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Sulzberger claims Tatts Cup

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:45:07 GMT

Wes Sulzberger win Tatterall's Cup Trophy

Wes Sulzberger has claimed the Tatterall's Cup Trophy and the Sid Patterson Memorial Young Rider of the Future Award at the end of the Jayco Tour of Tasmania.

Sulzberger with the

Sid Patterson Memorial Trophy.

Photo: Shane Goss

www.licoricegallery.com

Sulzberger, 20, finished the four event series 38 points clear of rival and 2005 Tattersall's Cup Champion, Robert McLachlan. Sulzberger took the series lead in August with overall victory in the first of the four event series, the Tour of Gippsland.

Despite a strong challenge from McLachlan, who won four stages, Sulzberger sizzled claiming three stage wins, three seconds and one third to dominate the podium. Sulzberger's stage wins included the 80.7km stage from Latrobe which finished in his hometown of Beaconsfield. He also sprinted to victory in the penultimate stage a 91.9km race from George Town to Scottsdale and wrapped it up with a win in the final criterium stage in Launceston.

Finning also stood atop the podium

Photo: Shane Goss

www.licoricegallery.com

His SouthAustralia.com-AIS team mate Sean Finning, 21, was also in the action claiming victory on the 45km Latrobe stage.

Sulzberger will now enjoy a well earned month's break before resuming training while Finning will head to Adelaide in two weeks time for a national camp ahead of the opening round of the UCI Track World Cup Series in Sydney.

Lloyd reigns as KOM in Jayco Herald Sun Tour

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 10:22:37 GMT

Lloyd secures King of the Mountains crown

SouthAustralia.com-AIS rider Matthew Lloyd today claimed stage honours and secured the King of the Mountain crown in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour on the 183 kilometre stage from Benalla to Lake Mountain.

The 23 year old Victorian, who was second on Tuesday's stage, was the only member of the seventeen man breakaway group who managed to stay ahead of the chasing main field after a hard day of racing in 30 plus degree temperatures and hot, gusting winds. Lloyd powered up the final climb to the finish line 1m38s clear of second placed Mitchell Docker (Drapac Porsche) with Peter McDonald (FRF Couriers) third a further 17 seconds back.

Lloyd had gone into the Tour with hopes of overall victory but a crash during the opening criterium stage in Shepparton on Sunday left him with arm and hip injuries and put paid to that aspiration. Instead the gifted climber, who will ride with ProTour team Davitamon Lotto from next year, was forced to set new goals of stage and climbing results and today he secured both.

“I was not going to jeopardise my career when I was injured," said Lloyd. "I spoke to Cadel Evans who has been a remarkable help over the last two years and he said to take it easy - try get a stage win if I could but don’t be unsafe about it. So that’s the way I approached it.

“It means so much to me now. I was disappointed with what happened at the outset of the Tour as I had bigger ambitions, but it is pretty good the way it’s turned out."

Matt Lloyd leads KOM in Jayco Herald Sun Tour

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 06:23:46 GMT

Matt Lloyd takes climber's lead in Jayco Herald Sun Tour

Matt Lloyd today took over the lead in the 'King of the Mountains' classification after finishing second on Stage 3 of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

The 23 year old Victorian was edged out on the line by Sydney's Trent Wilson but did enough on the 158.5km stage from Bendigo to Nagambie to claim the climber's jersey.

"There were a lot of attacks at the start of the stage but they were all quite large and a few of them potentially had guys who could challenge for overall honours so there was a reluctance by the bunch to let them get away," said Lloyd. "At the first major climb I attacked a few times and then got clear with a bunch of 15."

Lloyd picked up the maximum points over the climb and then settled in with a group of eight riders to maintain their lead on the bunch.

"We all worked together until about 20 kilometres from the finish when the attacking started," explained Lloyd. "Trent Wilson and I finally managed to escape to contest the finish and unfortunately I was beaten."

Lloyd had hoped to be contesting overall honours but a crash on the opening criterium stage on Sunday saw him lose time and he has now refocussed on stage and climbing goals.

"Obviously I would have like to have won the Tour but you have to be realistic and after the crash I had to reassess," said Lloyd who is still sporting a sore hip from the crash. "Now I'll concentrate on the mountains and any stages that suit my style."

Lloyd recently signed a contract to race with ProTour outfit Davitamon-Lotto from 2007 after his success with southaustralia.com-AIS in 2006 which saw him finish third overall in the U26 Giro d'Italia and fifth overall in the Tour of Japan.

Tour of Hokkaido

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 18:58:34 GMT

McConnell moves into second overall in Tour of Hokkaido

Victorian Dan McConnell, 21, has moved into second overall after his second placing on Stage 2 of the Tour of Hokkaido in Japan. The day before Tasmanian Wesley Sulzberger celebrated victory in the opening road stage of the Tour outsprinting a leading bunch of 33 riders for the win.

McConnell is seven seconds off the tour lead while Sulzberger is ranked eighth at 28 seconds.

Lloyd signs with Davitamon-Lotto

Mon, 4 Sep 2006 00:13:05 GMT

Lloyd signs with Davitamon-Lotto

South Australia.com AIS rider, Matt Lloyd, has signed a two year contract to ride with the Davitamon-Lotto ProTour professional cycling team. The 23 year old Victorian has been one of the most consistent performers for SouthAustralia.com-AIS in 2006 highlighted by his third place overall in the U26 Tour of Italy and fifth overall in the Tour of Japan.

