Former Australian junior road race champion Robert John McCarthy came of age Saturday when he sped to a bunch sprint victory at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.
The nineteen year old rider, who will compete with the An Post Chainreaction Sean Kelly team this year but who is riding the race with the Jayco Australian under 23 squad, got the better of Rico Rogers (OCBC Singapore Team), Felix English (Rapha Condor JLT), Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare), Daniel Klemme (Synergy Baku Cycling) plus the rest of the main bunch.
Race leader Simon Clarke finished eleventh and remains at the top of the general classification.
McCarthy beat Caleb Ewan to win his junior title two years ago and showed the same power today. “I knew I have the speed, for me the hard part was just getting to the line with those established lead out trains,” he stated.
“It’s really hard when you’re not in one of those established teams to earn the respect of those guys, but I hope I have done that now. I had to fight really, really hard for position and I decided I was going to be the last guy of someone’s train.”
“I saw Jonathan Cantwell with about one kilometre and a half to go and I just jumped on his wheel and waited and waited, and then moved around maybe 250 metres to go and just went for it, and held on for the line.”
Nine riders escaped early on and worked together to open a three minute advantage over the main bunch. Thoese present were Davide Frattini (UnitedHealthcare), Chris Jory (KordaMentha), Hugh Carth (Rapha Condor JTL), Elchin Asadov (Synergy Baku), Nathan Elliot (African Wildlife Safaris), John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling), Thomas Hamilton (Jayco U23 Australia), Sam Spokes (Jayco U23 Australia) and Kristian Juel (Budgetforklifts).
Juel took top points at the first of two climbs at Highlands, beating Anderson and Spokes; several kilometres later, Anderson and Spokes led Frattini over the top of the day’s second ascent.
The riders sped on to the day’s first intermediate sprint in Trawool, where Anderson took top points ahead of Spokes and Juel. That result would see him end the day in the points jersey, but he made sure of things when he beat Jory and Asadov at the subsequent gallop at Mitchelton Winery.
Jory had attacked between the two primes but was brought back prior to the sprint.
The gap continued to fall thanks to the work of teams such as Orica-GreenEDGE, Garmin-Sharp and Cannondale Pro Cycling, and once the move was brought back a big gallop looked almost certain.
McCarthy played things perfectly and notched up an important win. “I know I’m a good sprinter, but when you look at the field here it’s some of the best in the world,” the nineteen year old stated.
“I just came here to try and learn from those guys and I just found myself in a good position. I crossed the line and I couldn’t believe it. I’m a bit speechless, to be honest.”
Clarke also finished in the main bunch and ended the day eight seconds ahead of closet rival Cameron Wurf (Cannondale Pro Cycling) in the overall standings. Jack Haig (Avanti Cycling Team) is eleven seconds back, while Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) is at one minute and nine seconds.
Clarke said that everything was about saving energy for tomorrow’s crucial final stage to the top of Arthur’s Seat. “The objective is to keep yellow by the end of tomorrow, so we rode with that tactic,” he stated. “I hardly touched the pedals all day today, the boys did a great job.
“Mitch [Docker] and Damien [Howson] were really strong today and they had everything under control, so no stress for me whatsoever.”
Acknowledging that Wurf and Haig are the biggest threats to their proximity, he said he would keep an eye on them but would also tackle the climb tactically.
“We’ll ride to our plan. I’ve got Gerro [Simon Gerrans] by my side who is a great climber, so I just need to stick close to him and we’ll work together and work on our team plan. If people attack us, we can adjust that plan, but we’ll be on our own path.”
He can derive confidence from his past results, which include a stage win and the mountains classification in the 2012 Vuelta a España.
