October 17, 2007 – After he had sped away from his fellow breakaways to win the prelude criterium in Bendigo on Sunday, Bundaberg rider Aaron Kemps revealed his intentions to win an official stage of the 2007 Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

And today the Astana man did just that, lifting his bike over the finish line to nose out the rest of a 14 rider bunch finish in Beechworth, after the 139.5km ride from Mansfield.

After two days of testing cross winds, which produced lengthy breakaways which stayed away, today’s third stage was very different. For the first 120 kilometres there was very little wind, and for the most part very little action – at least along the lines of the previous two days’ riding.


Despite the mostly lone efforts of Japanese cyclist, Koji Fukushima (Nippo-Meitan – La Trobe City) who began the day in last place and whose fearless tactics saw him awarded the Volvo orange jersey for the day’s most aggressive rider, there was little concrete activity until a group of twelve riders formed after the race turned out of Everton towards Beechworth with around 20km to go.

The group, which included no-one in serious contention on general classification, was never allowed to get too far away by the Unibert.com team of yellow jersey wearer, Matt Wilson, who despite their depleted ranks of just five men, again controlled the peleton with ruthless efficiency.

Eventually they ensured the leaders were hunted down within the town boundaries of Beechworth, with only one of the breakaways, Kemps’ Astana team mate, Koen de Kort holding on to finish among the first two groups to cross the line.

On Sunday, Kemps slipped away a little earlier, but today showed his versatility to draw clear only within the shadows of the finish banner, to defeat Stuart Shaw (Drapac Porsche) and Felix Oderbrecht (Wiesenhof-Felt). But he was philosophical about his victory, “We only got Koen (de Kort) in the last couple of hundred metres. He really set it up perfect for me. Having him there, meant we did not have to do any work or anything. If we didn’t catch him probably he would have won the race today.

“We caught him though and then I did my bit and won the bunch sprint in.”

David Pell (Savings and Loans) narrowly missed what could prove to be a crucial four bonus seconds by losing the third spot to Oderbrecht in a close photo finish.

Apart from missing the critical breakaway on day one, which effectively put the race in the hands of just eleven riders, Kemps has made a good impression on the Tour. In addition to picking up the race’s first yellow jersey for winning Sunday’s Jayco Classic, he was a competitive tenth on yesterday’s leg from Nagambie to Mansfield.

Today’s bunch finish was the first of the 2007 Tour and gave seven of the top eleven men on general classification the opportunity to gain four seconds on Wilson, who finished just behind them in a smaller group of six men which also included yesterday’s stage winner, Wes Sulzberger (South Australia.com).

Those who crept closer to the lead, included Wilson’s team leader, Baden Cooke and Sulzberger’s team mate, Simon Clarke who had similarly each picked up three seconds on the yellow jersey on day two.

The result means Wilson now leads the Tour by just 17 seconds to Cooke, with a further five seconds back to Clarke, who continues to retain a commanding lead in the race for the Provincial Victoria white jersey for the best under 23 rider, ahead of tomorrow’s formidable stage which concludes with a mountain top finish at Falls Creek.

But every rider among the eleven who broke away on day one remains in contention, with former world junior mountain bike champion, Trent Lowe (Jayco Australia) ominously poised in ninth place just 52 seconds behind.

And Wilson knows it – commenting when collecting the leader’s yellow jersey for the third time this afternoon that, “Today it was easier without the wind to stay on the wheel but tomorrow will be different. I am expecting real challenges from Lowe, (Steve) Morabito and (Dominique)Perras.”

Morabito (Astana), who sits in seventh place overall, 45 seconds behind Wilson can count himself either foolish or unlucky for incurring a commissaire’s penalty yesterday which so far has cost him 20 seconds and three places.

Perras (Bicycle Superstore – Canada) is an experienced veteran who finished second in the Tour two years ago, and who can also climb, having won a hilltop finish on One Tree Hill in Ararat in 2004).

Today’s racing had little impact on the tussle for the red jersey for the Portfolio Partners sprint king crown, still led by Wilson. But DFL-Cyclingnews rider, Bernie Sulzberger picked up another category two hill climb and 12 valuable points to retain the blue jersey for the Savings and Loans King of the Mountains.

He is now on 30 points and in a very strong position to retain the title all the way to Melbourne’s race finish on Sunday, whatever happens on tomorrow’s big climb, even though it alone is worth 30 points to the first home in view of its degree of difficulty.

“Today worked out perfect – it went exactly to plan. I’ve got 30 points now. I think I’ve rally got a chance,” said a well satisfied Sulzberger, who also finished sixth on today’s stage.

Fukushima continues to be one of the characters of the Tour, playing his harmonica to an amused crowd which had assembled at stage end in Beechworth and telling them in his own special brand of English that, “I had a very good day. I met lots of Australian children out on the road. They were very pretty.

“I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I don’t like mountains but maybe I can skip up like kangaroo.”

Clarke on the other hand is very serious about his prospects, “I definitely have hopes of winning. I think any of the top five can – it’s a matter of whoever can get up Fall Creek the fastest.

When asked whether he likened himself to Alberto Contador, who entered this year Tour de France hoping to win the white jersey but exited with the yellow, Clarke agreed, “He can be an inspiration for me, for sure.”

Wednesday’s stage sets out from Mansfield at 10.30am, with a single KOM climb up the Tolmie Road 25 kilometres in and sprints at Whitfield and Milawa. The riders should reach the finish line in Beechworth around 2.00pm.

Results (brief)

1. Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana 3.20.00 (41.85 km/h)
2. Stuart Shaw (Aus) Drapac Porsche
3. Felix Odebrecht (Ger) Wiesenhof-Felt
4. David Pell (Aus) Savings & Loans
5. Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Netherlands National Team
6. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) DFL Cyclingnews Litespeed
7. Baden Cooke (Aus) Unibet.com
8. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Bissell-Priority Health
9. Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com – AIS
10. Malaya Van Ruitenbeek (Ned) Netherlands National Team

24. Dominique Rollin (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 0.7
25. Eric Wohlberg (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team
26. Dominique Perras (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team
39. Ryan Anderson (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 0.11
44. Zachary Bell (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team
80. Andrew Randall (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 31.39
81. Jefferey Sherstobitoff (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team

GC after Stage 3

1. Matthew Wilson (Aus) Unibet.com 10.25.19
2. Baden Cooke (Aus) Unibet.com 0.17
3. Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com – AIS 0.22
4. Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Netherlands National Team 0.26
5. Dominique Perras (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 0.34
6. David Pell (Aus) Savings & Loans 0.38
7. Steve Morabito (Swi) Astana 0.45
8. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Bissell-Priority Health 0.51
9. Trent Lowe (Aus) Jayco Australian National Team 0.52
10. Julien Mazet (Fra) Astana 0.54

11 Eric Wohlberg (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 0.59
15. Dominique Rollin (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 9.36
64. Zachary Bell (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 38.45
72. Ryan Anderson (Can) Bicycle Superstore-Canadian National Team 41.53