Photos courtesy of Greg LongSam Genge of Suzuki Uno outsprinted a strong breakaway group of eight to claim an arms aloft victory in SuperCrit round 6.
Genge, who is preparing for his second year in the junior U/19 ranks, clearly looked the freshest of the break, outgunning the group in the hectic final few laps. Ten lengths behind Genge across the finish line in second place was Michael Tolhurst of Velo Canberra, followed by Bike Culture's Scott Sparkman in third.
Despite being warned by the commissaires for his flamboyant finishing salute to the crowd, Genge was thrilled with his win.
Despite being warned by the commissaires for his flamboyant finishing salute to the crowd, Genge was thrilled with his win.
"I really hurt trying to get across to the break" explained Genge after the race. "I knew that once I got there I would be able to settle in and recover. After two laps of being with the break the legs felt good again and I knew I was on a good one."
How it unfoldedWarm but ideal conditions greeted the riders as another healthy sized field turned out for the race. Immediately out of the blocks flew Adam Phelan of Suzuki Uno, David Deery of Bike Culture and Simon Christopher of Velo Canberra. The 60 minutes racing duration was obviously not a pace inhibiting factor as Andrew Circosta, Joel Stewart and Lewis Hopkins joined the lead trio to make six up the road.
With a handy lead the early escapists settled in to build the tempo over the first few laps. Deane and Peter Rogers felt the calling and speared across the gap from the main bunch, bringing Neil Skipper along for the ride.
The nine leaders rolled the paceline through for a few minutes, however a flurry of action back in the pack saw the race form as one again ten minutes in.
A few surges of pace by Velo Canberra boys Michael Tolhurst and Andrew Circosta kept the bunch on their toes, however it wasn't until the first of the two cash sprints that major developments occurred.
The first sprint saw Suzuki Uno racer Michael Matthews fire from the bunch and line the field out. Former Commonwealth Bank Classic stage winner Peter Rogers was quick to follow Matthews' lead as well as Neil Skipper and Adam Phelan. Matthews charged like a bull across the line to grab the coin on offer, simultaneously fragmenting the peloton behind.
Angus Harding, Michael Tolhurst and Scott Sparkman also made the split joining the quartet of Rogers, Skipper, Phelan and Matthews to make it a lead group of seven.
As the leaders opened up thirty then sixty metres advantage, the main group began the chase behind. John Forrest of Suzuki Uno started driving the pace, soon joined by Joel Stewart and Matthew Meisel-Dennis. As Meisel-Dennis was finishing a turn, Forrest tore through hard off the front dragging eventual victor Genge clear with him. Sensing that they were between bunches, the pair laid it all out and muscled within twenty metres of the lead seven until Forrest couldn't go any further. Genge dug deep and latched on to the group in what would eventuate as the winning move of the day.
As Forrest returned to the peloton, the lead eight now set about cementing their lead with steady regular turns. Back in the bunch it was a flurry of individual attacks as riders desperate to make the strong break tried their luck. Peter Kitchen of Team QUON put in one such short lived attack, as did Mitchell Lovelock-Fay. Lovelock-Fay certainly didn't hold back and spent four laps riding solo in no mans land before doggedly conceding defeat and returning to the main group.
Vikings racer Simon Dwyer, together with Deane Rogers and Andrew Circosta did their best to match the pace of the breakaway to no avail. The lead eight were working well together, and combined with the big surging turns of Neil Skipper, they soon established a half lap lead.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, the lead group started to sense a lap in the taking and the temp increased yet again. By now the main pack were doing all they could to avoid being caught, yet it was not to be.
As the commissaires blew the whistle for the main field to contest the last of the top ten placings, Matthews ripped through off the front of the break taking Genge and Sparkman for the ride. This new lead trio were the first to lap the field and hit fresh air. Tolhurst saw the danger and powered through the mass of lapped riders to drag the rest of the breakaway back up to Matthews and co.
At two laps to go, with the track now cleared, the eight leaders eased the pace slightly to size each other up. Phelan took up the front running position with Matthews sitting comfortably in second wheel. Tolhurst made his way up to the wheel of Matthews along the back straight as Skipper and Harding were tailed off the back of the group in an exhasted state.
At two laps to go, with the track now cleared, the eight leaders eased the pace slightly to size each other up. Phelan took up the front running position with Matthews sitting comfortably in second wheel. Tolhurst made his way up to the wheel of Matthews along the back straight as Skipper and Harding were tailed off the back of the group in an exhasted state.Matthews stepped over Phelan through the final few bends to make an early run at the line with Tolhurst sitting pretty in second, however Genge unleashed his emphatic sprint from third wheel to comfortably seize victory. Tolhurst and Sparkman were second and third, with Matthews taking fourth while Peter Rogers rolled across the line in a classy fifth.
Top Ten Results SuperCrit Round 6
1. Sam Genge
2. Michael Tolhurst
3. Scott Sparkman
4. Michael Matthews
5. Peter Rogers
6. Angus Harding
7. Adam Phelan
8. Neil Skipper
9. Mitchell Lovelock-Fay
10. Deane Rogers
All Photos Courtesy of Greg Long
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