Matt Lloyd has signed two year deal with
Davitamon-Lotto

Davitamon-Lotto already boasts an impressive line up of talented Australians. Three time Tour de France sprint champion, Robbie McEwen and Cadel Evans, who this year finished fifth overall in the Tour de France, ride for the Belgian registered team.

"Matt only began cycling competitively three years ago but has quickly developed and is a very talented climber," said SouthAustralia.com-AIS Team Director, Brian Stephens.

The SouthAustralia.com-AIS continental professional team was launched this year as part of the Cycling Australia-AIS high performance program with the aim of preparing young riders for the challenges of a professional cycling career.

Goss out of Tour of Britain

Fri, 1 Sep 2006 01:54:39 GMT

Knee injury forces Goss to abandon Tour of Britain

A knee injury today forced race leader Matt Goss to withdraw from the Tour of Britain during Stage 3 from Bradford to Sheffield.

Great work by the his SouthAustralia.com-AIS team mates had Goss riding in the leader's jersey with the front group on the 180 kilometre stage but his knee became too sore to produce much force.

"We didn't want to risk making the injury worse so decided to withdraw Matt from the race," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "I'm confident that with immediate physiotherapy treatment we'll have Matt back in competition very soon."

Meanwhile Australian Michael Rogers (T Mobile) claimed second on the stage behind Italian Filippo Pozzato.

Stage 3 Results

1 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quickstep 4h28'32"
2 Michael Rogers (Aus) T Mobile @32"
3 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quickstep
@st
28 Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @15'45"
65 James Meadley (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @29'24"
67 Shaun Higgerson (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st
71 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st
75 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st

General Classification after stage 3

1 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 12h26'24"
2 Luis Pasamontes (Unibet@ 51"
3 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quickstep @2'11"

28 Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @18'08"
59 James Meadley (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @29'14"
65 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st
68 Shaun Higgerson (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st
74 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @33'52"

Goss claims lead in Tour of Britain

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 21:44:32 GMT

Goss claims lead in Tour of Britain

South Australia.com AIS rider, Matt Goss, has taken over the lead in the Tour of Britain after stage two, a 163km course from Blackpool to Liverpool.

The 19 year old Tasmanian went into the stage trailing overnight leader Denmark's Martin Pedersen (Team CSC) by two seconds but picked up time bonuses along the route winning the third intermediate sprint and placing third in the first two of the day.

Goss finished the stage with the main bunch and now has a two second lead over Pedersen. He also increased his lead in the sprint competition and now sits on 24 points double the tally of Pedersen, his nearest rival for the jersey.

"The team faces a huge task to defend Matt's lead against some of the world's strongest professional teams," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "But the boys are enthusiastic and they're not intimidated by the quality of the opposition."

Stage Three is the longest of the six day tour with three significant climbs in the 180km route from Bradfield to Sheffield.

Stage 2 Result

1 Roger Hammond (GBR) Great Britain 3h54'15"
2 Aart Vierhouten (NED) Skil-Shimano @st
3 Russell Downing (GBR) DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed @st

20 Matthew Goss (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @st
50 James Meadley (AUS) South Australia.com AIS. @st
77 Matthew Lloyd (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @st
78 Jonathon Clarke (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @st
79 Shaun Higgerson (AUS) South Australia.com AIS. @st
81 Simon Clarke (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @st

General Classification after Stage 2

1 Matthew Goss (AUS) South Australia.com AIS 7h57'35"
2 Martin Pedersen (DEN) CSC @2"
3 Luis Pasamontes (ESP) Unibet.com @8"

48 James Meadley (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @2'54"
63 Simon Clarke (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @st
68 Matthew Lloyd (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @st
71 Shaun Higgerson (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @st
80 Jonathon Clarke (AUS) South Australia.com AIS @4'59"

Goss signs with CSC

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 01:55:58 GMT

Goss signs with CSC

South Australia.com AIS rider, Matt Goss, has signed a three year contract to ride with Team CSC, the world's top ranked professional team, from 2007. The 19 year old Tasmanian has had an outstanding year of success posting six victories in Europe so far this season and is currently wearing the race leader's jersey in the Tour of Britain.

"I'm very excited to be going to one of the world's top teams," said Goss who fielded offers from four other ProTour teams. "I believe CSC offers me the best opportunity to develop as a professional cyclist and they also support my dream of riding for Australia on the track at the Beijing Olympic Games."

Earllier this year Goss was a member of the Australian teams pursuit quartet that claimed gold at the World Championships and silver at the Commonwealth Games and CSC has agreed to release him for national team track commitments through until Beijing. Goss is also excited about joining fellow Australians Stuart O'Grady and Luke Roberts who currently ride with the CSC team.

"I think I can learn a lot from Stuey not only on the road but also in terms of combining a road career with track ambitions," said Goss of O'Grady who has claimed a silver medal (1992), two bronze medals (1996) and a gold medal (2004) in Olympic Games track cycling competition whilst also achieving road cycling success.

The SouthAustralia.com-AIS team was launched this year as part of the Cycling Australia-AIS high performance program with the aim of preparing young riders for the challenges of a professional cycling career. Team Director, Brian Stephens, says whilst disappointed to be losing Goss from the team he is proud of the teenager's accomplishments and of the fact the team has acted as a launching pad for Goss.

"He has had such a great season and is such a super talent that it was inevitable he would seize the opportunity to step up to the ProTour ranks," said Stephens. "It was a matter of finding the best fit with a team that would look after him and his development and he has found that with CSC."

Goss has also been selected in the Australian 'Cyclones' team at the road cycling World Championships being staged in Salzburg, Austria from September 19th where he will line up in the U23 men's road race

.

Goss third in Stage 1 of Tour of Britain

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:09:49 GMT

Goss third in Stage 1 of Tour of Britain

Tour of Britain stage 1 Glasgow - Castel Douglas 162.6 km 29/8/06

South Australia.com AIS rider, Matt Goss, rode agressively today to run third in the opening stage of the Tour of Britain.

Goss took advantage of a slow start to the day, to attack with Martin Pedersen of CSC and Luis Pasamontes of the Unibet team," said Team Director Brian Stephens. "The three built up a big advantage of more than 12 minutes before the main group chased them back to two and a half minutes by the finish."

"I wanted the win but I hit out too early and didn't have the gas to hold on" said Goss who is now placed second overall, two seconds down, and leads the sprint competition.

Stage placings

1 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 4h03'38"
2 Luis Pasamontes (Esp) Unibet @st
3 Matthew Goss (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @st

47 Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @2'36"
53 James Meadley (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @st
62 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @st
76 Shaun Higgerson (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @st
84 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @4'41"

GC after stage 1

1 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 4h03'23"
2 Matthew Goss (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @2"
3 Luis Pasamontes (Esp) Unibet @5"

47 Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @2'51"
53 James Meadley (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @st
62 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @st
76 Shaun Higgerson (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @st
84 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) South Australia. Com AIS @4'56"

Lloyd second Gara Milionaria

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 11:28:33 GMT

Lloyd on the podium in Gara Milionaria

South Australia.com AIS climber, Matt Lloyd has claimed second place at the Gara Milionaria. Competing as the Australian National team Matt was joined by fellow South Australia.com AIS riders, Matt Goss, Peter Dawson, Simon Clarke, Jonny Clarke and James Meadley.

Matt just failed to run down French winner, Julien Antommarche. "I had the legs but I was being too closely marked over the last ten kilometres" said Lloyd. "The team was great and did a fantastic job of shutting down some dangerous moves".

Simon Clarke showed that he is returning to top form after his break, finishing ninth.

The day before Lloyd finished fifth in the GP Capodarco run on a scenic course on the Adriatic coast in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. In a very animated race with several big groups going clear from the main group, the Australians joined forces with the British National team to close down a one minute gap to a very big group to give Matt Lloyd a shot at the win. He went close but just failed in the final metres to run fifth.

Citta di Felino

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 10:37:01 GMT

Wet and no fish and GP Citta di Felino.
It was a wet 160 kilometre race at yesterday's GP Citta di Felino. Matt Lloyd raced clear in a group of eight riders on the last climb of the day, but the main group of about 40 riders, caught the break about five kilometres from the line. Our best hope for a bunch sprint, Matt Goss, had previously punctured and failed to rejoin the main field. Remaining in the group were Shaun Higgerson and Jonny Clarke, neither of whom were able to place in the final sprint after working hard to set up Matt Lloyd in his late break. Peter Dawson also rode well to bring back a dangerous break in the closing stages.

Briga

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 07:30:26 GMT

Consistent Matthew Lloyd finished tenth in yesterday's Trofeo Sportivi Briga in Italy yesterday. Matthew Lloyd contnued his consistent run of results to finish tenth in yesterday's Trofeo Sportivi Briga, over 170 kilometres, in Italy yesterday. The team rode well to set Matthew up for the final narrow, twisty climb of the San Colombano "wall". In the hectic race of the lower part of the climb, Matthew lost some ground and pulled his foot out of the pedal trying to regain ground, causing him to drop back further. He finally got going and recovered to finish tenth behind winner, Italian Under 23 champion, Francesco Gavazzi.

Folignano

Sun, 6 Aug 2006 09:38:11 GMT

Jonny Clarke 8th and Matt Lloyd, 11th in Gran Premio Folignano on Saturday. Jonny Clarke put up a strong ride to run 8th in Saturday's Gran Premio Folignano. The 160 kilometre event was held over seven laps of a flat 15 kilometre circuit, followed by six laps of a very tough 13 kilometre circuit. Clarke attacked on the apporoach to the last climb and was joined by several riders approaching the finish. "I thought I would attack to try to set up Matt Lloyd for the last climb" said Clarke. "I didn't think I would get so far clear, but when I saw the gap, I put my head down". Matt Lloyd finished in 11th with fellow Aussie, Ash Humbert running 15th.

Inda

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 07:43:53 GMT

Matt Lloyd returned to competition after a month's break to finish in sixth place in the heat yesterday in the GP Inda in Caravate, Lombardia Yesterday.

