27 Peter Dawson Rock Racing + 4'50
28 Simon Clarke Madeinox - Boavista + 4'54
29 Pip Grinter Drapac Porsche Development Program + 5'03
30 Stuart O'Grady Team CSC + 5'12
31 Peter McDonald Drapac Porsche Development Program + 5'18
32 Michael Ford SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 5'28
33 Aaron Kemps Silence - Lotto + 5'29
34 Robbie Williams Drapac Porsche Development Program + 5'42
35 Sean Sullivan Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team + 5'58
36 Daniel Braunsteins Drapac Porsche Development Program + 6'02
37 Matthew Goss Team CSC + 6'08
38 Fabio Calabria Team Type 1 + 6'10
39 Bernard Sulzberger Madeinox - Boavista + 6'15
40 Johnnie Walker SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 6'18
41 Benjamin Brooks Team Type 1 + 6'21
42 Lea Jacob Giant Asia Racing Team + 6'33
43 Mark O'Brien Drapac Porsche Development Program + 6'46
44 Daniel McConnell Team 3C Gruppe + 6'52
45 Trent Wilson Health Net presented by Maxxis + 6'56
46 Grant Irwin Drapac Porsche Development Program + 7'04
47 Angus Morton Drapac Porsche Development Program + 7'16
48 Jonathan Killen Health Net presented by Maxxis + 7'25
49 Karl Menzies Health Net presented by Maxxis + 7'38
50 Hilton Clarke Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team + 7'45
51 Robbie McEwen Team Milram + 7'48
52 Graeme Brown Team Milram + 8'03
Well, this is the stage that will determine who wins. Oscar is young, but his form is decent and he's been resting through all the early stages.
In the end though, his inexperience showed. He chose the wrong attack to counter and ended up getting pulled back in to the pelaton before the deciding attack was launched. He could do nothing but stick with the small pelaton that finished, taking 8th on the stage.
Mountains:
1 Ji Jianhua Skil - Shimano 17
2 Nicholas White Team MTN 16
3 Alejandro RamÃrez Drapac Porsche Development Program 14
4 Giovanni Chacón Pezula Racing 12
5 Juan Pablo Wilches Team Konica Minolta - Bizhub 10
Michael Rogers was able to outride a group consisting of Alan Davis, Bradley McGee and Cadel Evans to win his second consecutive Australian Championships. It was the same course as last year which seems to suit him very well.
(to be honest I simmed this because Rogers fitnes was only in the upper 30's... I'm shocked by the result... but pleased.)
Results: 1 Michael Rogers Team High Road 3h47'59
2 Allan Davis Silence - Lotto + 19
3 Bradley McGee Team CSC s.t.
4 Cadel Evans Silence - Lotto s.t.
5 Daniel Braunsteins Drapac Porsche Development Program + 32
6 Karl Menzies Health Net presented by Maxxis + 1'09
7 Matt Wilson Team Type 1 + 1'48
8 Sean Sullivan Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team s.t.
9 Rory Sutherland Health Net presented by Maxxis + 2'13
10 Shaun Higgerson Drapac Porsche Development Program s.t. 11 Adam Hansen Team High Road + 2'37
12 Fabio Calabria Team Type 1 + 2'57
13 Stuart O'Grady Team CSC + 4'36
14 Matthew Goss Team CSC s.t.
15 Cameron Wurf Rapha - Condor - Recycling.co.uk s.t.
16 Jack Bobridge SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 4'52
17 Simon Clarke Madeinox - Boavista + 5'23
18 Peter McDonald Drapac Porsche Development Program s.t.
19 Caleb Manion P3Transfer - Batavus s.t.
20 Trent Wilson Health Net presented by Maxxis s.t.
21 Mark O'Brien Drapac Porsche Development Program s.t.
22 Hayden Josefski SouthAustralia.com - AIS s.t.
23 Mark Jamieson SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 5'41
24 Ben Day Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team s.t.
25 Johnnie Walker SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 5'59
26 Daniel McConnell Team 3C Gruppe s.t.
27 Aaron Kemps Silence - Lotto + 6'18
28 Cameron Meyer SouthAustralia.com - AIS s.t.
29 Zak Dempster SouthAustralia.com - AIS s.t.
30 Hilton Clarke Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team + 6'33
31 Stephen Wooldridge Pezula Racing + 8'43
32 Graeme Brown Team Milram + 9'03
33 Stuart Shaw Drapac Porsche Development Program s.t.
34 Benjamin King SouthAustralia.com - AIS s.t.
35 Michael Ford SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 9'22
36 Benjamin Brooks Team Type 1 + 11'22
37 Grant Irwin Drapac Porsche Development Program + 11'39
38 Robbie McEwen Team Milram + 11'55
39 Luke Roberts Team Kuota - Senges s.t.
40 Angus Morton Drapac Porsche Development Program s.t.
41 Robbie Williams Drapac Porsche Development Program s.t.
42 Jonathan Killen Health Net presented by Maxxis + 12'06
43 Nic Sanderson Jelly Belly Cycling Team s.t.
44 Jonathon Clarke Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team s.t.
45 Travis Meyer SouthAustralia.com - AIS + 12'35
46 Jai Crawford Davitamon - Lotto - Jong Vlaanderen s.t.
47 Russell Van Hout Willems Veranda's Continental Team + 13'10
48 Pip Grinter Drapac Porsche Development Program s.t.
49 Lea Jacob Giant Asia Racing Team s.t.
50 Bernard Sulzberger Madeinox - Boavista + 13'35
51 Peter Dawson Rock Racing + 13'51
52 Steven Robb Team Kuota - Senges + 16'15
The final stage in the race. Cav must have exerted himself too much yesterday because he just didn't have the legs to move to the front like he did earlier in the race. Rene Obst wins the stage.
Final Mountains:
1 Ji Jianhua Skil - Shimano 17
2 Alejandro RamÃrez Drapac Porsche Development Program 14
3 Giovanni Chacón Pezula Racing 12
4 Juan Pablo Wilches Team Konica Minolta - Bizhub 10
5 Nariyuki Masuda Meitan Hompo - GDR 10
The last tune up before the Tour Down Under for Cavendish. It was a wild ride with lots of crashes, and a very disorganized sprint. Cav didn't get any real lead out and had to fight his own way to the front. He couldn't take the win, but finished a nice third behind Davis and Petacchi.
The second to last stage is the only one where someone who's not a sprinter can hope to win the race. Last year the sprinters were able to cover the attack by the non-sprinters and High Road's Gerald Ciolek took second overall.
The team:
Leader: Kanstantsin Siutsou - He'll be there to cover the attacks on the hilly stage.
Sprinter: Mark Cavendish - Looking for the win if it comes down to a sprinter battle.
Free: Lars Boom - Needs some seasoning at Pro-Tour events. May take a shot at the hilly stage too.
Teammate: Marcus Burghardt, Tony Martin, Adam Hansen, Bradley Wiggins, Marcel Sieberg
Stage one is designed for the sprinters, and the break (in which Wiggins rode) was easily pulled back.
Our train had trouble forming, and Cav had to do a lot of work for himself again, though Burghardt did bring him up near the front. He was still back a ways when the sprint started and was gaining on everyone but the stage winner, Alan Davis, as he crossed the line. Another 100m and he would have finished second.
Alan Davis looks fit and he's riding on his home soil. That could be dangerous this tour.
I think I'm probably going to close this story down. While I've got about 20 more stage/races queued up, I don't see a whole lot of interest in 2007 stories and I'll be getting PCM 2008 fairly soon.
I got through a season at least though... not too bad.
