Davison edges closer to Murray lead with Kerang criterium win

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Luke Davison (Budget Forklifts) has once again proved he’s won of the quickest in the bunch when he won stage 8 at the Tour of the Murray River ahead of Anthony Giacoppo (Genesys) and Alex Wohler (Team Downunder). A final lap fall did little to prevent Davison from taking his third stage win of the Tour. The stage was highlighted by Aaron Donnelly (Jayco-Honey Shotz) who spent almost half of the race in a solo breakaway.

Stage 8 at the Tour of the Murray River would be the second day in a row to feature multiple criteriums. Kerang would play host to the morning’s 33km race, held around a 1.1km circuit with 30 laps and 11 intermediate sprints to contest. Riders would have just a couple of hours before the start of the next stage in Lake Boga – for a slightly longer 39km race.

The race’s leader, Joel Pearson (Genesys) began the stage with a 16-second lead over teammate Anthony Giacoppo. Luke Davison (Budget Forklifts) moved himself into third place at the end yesterday.

Conditions were windy once again as the 67-rider bunch rolled out from the start. The bunch wasted no time in upping the pace and as the peloton stretched into a long line it was Aaron Donnelly (Jayco-Honey Shotz) who took off on his own. It would take a valiant effort to stay off the front for the next 45 minutes but he was clearly feeling good as the gap to the front of the bunch reached 10 seconds.

Donnelly took out the first sprint ahead of Sprint Leader Josh Tayloy (GPM-Wilson Racing) and Tour leader Pearson while the Jayco-Honey Shotz continued to race along out front.

Another two laps off the front and Donnelly took the maximum points, moving up the Sprint classification. He would need to stay out there a while longer before Taylor’s lead was in any danger. Donnelly began the day on 9 points whilst Taylor was sitting comfortably at 53. Stu Shaw (Drapac) and Alex Carver (Genesys) took second and third on the Lap 8 sprint behind Donnelly.

Shaw began the stage 45 seconds behind Pearson and was clearly taking advantage of his sprinting form, gaining precious seconds where he could.

The bunch was unable or unwilling to bring Donnelly back as he took out the third sprint ahead of yesterday’s stage 7 winner Alex Wohler (Team Downunder) and Sam Witmitz (Budget Forklifts).

Donnelly was again the winner of the sprint on lap 12 as the race neared the half way mark. Liam Dove (Plan B Racing) and Harry Carpenter (SASI) took a 2 and 1 point respectively as the attempted to bridge to the lone leader.

The bunch may have been content for one rider to remain off the front but Dove and Carpenter’s move saw others try to jump across, realising this could be the moment for a breakaway to go clear.

Carpenter and Dove were between Donnelly and the bunch when the next sprint came around and Donnelly took another three points while the two chasers continued to work together, crossing the line in the reverse order to the previous sprint.

With the race more entering the second half, Dove and Carpenter were caught but Donnelly remained on his own approximately 11 seconds ahead of the chasing bunch.

On lap 16 Donnelly was still on his own while general classification contender Davison raced ahead of Pearson to take two points. Another two laps down and Donnelly’s lead was falling, he managed to take another 3 points and while PureBlack’s Luis Crosby and Taylor were second and third respectively.

With 10 laps to go Donnelly was finally caught, allowing Wohler to get the win ahead of Malcolm Rudolph (Drapac) and Joshua Harrison (SASI).

With Donnelly caught, the attacks began once more. Oliver Kent-Spark (John West Cycling) won the sprint on lap 22 with Harrison and Plan B’s Brad Hall getting the minor placings. Kent-Spark got himself another three points while Rudolph and Miles Scotson (SASI) were also in the mix for the sprint points.

At the final intermediate sprint Rudolph got across the line first ahead of Campbell Flakemore (Genesys) and Harrison. Moments after it was Scotson and Taylor who attacked out of the bunch, looking to stay off the front on the final, bell lap.

Their time off the front was short lived as the bunch swallowed them up with Davison taking the win ahead of Giacoppo and Wohler.

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