Matt Lloyd was sixth and James Meadley 15th in the GP Inda in Caravate, Lombardia Yesterday. Lloyd was in a group of four which was caught at 30 kilometers from the finish. Winner, Pole, Wojciech Dybel, then attacked to win solo. Matt was in a group of six, sprinting for third. Conditions were very hot and the course, close to our home base, was quite hilly.

Jonny Clarke wins in the US

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 08:35:58 GMT

South Australia.com AIS rider, Jonny Clarke, scores win in America's Super Week series

Jonny Clarke scores his first International win

South Australia.com AIS rider, Jonny Clarke, scored his first international individual win when he claimed the third stage of America's Super Week Series in Manitowoc, Wisconson, the Holy Family Memorial 100 Pro/Am.

Jonny's brother Hilton Clarke (Navigators Insurance) was forced to settle for second with American Kyle Jacobson (Team Beans & Barley) third. The trio had successfully lapped the field during the 100km race but Jonny then joined a counter attack of three riders to ensure his victory.

Jonny headed to the USA to visit his brother during his mid-season break and decided to line up for a few races during his holiday.

South Australia.com - AIS riders on the podium on two continents

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 07:06:56 GMT

South Australia.com - AIS on the podium on two continents

South Australia.com - AIS riders have climbed onto podiums on two continents today. Tasmanian Matthew Goss place second in the Trofeo Citta di Brescia night classic in Italy while in the Seacoast Criterium in the USA Sean Finning was also second.

Goss was active throughout the 140 kilometre event raced on a seven kilometre circuit which included a solid climb and a tricky cobbled descent.

"In the final kilometres the race came back together and with a lap to go 25 riders went clear including Gossy, Simon Clarke and Matt Lloyd" said Team Director Brian Stephens. "In the sprint to the line Goss was narrowly beaten by Italian Roberto Ferrari."

Simon Clarke was fifth and Lloyd 12th.

In Exeter only a couple of centimetres separated Finning from race winner Jon Hamblen in a photo finish for the Seacoast Criterium.

125 men contested 50 laps of the one kilometre circuit with Hamblen coming from behind to sprint past Finning in the final metres.

Peter Dawson crossed in fifth place just ahead of Wesley Sulzberger in sixth.

Sulzberger wins Coupe de la Paix series

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 03:17:46 GMT

Sulzberger wins overall honours in la Coupe de la Paix (Peace Cup) series in Canada

Tasmanian Wesley Sulzberger has won overall honours in the Coupe de la Paix (Peace Cup) criterium series in Montreal, Canada with his South Australia.com - AIS team mate Sean Finning third overall.

19 year old Sulzberger was second in the Laval round, the first of the four race series, third in the second race in Massouche and fourth in the third event in Repentigny. His consistent performances won him enough points to take out the series .

His team mate, Commonwealth Games points race champion, Sean Finning, 21, who won the Mascouche round was on track to win the series but was caught up behind a crahs in race three. He was back in the placings today when he finished second on the 1.9km Blainville circuit where the riders contested 33 laps for a total distance of 62.7km. Benjamin Martel (Sleeman Clear Énergie) outsprinted Finning to win in a time of 1hr35min22sec. The pair were 25 seconds clear of the rest of the field.
27 year old Ashley Hutchinson was also on the podium on the weekend placing third in the 70km Repentigny round won by Canadian David Veilleux.

Finning wins in Montreal

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 02:57:11 GMT

Finning wins in Montreal - la Coupe de la Paix Series

Sean Finning has taken out the Mascouche round, the second of the four race la Coupe de la Paix criterium series in Montreal, Canada.

Finning, the Commonwealth Games points race champion, sprinted to victory in a time of 1hr29m13sec at the end of the 70 kilometres (35 laps of the 2.5 kilometre circuit) to defeat Benjamin Martel (Sleeman Clear Énergie) with Finning's team mates Wes Sulzberger third and Ashley Hutchinson fifth.

The first race of the series was a 72 kilometre (30 lap) race at Laval where Finning was fourth and Sulzberger scored second place, 24 seconds behind Dominique Rollin (VC Roubaix) who broke away from the lead group of six riders to claim the opening round. Four time teams pursuit World Champion, Peter Dawson, led home the main bunch for seventh place.

Lloyd second on stage 9 Giro

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 02:58:48 GMT

Lloyd moves to third overall after second place on Stage 9 of 'Baby Giro'

Lloyd moves to third overall in 'Baby Giro'

Matthew Lloyd has moved to third overall after claiming second place on Stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia (U26).

The 23 year old South Australia.com - AIS rider fininshed the 121km climber's stage from Marostica to Alpe Di Pampeago 1min36sec behind Colombian Alex Cano Ardila (Maltinti Lampadari Salgomma) who won in a time 3hr34min07sec.

Lloyd's performance moved him into third place overall where he sits 26sec behind Italian race leader Dario Cataldo (Bedogni Natalini Praga) with reigning U23 World Champion, Dmitro Grabovskyy of the Ukraine (Finauto Sport Team Casini) second at five seconds.

The final battle to become champion of the 2006 'Baby Giro' will be fought out today over a 127km ride out and back from Bolzano.

Sulzberger second stage 4B Beauce

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 02:06:39 GMT

Sulzberger second in Tour de Beauce stage

South Australia.com - AIS rider, Wesley Sulzberger, has finished second in Stage 4B of the Tour de Beauce, Canada's biggest men's road race.

