Cycling News and Race Results

Pollock was part of a 15-man break that slipped away from the peloton before today’s stage from Whittlesea to Ballarat had reached the 10 kilometre mark.

Eventually the group splintered providing firstly Jack Bobridge (Garmin Cervelo) and then Pollock with solo opportunities to ride away with the stage.

National road champion, Bobridge made several attempts to make a break, initially with Pollock and then alone - at one stage, with about 30km to go, having a gap of 200 metres over his nearest five pursuers.

But with 25km left to ride, the six – Bobridge and Pollock, along with Jonas Jorgen (SaxoBank Sungard), Nathan Haas (Genesys Wealth Advisers), Jens de Busschere (Omega Pharma Lotto) and Reinardt van Rensburg (MTN Qhubeka) had re-grouped, and with a sufficient gap of over a minute to the next group of four looked to have the stage between them.

Then, in a surprise to many, with all but six of the 174.6km stage ridden, Pollock made his decisive move. It was the last of a series of smart calls for the 31-year-old who had backed off after his period away with Bobridge because he felt he didn’t quite have the legs after the last climb and believed, as it turned out - correctly, that their immediate pursuers would get to them both in any case.

“I was sort of suffering on the hill and saw the other guys and waited for them after the climb. When you don’t have the legs, there is not much point in pushing,” Pollock said after his stage win and before donning the Jayco Yellow Leader’s jersey.

Pollock ticked off one of his cycling “bucket list” items last year when he won the iconic one day race - the Melbourne to Warrnambool. Today, he fulfilled another dream.

“I am genuinely delighted. It’s just special,” Pollock said.

“The win surprised me given the calibre of riders. I just came here to help the younger guys. But when you are in a situation like that and your team is relying on you – the only one out there – you have to give it everything.

“I was trying not to do too much work. But once they started attacking, I just made sure I was in the front when all the moves came.

“I knew if it came to a sprint finish I would be third or fourth, so I knew I had to do something different,” Pollock said.

Whilst cycling is not the only thing on Pollock’s mind at the moment, it obviously became the priority today.

“This is my seventh Sun Tour, and I was thinking seven is a lot to not actually get a result on. I haven’t even finished on the podium before. So to get the yellow jersey and to win a stage, well - I’m getting married in three weeks time - this is for Dana my fiancé for sure,” Pollock said.

Bobridge eventually missed today’s podium, as Jorgsensen and Haas filled the stage’s minor placings, but was adjudged the winner of the Cycle in Greater Shepparton Orange Jersey for the day’s most aggressive rider.

At day’s end it is hard to imagine that any rider outside the top ten today, has any chance of winning the 2011 Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

After Joe Lewis (Australian National Team), Koen de Kort (Skil Shimano), Tim Gudsell (PureBlack Racing) and Bernie Sulzberger (V Australia), the gap to the next group of five riders is around eight minutes, whilst the rest of the field is at 10:24.

Bobridge is now in the right position overall and has the talent to take the victory on Sunday. If he does so, it would complete a remarkable seven day turnaround from having the dubious honour of carrying the lantern rouge as the last rider on general classification after stage four of last week’s Tour of Beijing.

To do so, his Garmin-Cervelo team mates will have to control any attacks on the open road stages over the next two days before Bobridge displays the climbing skills on Arthurs Seat he will require for a lead big enough to defend on Sunday’s street circuit stage in Carlton.

But Saxobank’s team director, Brad McGee predicted two weeks ago that Jorgensen would be the rider to beat. He has abilities as a climber, and although his team is a man down after losing Richie Porte today, they too have the strength and experience to protect his position and launch him towards victory.

Not that Pollock plans to give up the yellow jersey easily.

“For our Drapac team, this is the number one race for us.  We came down here and rode the course, we knew what we were up for and this is definitely the result we wanted to get. So early in the Tour, it takes a bit of pressure off our other guys and the guys will be out in force in the next couple of days,” Pollock said.

Today’s stage saw five riders withdraw en route, the highest profile casualty being Porte. The Tasmanian, whose form had been good enough to take him to sixth place in the World Championships individual time trial at the end of September, put it down to failure to recover from nasal surgery in England last week.

In the contests for the Honda Green Sprinters Jersey and the Budget Forklifts Polka Dot King of the Mountains Jersey, Haas and Pollock have taken the early leads.

Haas won today’s intermediate sprints in Riddells Creek and Creswick and with the six points for third at the finish accumulated a total of 18, to lead by four over Pollock. A former mountain biker and the man who leads the National Series in 2011 in his first full season, Haas is also currently in possession of the State Government Victoria White Jersey for the leading under-23 rider.

Pollock has multiple jerseys as well - courtesy of an agreement with Bobridge as they approached the second climb’s summit and the 12 points that were on offer there for the first man over.

Tomorrow’s second stage is 140.6km of riding from Sovereign Hill to Geelong and includes sprints near Mount Egerton and Meredith and two category three hill climbs.

RESULTS:

Stage 1: Whittlesea to Ballarat (174km)

Jayco General Classification

Victoria’s Best Under-23 Rider

Honda Sprint Points Classification

Budget Forklifts King of the Mountains

For full results, click here.

The 2011 Jayco Herald Sun Tour will be presented by Jayco and the Herald Sun, along with the continued support from the Victorian Government.  The 59th edition to be held from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 October, will visit Whittlesea, Ballarat, Geelong and the Mornington Peninsula before the final stage circuit race on Lygon Street in Melbourne.

Further information is available at www.jaycoheraldsuntour.com.au.

2011 Jayco Herald Sun Tour – REMAINING STAGES