Jayco Herald Sun Tour, Australia (2.1)
Stage three, Mitchelton Winery to Nagambie:
1, Robert-John McCarthy (Jayco Australian U23) 157 kilometres in 3 hours 47 mins 9 secs
2, Rico Rogers (OCBC Singapore Team)
3, Felix English (Rapha Condor JLT)
4, Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare)
5, Daniel Klemme (Synergy Baku Cycling)
6, Tom Scully (New Zealand Team)
7, Ji Wen Low (OCBC Singapore Team)
8, Guillaume Boivin (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
9, Cameron Wurf (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
10, Steele von Hoff (Garmin Sharp)
11, Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge)
12, Jonathan Cantwell (Drapac Pro Cycling)
13, Robert Power (Jayco Australian U23
14, Tural Isgandarov (Synergy Baku Cycling)
15, Patrick Bevin (New Zealand Team)
16, Glenn O’Shea (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
17, Jeremy Cameron (African Wildlife Safaris)
18, Jack Haig (Avanti Cycling Team)
19, Calvin Watson (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
20, Alex Clements (Jayco Australian U23
21, Scott Davies (Great Britain National Team)
22, Anthony Giacoppo (Avanti Cycling Team)
23, Harrif Saleh (Terengganu Team)
24, Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp)
25, Germain Burton (Great Britain National Team)
26, Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEdge)
27, Neil Van Der Ploeg (Avanti Cycling Team)
28, Christopher Lawless (Great Britain National Team)
29, Umardi Rosdi (Terengganu Team)
30, Christoph Schweizer (Synergy Baku Cycling)
31, Dion Smith (New Zealand Team)
32, Matthias Krizek (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
33, Eric Sheppard (OCBC Singapore Team)
34, Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge)
35, Bradley White (UnitedHealthcare)
36, Matej Mahoric (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
37, George Bennett (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
38, Rhys Gillett (African Wildlife Safaris)
39, Shaun O’Callaghan (African Wildlife Safaris)
40, Harry Carpenter (Jayco Australian U23
41, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge)
42, Samuel Witmitz (Team Budget Forklifts)
43, James Rendall (African Wildlife Safaris)
44, Samuel Horgan (Team Budget Forklifts)
45, Elchin Asadov (Synergy Baku Cycling)
46, Shahrul Mat Amin (Terengganu Team)
47, Patrick Lane (Synergy Baku Cycling)
48, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling)
49, Joseph Cooper (Avanti Cycling Team)
50, Benjamin Day (UnitedHealthcare)
51, Lachlan Norris (Drapac Pro Cycling)
52, Darren Lapthorne (Drapac Pro Cycling)
53, Timothy Roe (Team Budget Forklifts)
54, Hayden McCormick (New Zealand Team)
55, Thomas Hamilton (Jayco Australian U23
56, James Oram (New Zealand Team)
57, Matthew Clarke (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
58, William Clarke (Drapac Pro Cycling)
59, Michael Cuming (Rapha Condor JLT)
60, Mark O’Brien (Avanti Cycling Team)
61, Richard Handley (Rapha Condor JLT)
62, Damien Howson (Orica-GreenEdge)
63, Thomas Moses (Rapha Condor JLT)
64, Hamish Schreurs (New Zealand Team)
65, Campbell Flakemore (Avanti Cycling Team)
66, Jack Bauer (Garmin Sharp)
67, Michael Vink (Team Budget Forklifts)
68, Thomas Rabou (OCBC Singapore Team)
69, Joshua Prete (Team Budget Forklifts)
70, Matty Lloyd (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
71, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23
72, Chris Jory (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
73, Davide Frattini (UnitedHealthcare) at 17 secs