The 60km criterium stage around the centre of St George was won by Czech rider Richard Faltus (Sparkasse) in a time of 1hr14min26sec with Sulzberger second and Canadian Mark Walters (Navigators) third.

Sulzberger's team mate and four time teams pursuit World Champion, Peter Dawson, was tenth on the stage

Goss third stage 7 Baby Giro

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 00:24:11 GMT

Goss on the podium in stage 7 of 'Baby Giro'

South Australia.com - AIS rider, Matthew Goss, has added a third place to his results tally in the Giro d'Italia (U26) to add to his victory in the third stage of the ten day event.

The 114km stage from Montegrotto Terme to Vittorio Veneto was won by Argentine Ricardo Escuela (CT Ormesani Panni) in a time of 2hr29min45sec ahead of Italian Roberto Ferrari (UC Trevigiani Dynamon) with Goss sprinting home third.

A group of 30 riders attacked early in the stage but were soon reeled in by the main bunch.

Reigning U23 road race World Champion, Dmitro Granovsky from the Ukraine (Finauto Sport Team Casini) remains the overall leader with South Australia.com - AIS rider Matthew Lloyd sitting ninth overall, 1min01sec off Grabovsky's time.

South Australia.com - AIS is sitting in second place on the teams classification 45 seconds behind leading team GS Podenzano - GS Brunero

Goss wins stage 3 'Baby Giro'

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 01:32:20 GMT

Goss wins stage three of 'Baby Giro'

SouthAustralia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has sprinted to victory in stage three of the Giro d'Italia (U26), commonly known as the 'Baby Giro'

The 19 year old Tasmanian, crossed the line in a time of 2hr53min35sec at the end of the 119 kilometre sttaage from Sant'elena Sannita to Castelpetroso which was raced in cold wet conditions. Reigning U23 World Champion, Dmytri Grabovskyy (Finauto D'Etoffe) from the Ukraine was second with Italian Dario Cataldo (Bedogni) third.

Goss' uphill sprint to victory is his fifth individual win in Europe this season

His team mate Matthew Lloyd finished in the leading group to maintain his seventh position overall, 54 seconds in arrears of tour leader Grabovskyy. The South Australia.com-AIS team continues to lead the team's classification

Lloyd climbs to victory in Trofeo Alcide de Gasperi

Sat, 3 Jun 2006 01:42:47 GMT

Lloyd climbs to victory in Italy

South Australia.com-AIS has notched up another win, this time with Victorian climber, Matthew Lloyd.

The team combined perfectly to pave the way for Lloyd to hit the finish line alone in the 162km Trofeo Alcide de Gasperi, which started in Bassano del Grappa and finished in Trento.

The course included several tough climbs but Lloyd made his winning move on the last of the final 3 laps of a very hilly finishing circuit in Trento. Second place went to Russian, Alezandr Filippov (Gruppo Lupi) four seconds behind Lloyd, with third going to Italian, Davide Malacarne (Zalf) at twelve seconds.

It was Lloyd's second win for the season following a stage win in the Tour of Japan last month.

Goss wins points Vuelta Navarra

Mon, 29 May 2006 01:13:16 GMT

Goss wins points jersey and claims second on final stage of Vuelta Navarra

Goss wins points jersey and claims second on final stage

Matthew Goss has claimed the points classification and led home the bunch to claim second in the sixth and final stage of the Vuelta Navarra in Spain.

The 120.9km stage from Huarte to Pamplona was won by Italian Davide Bragazzi (team Endeka) in a time of 2hr57min41sec with Goss crossing five seconds behind.

The result caps of a very successful tour for the South Australia.com - AIS team which scored three stage wins, two to Matthew Goss and one to Simon Clarke, in the six day event. Clarke finished in seventh place overall, 1min36sec behind tour winner Jesus Tendero (Vina Magna - Cropu).

Clarke wins stage 4 Vuelta Navarra

Sat, 27 May 2006 03:06:30 GMT

Simon Clarke gives team third stage wins in a row in Spain.

Simon Clarke continued the South Australia.com AIS team's run of success today with a win in the fourth stage of the Vuelta Navarra.

Clarke outsprinted breakaway companion, Italian, Massimiliano Mausto, at the end of the 135 kilometre stage from Alsasua to Santesteban to finish in a time of 3hr28min22sec. The mountainous stage was considered the hardest of the tour.

Stage 4 winner Simon Clarke

Clarke moves to seventh on the overall classification, 1min36sec off leader Jesus Tendero and sits second on the Best Young Rider classification. Meanwhile dual stage winner Mathew Goss has dropped to sixteenth overall at 2min14sec but he still leads the points classification.

Goss wins stage 3 Vuelta Navarra

Fri, 26 May 2006 01:58:21 GMT

Goss notches up back-to-back stage wins in Vuelta Navarra

The South Australia.com - AIS team's star sprinter, Mathew Goss, 19, had notched up back-to-back stage victories in the Vuelta Navarra in Spain. Goss won a bunch sprint for Stage 3 honours at the end of the 142km from Viana to Alsasu ahead of Spanish riders, Joachim Sobrino (Supermercados Froiz) and Francesco Pacheco (Garcamps.com-Valenciana) in a time of 3hr23min39sec.

