In a stunning display of teamwork, the South Australia.com-A.I.S. squad made a clean sweep of the stage and general classification podium on the last stage of the Tour of Gippsland.
The result saw 19 year-old Tasmanian Wesley Sulzberger take overall honours in the race, with Miles Olman and Daniel McConnell second and third respectively. Outside of general classification honours, Sulzberger won the sprint, criterium and most aggressive rider classifications.
On Sunday in Warragul, four members of the team - Sulzberger, Olman, McConnell, and Michael Ford - along with four other riders broke away shortly before the race's midway point, and launched an assault overnight leader Dean Windsor and his Drapac Porsche team could not follow. In the end, McConnell broke away to claim the stage as Sulzberger and Ford took second and third, with all eight a massive five and a half minutes ahead of group of 17 riders that included Windsor.
"It was all on the line in the final stage," Sulzberger said. "My team was fantastic and I really wouldn't have got to this podium position without them.
"There is still a lot of racing to go yet," he continued, "but I'll be trying just as hard in all the others as this one. I was bit rusty early in the week, but got better as the tour went along."
The Tour of Gippsland marked the opening event of this year's Tattersall's Cup cycling series, which is followed by the Tour of Tasmania (August 17-21), Tour of the Murray River (August 31-September 4) and the Australian Grand Prix in Ballarat.
Click here for the full results & report.