74, Jordan Kerby (Drapac Pro Cycling)
75, Jeffry Louder (UnitedHealthcare)
76, Rohan Dennis (Garmin Sharp) at 26 secs
77, Kristian Juel (Team Budget Forklifts) at 36 secs
78, Christopher Opie (Rapha Condor JLT) at 54 secs
79, Jason Spencer (African Wildlife Safaris) at 1 min 12 secs
80, Nathan Elliott (African Wildlife Safaris) at 1 min mins 16 secs
81, Thomas Dekker (Garmin Sharp) at 1 min 27 secs
82, Adrian Hegyvary (UnitedHealthcare) at 1 min 47 secs
83, Mitch Docker (Orica-GreenEdge)
84, Lachlan Morton (Garmin Sharp) at 2 mins 9 secs
85, Hugh Carth (Rapha Condor JLT) at 4 mins 56 secs
86, Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 5 mins 1 secs
Did not finish:
Luke Davison (Synergy Baku Cycling)
Pat Shaw (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
Intermediate sprints:
Trawool:
1, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling) 6 pts
2, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23) 4
3, Kristian Juel (Team Budget Forklifts) 2
Mitchelton Winery:
1, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling) 6 pts
2, Chris Jory (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia) 4
3, Elchin Asadov (Synergy Baku Cycling) 2
King of the Mountains:
Highlands climb 1:
1, Kristian Juel (Team Budget Forklifts) 6 pts
2, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling) 4
3, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23) 2
Highlands climb 2:
1, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling) 6 pts
2, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23) 4
3, Davide Frattini (UnitedHealthcare) 2
Most aggressive rider: Chris Jory (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
Overall standings:
1, Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) 10 hours 59 mins 17 secs
2, Cameron Wurf (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 8 secs
3, Jack Haig (Avanti Cycling Team) at 11 secs
4, Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) at 1 min 9 secs
5, Neil Van Der Ploeg (Avanti Cycling Team) at 1 min 21 secs
6, Jonathan Cantwell (Drapac Pro Cycling)
7, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) at 1 min 22 secs
8, Glenn O’Shea (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia) at 1 min 23 secs
9, Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge)
10, William Clarke (Drapac Pro Cycling)
11, Mitch Docker (Orica-GreenEdge) at 1 min 24 secs
12, Alex Clements (Jayco Australian U23) at 1 min 28 secs
13, Harry Carpenter (Jayco Australian U23
14, Lachlan Norris (Drapac Pro Cycling)
15, Guillaume Boivin (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 1 min 29 secs
16, Timothy Roe (Team Budget Forklifts) at 1 min 30 secs
17, Darren Lapthorne (Drapac Pro Cycling) at 1 min 31 secs
18, Rhys Gillett (African Wildlife Safaris)
19, Robert Power (Jayco Australian U23
20, Calvin Watson (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia) at 1 min 32 secs
21, George Bennett (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
22, James Oram (New Zealand Team)
23, Patrick Lane (Synergy Baku Cycling)
24, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling) at 1 min 34 secs
25, Matthew Clarke (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia)
26, Eric Sheppard (OCBC Singapore Team) at 1 min 36 secs
27, Thomas Hamilton (Jayco Australian U23) at 1 min 47 secs
28, Mark O’Brien (Avanti Cycling Team) at 1 min 48 secs
29, Damien Howson (Orica-GreenEdge) at 1 min 51 secs
30, Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 6 mins 50 secs
31, Scott Davies (Great Britain National Team) at 8 mins 18 secs
32, Jeremy Cameron (African Wildlife Safaris) at 8 mins 22 secs
33, Joseph Cooper (Avanti Cycling Team) at 8 mins 25 secs
34, Jeffry Louder (UnitedHealthcare) at 8 mins 34 secs
35, Jack Bauer (Garmin Sharp) at 9 mins 46 secs
36, Steele von Hoff (Garmin Sharp) at 9 mins 50 secs
37, Bradley White (UnitedHealthcare) at 11 mins 17 secs
38, Rohan Dennis (Garmin Sharp) at 11 mins 42 secs
39, Lachlan Morton (Garmin Sharp) at 12 mins 9 secs
40, Anthony Giacoppo (Avanti Cycling Team) at 14 mins 40 secs
41, Patrick Bevin (New Zealand Team) at 14 mins 43 secs
42, Michael Vink (Team Budget Forklifts) at 14 mins 48 secs
43, Campbell Flakemore (Avanti Cycling Team) at 21 mins 27 secs
44, Matthias Krizek (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 21 mins 31 secs
45, Dion Smith (New Zealand Team) at 21 mins 34 secs
46, Chris Jory (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia) at 21 mins 36 secs
47, Davide Frattini (UnitedHealthcare) at 21 mins 47 secs
48, Hugh Carth (Rapha Condor JLT) at 22 mins 11 secs
49, Robert-John McCarthy (Jayco Australian U23) at 24 mins 33 secs
50, Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) at 25 mins 23 secs
51, Shaun O’Callaghan (African Wildlife Safaris) at 25 mins 29 secs
52, Jordan Kerby (Drapac Pro Cycling) at 25 mins 46 secs
53, Thomas Dekker (Garmin Sharp) at 26 mins 57 secs
54, Tural Isgandarov (Synergy Baku Cycling) at 28 mins 14 secs
55, Kristian Juel (Team Budget Forklifts) at 28 mins 37 secs
56, Richard Handley (Rapha Condor JLT) at 31 mins 46 secs
57, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23) at 32 mins 14 secs
58, Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare) at 32 mins 15 secs
59, Hayden McCormick (New Zealand Team) at 32 mins 17 secs
60, Benjamin Day (UnitedHealthcare) at 32 mins 21 secs
61, Nathan Elliott (African Wildlife Safaris) at 33 mins 36 secs
62, Tom Scully (New Zealand Team) at 35 mins 9 secs
63, Felix English (Rapha Condor JLT) at 35 mins 10 secs
64, Germain Burton (Great Britain National Team) at 35 mins 14 secs
65, Thomas Moses (Rapha Condor JLT) at 35 mins 21 secs
66, Matej Mahoric (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 35 mins 22 secs
67, Ji Wen Low (OCBC Singapore Team) at 35 mins 27 secs
68, Elchin Asadov (Synergy Baku Cycling) at 35 mins 29 secs
69, Matty Lloyd (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia) at 35 mins 42 secs
70, Samuel Horgan (Team Budget Forklifts) at 36 mins 4 secs
71, Michael Cuming (Rapha Condor JLT) at 36 mins 8 secs
72, Joshua Prete (Team Budget Forklifts)
73, Jason Spencer (African Wildlife Safaris) at 36 mins 29 secs
74, Adrian Hegyvary (UnitedHealthcare) at 37 mins 10 secs
75, Thomas Rabou (OCBC Singapore Team) at 39 mins 7 secs
76, Daniel Klemme (Synergy Baku Cycling) at 40 mins 3 secs
77, Christoph Schweizer (Synergy Baku Cycling) at 40 mins 5 secs
78, Rico Rogers (OCBC Singapore Team) at 40 mins 7 secs
79, Umardi Rosdi (Terengganu Team) at 40 mins 13 secs
80, Shahrul Mat Amin (Terengganu Team) at 40 mins 15 secs
81, Hamish Schreurs (New Zealand Team) at 43 mins 49 secs
82, Harrif Saleh (Terengganu Team) at 43 mins 57 secs
83, Christopher Opie (Rapha Condor JLT) at 44 mins 43 secs
84, James Rendall (African Wildlife Safaris) at 49 mins 22 secs
85, Christopher Lawless (Great Britain National Team) at 52 mins 17 secs
86, Samuel Witmitz (Team Budget Forklifts) at 52 mins 21 secs
Points:
1, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling) 16 pts
2, Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) 14