The win comes a day after he claimed victory on Stage 2 and moves the Tasmanian teenager into third place overall, 46 seconds off the pace of tour leader Jesus Tendero (Vina Magna - Cropu). But his latest victory moves him to the top of the points classification with 59 points, 15 points clear of Tendero.

Matt Goss celebrates his Stage 2 win in the Vuelta Navarra in Spain.

Goss also leads the U23 Best Young Rider Classification. HIs team mate Simon Clarke is second on the U23 Classification and is sitting in tenth place overall at 1min47sec. South Australia.com - AIS is third in the teams classification at the halfway mark of the tour which ends in Pamplona on Sunday.

Goss win Vuelta Navarra stage

Thu, 25 May 2006 01:13:29 GMT

Matt Goss scores stage win in Vuelta Navarra in Spain.

Matt Goss scored his third individual win in Europe, finishing in front of his five breakaway companions in the second stage of the six day Vuelta Navarra in Spain.

Goss crossed the line in a time of 3hr41min33sec at the end of the 151km stage from Tudela-Viana to Las Cañas ahead of Spaniards Alejandro Magallanes (Supermercados Froiz) and Jesus Tendero (Viña Magna-Cropu).

Goss launched an attack on a climb 22 kilometres from the finish and was joined by other five riders. The sextet had a lead of just under a minute by the time they crossed the finishing line.

Goss is now sitting in 3rd overall, 46 seconds behind leader Tendero while team mate Simon Clarke is 11th overall at 1min47sec. Goss is sitting second on the points classification, trailing Tendero by two points but he leads the U23 Best Young Rider classification.

The Tour finishes in Pamplona on Sunday.

Lloyd posts stage win in Japan

Sat, 20 May 2006 10:40:03 GMT

Lloyd claims stage win in Tour of Japan.

Lloyd claims stage win in Tour of Japan

(May 20, 2006) South Australia.com - AIS rider Matthew Lloyd has claimed victory in Stage 5 of the Tour of Japan.

Matthew Lloyd

Lloyd completed the 110.5km route near the town of Izu in a time of 3hr12min26sec ahead of Japan's Tomoya Kano. The pair were one minute clear of a 20 strong group.

With one stage remaining, a 148.9km circuit in and around the Tokyo area, Lloyd sits fifth overall, 2min16sec off the Tour leader, Vladimir Duma of the Ukraine who was third on today's stage.

Stage 5, Tour of Japan 110.5km

1 LLOYD Matthew AUS 3:12:26.00
2 KANO Tomoya JPN @st
3 DUMA Vladimir UKR @ 0:01:00.00
38 DAWSON Peter AUS @0:11:56.00
DNF FORD Michael AUS
DNF FINNING Sean AUS
DNF HUTCHINSON Ashley

General Classification after Stage 5

1 DUMA Vladimir UKR 15:05:14
2 AUGUSTYN John-Lee RSA @ 0:00:16
3 KANO Tomoya JPN @0:01:28
4 MIZUROV Andrey KAZ @0:01:50
5 LLOYD Matthew AUS @0:02:16
81 DAWSON Peter AUS @1:38:36

Stage 1 Thuringen Rundfahrt

Wed, 10 May 2006 18:24:59 GMT

Goss now fifth overall after Stage 1 of Thuringen Rundfahrt

Goss now fifth overall after Stage 1 of Thuringen Rundfahrt - Waltershausen to Bad Berka 158.8km

The first stage of the Thuringen Tour was over 150 kilometers of undulating, windy country. The race pace was hot and cold for most of the day. In a fast last 20 kilometres, a group of three went clear and stayed away to win the stage. South Australia.com - AIS tour leader, Matt Goss was sixth on the stage and slipped from being leader to fifth overall.

Stage 1 Result

1 Edvaid Boasson Hagen (Nor) Maxbo Bianchi 4h04'10"
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Thueringen Energy @1"
3 Raphael Nick (Swi) Switzerland @3"

6 Matthew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com - AIS @15"
16 Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com - AIS @st
38 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) South Australia.com - AIS @st
72 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com - AIS @23"
86 Daniel McConnell (Aus) South Australia.com - AIS @2'01"
87 Shaun Higgerson (Aus) South Australia.com - AIS @ st

GC after stage 1

1 Edvaid Boasson Hagen (Nor) Maxbo Bianchi 4h09'16"
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Thueringen Energy @9"
3 Raphael Nick (Swi) Switzerland @14"

5 Matthew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com - AIS @15"
7 Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st
9 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st
17 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @23"
87 Daniel McConnell (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @2'03"
88 Shaun Higgerson (Aus) South Australia.com AIS @st

Victory in team time trial at Thuringen Rundfaht

Tue, 9 May 2006 08:26:54 GMT

The South Australia.com - AIS team today won the prologue of the U23 International Thuringen Rundfahrt in Walterhausen, Germany.

South Australia.com - AIS scores big win in Germany

The South Australia.com - AIS team today won the prologue of the U23 International Thuringen Rundfahrt in Walterhausen, Germany. The Australians covered the 4.3 km course in 5:07.04 minutes, 0.55seconds faster than the highly fancied Rabobank Pro Continental Team, led by Australian Champion Will Walker.

