Crucial bonus hands Cantwell the title

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Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V Australia) won his second consecutive bunch sprint and the valuable 20-second time bonus in the third and final stage of the Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove on Sunday. The Australian blasted to the line ahead of David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Carlos Ospina (Colombia)

"We went into the stage with the number one goal of giving Jonny a chance to sprint because that 20 seconds was the [overall] win so long as he kept the space between himself and [Karl] Menzies," said Fly V Australia's technical director Ed Beamon. "The guys had to work very hard to make sure that it was a sprint."

Cantwell's stage victory garnered him the 20-second time bonus he needed to overhaul defending champion and hitherto race leader Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis) and win the overall title plus the coveted $18,000 prize. He finished the event ahead of Veilleux in second and Menzies (UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis) in third.

"It is a big thrill for the guys to cash in on those big cheques," said Beamon. "It was a big pay day and they really had to work hard for it.

"For Jonny, it is a big lift for him and a feather in his cap. This is the sixth race in a row that he has won a bunch sprint. The level of competition was much higher here. This was huge for him and for the team."

The Gullo International Pro Men Criterium treated riders to a 115km race held on a short and fast circuit - the stage purse was valued at $26,000. With the top 19 riders in the general classification separated by a mere 20 seconds the 20-second time bonus available at the finish left the yellow jersey wide open.

Jeremy Vennell (Bissell) initiated the first significant move of the race and six riders bridged across, including Vennell's teammate Daniel Holloway, Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies), Heath Blackgrove (Team Hotel San Jose), Jake Rytlewski (Kenda-Geargrinder) and Hayden Brooks (Fly V Australia).

The break gained a 90-second advantage and UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis set a quick tempo to help protect its race leader and defending overall champion, Menzies. Fly V Australia rallied at the front to allow its sprinter and previous day's winner, Cantwell, a chance to contest a field sprint for the hefty time bonuses at the finish.

"It was a very good play by Bissell to have two guys in there with Vennell, who was probably the most dangerous guy in that group," said Beamon. "We had Brooks in there and the idea was to put pressure on UnitedHealthcare. They started to ride to bring the break back but the break started going out from 45 seconds to 50 and to one and half minutes.

"At one point the leaders were only 25 seconds behind the field. We had to really step up and start to ride too. Even [Chris] Horner came up to help because he was losing his GC spot too."

The gap reduced quickly in the closing laps and breakaway riders were reabsorbed into the field inside the final 10 laps. Several teams sent riders to the front to set a fast pace in anticipation of a bunch sprint, including riders from Bissell, Kenda-Geargrinder, Jelly Belly p/b Kenda, Fly V Australia and UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis.