Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

News of 17/12/2009

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Parent Category: Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Category: news2009

Published on Thursday, 17 December 2009 07:12

Written by Marcella Crisanti

Sanders creates history with Austral win

Nineteen year old Ben Sanders has written his name into the history books, joining his father Dave as a winner of the Urban Austral Wheelrace - Australia’s oldest and most prestigious track cycling race. Sanders started the final as $3 second favourite to take the title and riding off 80m was in front at the bell and was able to hold off the challenge from defending champion Shane Perkins who finished out of the placings. Darren Rodgers (130m) finished second ahead of Jaron Gardiner (125m) in third. In what was billed as one of the strongest Austral fields in history – if not ever – the heats and subsequent repecharges witnessed a number of the fancied riders eliminated, including American Olympian Giddeon Massie, world points race champion Cameron Meyer, dual Olympic gold medallist Graeme Brown and under-23 time trial world champion Jack Bobridge. However, the race will be remembered for the emotional embrace of father and son, the first such duo to win the Austral in the 112 editions of the event. Dave Sanders, now a father figure of Australian cycling in his role as head coach of the Victorian Institute of Sport cycling program, and a key mentor to superstars like world champion Cadel Evans and grand tours stage winner Simon Gerrans, won this race of 50m in 1978. His son Ben, himself a world junior championships silver medallist and Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship holder, now has his name on a trophy the family regard as more important than any other on the domestic cycling scene. “It’s bigger than the national champs, or any other race in Australia. For old school cycling people this is huge,” Sanders Snr said fighting back tears after the win. “This is bigger than the national championships, or anything else, this is history, a lifetime experience.” For Sanders Jnr, the weight of expectations after three years of attempts was obvious. “You couldn't get much happier than me right now. This race is just the biggest thing," Ben Sanders said when asked if the family surname was a burden he responded by admitting it had weighed him down the past few years. "It has for the last two or three years I've ridden this, and I haven't even made the final. When they said I was the (second) favourite just before it I thought, 'oh, the omen's back', because every time my name was mentioned for it I couldn't perform. But everything came together on the day."

In other events:

The Shape Group points race was taken out by Jack Bobridge, from Graeme Brown with Cameron Meyer, taking third place.

The Clipsal women’s keirin was won by Olympic gold medallist Anna Meares, from Kaarle McCulloch and Annette Edmonson in third place.

The Brennan IT sprint final witnessed Malaysian Josiah Ng, the Melbourne Cup on Wheels winner from earlier in the year, who ousted Victorian Jason Niblett to take the crown as Revolution 5 sprint champ.

In the Urban St Kilda motorpace final, NSW rider Scott Law held of West Australian Michael Freiberg with Peter Loft (TAS) in third.

The SRAM madison battle between Australia and New Zealand featured a crack line-up, with the Aussie quartet of rolled-gold riders including Brown, Meyer, O’Shea and Bobridge unable to hold out the New Zealand team of Track World Cup winner Tom Scully, Shane Archbold, Hayden Godfrey and Myron Simpson.

Meares climbed over Cyclones teammate McCulloch to take out the 2XU women’s sprint final.

Cameron Meyer was too strong in the Quickform Homes points score elimination.

Rising star Maddison Hammond ensured he avoided a serious ribbing at training by dominating the event, dashing clear of Anna Meares. In fact the boys finished 1-2-3 with Jaron Gardiner eclipsing Aaron Cooper for the minor placings.  Meares finished fourth.

The Brennan IT men’s keirin final featured a trademark Azizal Awang wheelie across the line had he stormed past teammate Josiah Ng and Scott Sunderland.

In the Teschner Future Stars events, Jack Cummins won the points race, Evan Hull the boys and Imogen Jelbart the girls double kilo dash, Jelbart backed up to win the girls scratch race.

The third edition of the McIver Contractors Junior Austral was won by Emerson Harwood ahead of Liam White and Brae Mapson.

The final event of the year for the track stars is Friday’s Australian madison championships, featuring defending champion Glenn O’Shea who will ride with world points race champion Cameron Meyer, along with Graeme Brown and under-23 time trial world champion Jack Bobridge.

Australian Madison Champions

When: Friday 18 December 2009, 7pm

Where: Darebin International Sports Centre, Thornbury Arena, Melbourne

Tickets: At the door

Valverde: “The Vuelta 2010 will be rich in emotions from the beginning till the end”

Winner of the 2009 edition, Alejandro Valverde took part in Sevilla in the presentation of the Vuelta a España 2010.

What do you think about the course of the Vuelta 2010?

“Of course it will be necessary to analyze the stages one by one but at first sight it looks like a very nice one, very hard and for sure rich in emotions from the very beginning till the end since the first stage, a team time trial, is already a difficult challenge. Famous mountains and individual time trials make also part of the program. Moreover two stages will take place where I live, in Murcia, what will for sure represent an extra motivation for me.”

Will you be at the start in Sevilla?

“The season is very long and it will depend and it is too early to be sure. It will depend on how things go but of course I hope I will be there.”

The season 2009 was a wonderful one for you. In addition to winning important races which make part of the ProTour calendar like the Volta a Catalunya and the Critérium of the Dauphiné Libéré, you also won your first major Tour with the Vuelta a España. After a resting for some weeks and before starting 2010 how do you analyze chat you achieved during the season?

“It was an excellent season indeed. I started pretty well and it was better and better. I won more or less all the races in which I took part and it is for sure my best year on the bike. I believe that the most important point is the fact that I continue being better each year, with more significant wins.”

How did you spend your holidays?

“I took some holidays in Mexico because I travelled over there to race the Criterium of Cancun.  When I came back to Spain I had many obligations so that I had little time left for other things. I spent more or less one month and a half without training even if I participated each week end in criteriums while practicing running and fitness during the week. Now I train regularly on the bike, almost every day, increasing progressively kilometers and rhythm.”

Will your program in 2010 be similar to that of 2009?

“Not exactly. I will start competing earlier than the previous years. I have the opportunity to go to Australia to take part in the Tour Down Under. I am really happy because I never travelled so far away till now. My team-mates who went there told me it is something really different and very interesting. I am really pleased to go also because we are sure to train and race in a sunny weather. ”

Will you go and see the course of the World Championship?

“I don’t know. We did not talk about that till now. I imagine it will depend on the distance between both cities. But as far as I was told the course is not a hard one so that it is not really important to know him a long time in advance. But if it is possible to go we will surely do it!”

Which will be your program when you come back from Australia?

“My calendar is not definitive yet but normally I will race the Challenge of Mallorca, the Tour of Algarve, Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour of the Basque Country and the Classics before resting for some weeks and coming back later in the Dauphiné Libéré.”

What will be the main objective of the season?

“The Tour de France!  It is certainly the most difficult race in the world but the fact I won the Vuelta is the proof that I am able of winning a major tour and most of all to resist during three weeks, which was not sure till then. To defeat Alberto Contador will not be easy because he showed he was really the best in the last editions but we are just human beings and Alberto like me like any other rider can have a bad so that everything is possible.”

Something very special will happen in your life within a few weeks…

“Yes indeed! I am so happy because my third son will be born at the end of January. I just hope he will wait I am back from Australia before his birth!”

A wish for 2010?

“To be healthy and lucky. And of course to win the Tour!”