The win puts South Australia.com - AIS rider Matt Goss in the overall leader's jersey and as leader of the best young rider classification.

Matt Goss now leads the Thuringen Rundfahrt after South Australia.com-AIS victory in the opening team time trial.

Wednesday's first stage will cover 158.8km from Waltershausen to Bad Berka with three intermediate sprints and two climbs towards the mountain classification. The race ends on Sunday.

Clarke takes over U21 lead in Regioni

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:12:05 GMT

Simon Clarke has taken over the lead in the Best Young Rider U21 in the 31st Giro delle Regioni.

Clarke takes over U21 Classification in Giro delle Regioni

Simon Clarke has taken over the lead in the Best Young Rider U21 in the 31st Giro delle Regioni.

Today's second stage took the riders over a tough, hilly 167.8km course from Villanova di Guidonia to Guidonia Montecelio, north east of Rome. It also saw the field encounter some bad weather.

"The South Australia.com - AIS riders again rode an exceptional team race and although they lost the lead in the tour they are still in a very competitive position," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "Simon Clarke was in a break of three riders for about half the stage which was caught in the last 15 kilometres by another four riders including current World Under 23 World Champion and stage winner, Dymtro Grabovskyy."

Simon finished fourth and holds that position overall.

Goss wins stage one of Regioni

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:17:37 GMT

SouthAustralia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has scored his second win in as many days with victory in stage one of the Giro delle Regioni in Italy.

Goss claims opening stage of Giro delle Regioni.

SouthAustralia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has scored his second win in as many days with victory in stage one of the Giro delle Regioni in Italy.

The 19 year old Tasmanian, who yesterday won the prestigious GP Liberazione in Rome, today was again the strongest of the 150 international riders from 25 countries on the 107.5km stage from Cassino to the medieval town of Fiuggi, in the hills south of Rome.

"The course wasn't very hilly but there were a couple of climbs which stretched out the race towards the end but not enough to split it apart," said Goss. "The Ukraine controlled it in the early part as they are trying to set up their U23 World Champion (Dmytro Grabovskyy) for the overall."

An early break of three riders gained more than two minutes on the bunch but by the time the race reached the top of the Category 3 climb at the 79 kilometre mark it was all together.

"The SouthAustralia.com-AIS boys were unbelievable," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "They were in every single move from then on and there were a lot of them.

"Simon Clarke went in one, Wes Sulzberger was in another and Gossy was in a few as well."

Eventually, at around ten kilometres remaining, a group of four including Goss, rode clear. Five kilometres from home Goss launched a solo attack but abandoned the move soon after.

"I thought if I keep going by myself I might get caught in the last kilometre and not have much left for the sprint," explained Goss. "I knew I was probably the fastest sprinter in their so I opted to drop back to the group."

Five hundred metres from the line Grabovskyy bridged the gap to put five riders in contention for stage honours.

"I started my sprint at 250m to go because I was confident I could hold them off," said Goss who ended up winning by a good bike length. "It's great that I've had a good couple of weeks and I'll try and keep it going."

Goss' win also gives him the overall lead in the six day race which tomorrow heads 167.8 kilometres from Villanova di Guidonia to Guidonia Montecelio north east of Rome.

Goss wins GP Liberazione

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 22:07:24 GMT

South Australia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has given the team it's first road victory for the season with a stunning victory in the 138km GP Liberazione in Rome.

Goss wins GP Liberazione

South Australia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has given the team it's first road victory for the season with a stunning victory in the 138km GP Liberazione in Rome. The 19 year old from Tasmania outsprinted an international field of 199 riders in the prestige U23 event contested by more than 25 nations.

GP Liberazione podium.

Pics: Gennie Sheer

It's the second year in a row an Australian has claimed victory in the event. Last year's race was won by Sydney's Chris Sutton who now rides for the French registered Cofidis professional team and who sent good luck wishes by SMS to the Australians before the start.

"This is great," said Goss who's winning time was 3hr19min35sec. "Only one other Aussie has won it and you can't do more than win two in a row but hopefully we can win it again next year."

Goss and his team mates were in the thick of the action from the gun and when a threatening break went at seven of the 23 laps remaining both Goss and Simon Clarke joined the move. Whilst the group of around 25 riders looked strong the main field was determined to bring them back and with two laps remaining the race was all together.

"I made sure I was always in the splits when they happened but when I was in them I wasn't doing too much work because I was pretty sure it would come to a sprint finish and was confident if that was the case I had a good chance," said Goss after being presented with four trophies including the "President of the Italian Republic Trophy". "So while I was in the breaks I wasn't the one driving them - better to be safe rather than sorry."

Simon Clarke launched an attack two kilometres from the finish with two other riders but they were unable to hold off the bunch and as they approached the final corner into the finishing straight the scene was set for a mass sprint.

"I don't know if it was part of the plan but at one stage I thought it was going to work," said Goss of Clarke's attack which was reminiscnet of Sutton's winning move in 2005. "But it was good for me because the bunch hestitated and that gave me the chance to get the position I wanted heading onto the climb.

"I managed to come over the climb in third or fourth wheeel so from there we just caught Clarke's group and it was a sprint to the finish line."

