Sulzberger leads South Australia.com-AIS clean sweep in Victoria 

(6 August 2006)  South Australia.com - AIS celebrated a clean sweep of the podium in the five day Tour of Gippsland, the opening round of the Tattersall's Cup Series in Victoria, claiming four of the nine stages as well as first, second and third overall.

When Tasmanian Wes Sulzberger lined up for the final stage, a 134.8km course out and back from the country town of Warragul, he was sitting second overall, 54 seconds behind race leader trailing the overnight leader, Dean Windsor (Drapac Porsche).

But 60 kilometres into the stage Sulzberger, along with team mates Daniel McConnell, Michael Ford, Miles Olman and four others, launched their attack to gain more than five minutes on the main field which included Windsor.

To cap off the success a sea of South Australia.com - AIS jerseys swamped the finishing line as McConnell claimed the stage ahead of Sulzberger, Ford and Olman.

The team's effort elevated Sulzberger to the top of the GC. Olman jumped from sixth to second overall at 1min28sec and McConnell leapfrogged from 15th to third overall at 3min50 to give the team the trifecta.

"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."

Sulzberger now also leads the Tattersall's Cup, a series of races which includes the Australian Grand Prix in Ballarat, Tour of the Murray River and the Tour of Tasmania.

"It has been an awesome week and I am really proud to have started the series so well," he said. "There is still a lot of racing to go yet, 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."

Sulzberger also collected the Sprint, Criterium and Most Aggressive rider classifications to cap off an amazing race for the team.

Success for the South Australia.com - AIS in the event began when Commonwealth Games points race champion, Sean Finning, won the opening circuit stage in Mallacoota where Sulzberger placed third. Later the same day Olman clinched the Stage 2 win At the end of Stage 3, a 42 kilometre circuit in Orbost, Sulzberger was again second with Olman third while climbing specialist McConnell kept the team on the podium on the hilly Stage 4 into his hometown of Lakes Entrance where he placed second. Sulzberger picked up another placing when he crossed in third place on the Barnsdale criterium Stage 6 and on Stage 7 he dominated proceedings winning the 45 kilometre Traralgon criterium and 11 intermediate sprints along the way. Stephen Wooldridge and Ashley Hutchinson completed the seven man team.