3, Jonathan Cantwell (Drapac Pro Cycling) 12
4, Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) 10
5, Robert-John McCarthy (Jayco Australian U23) 10
6, Cameron Wurf (Cannondale Pro Cycling) 8
7, Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) 8
8, Rico Rogers (OCBC Singapore Team) 8
9, Lachlan Norris (Drapac Pro Cycling) 6
10, Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale Pro Cycling) 6
11, Jack Haig (Avanti Cycling Team) 6
12, Felix English (Rapha Condor JLT) 6
13, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) 4
14, William Clarke (Drapac Pro Cycling) 4
15, Thomas Hamilton (Jayco Australian U23) 4
16, Chris Jory (Kordamentha Real Estate - Team Australia) 4
17, Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare) 4
18, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23) 4
19, Neil Van Der Ploeg (Avanti Cycling Team) 2
20, Guillaume Boivin (Cannondale Pro Cycling) 2
King of the mountains:
1, Thomas Hamilton (Jayco Australian U23) 52 pts
2, John Anderson (Drapac Pro Cycling) 16
3, Jack Haig (Avanti Cycling Team) 16
4, Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale Pro Cycling) 16
5, Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) 12
6, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23) 10
7, Lachlan Norris (Drapac Pro Cycling) 8
8, Nathan Elliott (African Wildlife Safaris) 8
9, Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) 6
10, Kristian Juel (Team Budget Forklifts) 6
11, Davide Frattini (UnitedHealthcare) 4
12, Rhys Gillett (African Wildlife Safaris) 2
Young rider:
1, Jack Haig (Avanti Cycling Team) 10 hours 59 mins 28 secs
2, Alex Clements (Jayco Australian U23) at 1 min 17 secs
3, Harry Carpenter (Jayco Australian U23
4, Robert Power (Jayco Australian U23) at 1 min 20 secs
5, James Oram (New Zealand Team) at 1 min 21 secs
6, Thomas Hamilton (Jayco Australian U23) at 1 min 36 secs
7, Scott Davies (Great Britain National Team) at 8 mins 7 secs
8, Jeremy Cameron (African Wildlife Safaris) at 8 mins 11 secs
9, Campbell Flakemore (Avanti Cycling Team) at 21 mins 16 secs
10, Dion Smith (New Zealand Team) at 21 mins 23 secs
11, Hugh Carth (Rapha Condor JLT) at 22 mins 0 secs
12, Robert-John McCarthy (Jayco Australian U23) at 24 mins 22 secs
13, Shaun O’Callaghan (African Wildlife Safaris) at 25 mins 18 secs
14, Jordan Kerby (Drapac Pro Cycling) at 25 mins 35 secs
15, Tural Isgandarov (Synergy Baku Cycling) at 28 mins 3 secs
16, Kristian Juel (Team Budget Forklifts) at 28 mins 26 secs
17, Samuel Spokes (Jayco Australian U23) at 32 mins 3 secs
18, Hayden McCormick (New Zealand Team) at 32 mins 6 secs
19, Felix English (Rapha Condor JLT) at 34 mins 59 secs
20, Germain Burton (Great Britain National Team) at 35 mins 3 secs
Team classification:
1, Orica-Green Edge, 33 hours 47 secs
2, Avanti Cycling Team, at 6 secs
3, Cannondale Pro Cycling, at 12 secs
4, Drapac Professional Cycling, at 1 min 20 secs
5, Jayco Australian U23, National Team, at 1 min 23 secs
6, Korda Mentha Real Estate - Team Australia, at 1 min 26 secs
7, Garmin Sharp, at 18 mins 0 secs
8, African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team, at 32 mins 17 secs
9, New Zealand National Team, at 34 mins 40 secs
10, United Healthcare Pro Cycling, at 35 mins 5 secs
11, Team Budget Forklifts, at 41 mins 17 secs
12, Synergy Baku Cycling Project, at 1 hour 1 min 56 secs
13, OCBC Singapore Continental Cycling, at 1 hour 9 mins 23 secs
14, Rapha Condor JLT, at 1 hour 14 mins 25 secs
15, Great Britain National Team, at 1 hour 32 mins 49 secs
16, Terengganu Cycling Team, at 2 hours 1 min 30 secs