Goss wound it up 350m from the line and turned on an unbeatable sprint which saw him cross the line for victory by a clear margin.

It's the third podium for Goss in a fortnight coming after Sunday's third place in the 170km Vicenza - Bionde Italian Elite race and his gold medal performance with the Autsralian teams pursuit at the Bordeaux World Championships.

Simon Clarke leads the breakaway

group with five laps remaining.

Goss was also in this break of around

25 riders.

The team then headed to the start of the Regioni Tour where Simon Clarke claimed fourth place in the opening prologue of the six day race.

Goss waits to receive his trophies

and winner's jersey.

The prologue in Regioni conists of six heats with a rider from each of the 25 teams lining up. The first two across the line in each heat progress to the final of 12 riders.

"He was a bit disappointed because he won here last year and had put a bit of pressure on himself to do it again," said Team Director Brian Stephens. "But unfortunately an Italian rider crashed in front of him in the final sprint and brought Simon down as well.

"Nothing serious and I'm not too concerned as I just wanted them all to get around safely because the race really starts from tomorrow."

Shaun Higgerson, Dan McConnell, Jonathon Clarke and Wesley Sulzberger are the other four team members contesting the Regioni Tour.

Goss third in Vicenza - Bionde

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 21:26:06 GMT

South Australia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has claimed third place in the 170km Vicenza - Bionde race in Italy.

Goss third in Italian elite race

South Australia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has claimed third place in the 170km Vicenza - Bionde race in Italy.

The podium of Vicenza - Bionde. Pic: Brian Stephens.

The sprint for line honours in the Italian Nation Elite Calendar event was claimed by Italian Davide Beccaro (Trevigiani) in a time of 3hr59min04sec ahead of Uzbekistan rider, Muradjan Khalmuratov (Lucchini) with Goss close behind.

The 19 year old Tasmania last weekend was crowned World Champion in the teams pursuit in Bordeaux, France and has taken that form with him onto the road.

"The boys were in every move today," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "Simon Clarke was with the first move in the first ten kilometres and that attack stayed away till for ab out 30 kilometres.

"Then a big move went over a couple of nasty climbs with Peter Dawson in that one," said Stephens. "Matthew Lloyd, Jonathon Clark and Matthew Goss all joined that group which meant about 40 riders were in front."

The decisive break came with around 30 kilometres remaining when a group of eight attacked the lead bunch.

"Gossy senses that was the dangerous one and he bridged the gap with one other rider to set up a group of ten to vie for race honours," said Stephens. "Unfortunately for him some teams had more than one rider in the group so there were a lot of attacks which Gossy had to cover on his own.

"That cost him a little bit in the sprint so he was a little disappointed not to win but still third place is good and it looks promising for him for this week's GP Liberazione (one day race April 25) and the Giro Reggioni Tour coming up this week."

Team Testing at Mapei Sports Science Centre

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 14:19:36 GMT

South Australia.com-AIS riders Matthew Goss and Peter Dawson today underwent testing at the Mapei Sports Science Centre in the northern Italian town of Castellanza.

South Australia.com - AIS undergo testing at Mapei Sport Science Centre
South Australia.com-AIS riders Matthew Goss and Peter Dawson today underwent testing at the Mapei Sports Science Centre in the northern Italian town of Castellanza.

Mapei, one the team's sponsors, is strongly committed to sports science development and the well equipped testing facility is only 30 minutes away from the South Australia.com-AIS European headquarters. The other members of the team underwent testing two weeks ago.
Matthew Goss approaches peak power output. Photos: Gennie Sheer
Goss, 19, and Dawson, 24, joined the team in Italy this week after a successful campaign at the Track Cycling World Championships in Bordeaux, France where they were crowned World Champions as members of Australia's gold medal winning teams pursuit line up. Today they worked with Doctors Ermanno Rampinini, Franco Impellizzeri and Duccio Ferrari Bravo under the direction of Professor Aldo Sassi.

"We like to test the guys at the beginning of the European season to get base line fitness values to compare with future tests throughout the season," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "Matt Goss was impressive with his best ever test result for absolute power output, power to weight ratio and VO2 max. Peter was a little more fatigued in the wake of Bordeaux but we know where he needs to improve.

"It's also interesting to look at their form coming out of the track World Championships because of the track preparation is largely anaerobic, and now they'll be needing more aerobic fitness for road competition."

Stephens says all team members will undergo testing periodically throughout the season to monitor the impact of training and racing.

"The testing also allows us to fine tune the individual rider's programs to ensure they perform at their peak in nominated events," said Stephens. "All the information is sent back to Canberra where it is logged with the Australian Institute of Sport sports scientists."

"We really value the relationship we have with Mapei and the support they provide for us here in Italy because it means we can continue the work we do at the AIS back in Australia whilst here at our European base."

Australian cycling has been fortunate to have the support of Mapei since the nineties and Cycling Australia/AIS High Performance Program cyclists who have benefitted from the facility include a host of now established road cycling professionals such as four time time trial World Champion, Michael Rogers (T-Mobile), Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros-Wurth), Scott Davis (T-Mobile), dual Olympic gold medallist, Graham Brown (Rabobank) and 2003 Tour de France sprint champion, Baden Cooke (Unibet).

Matthew Goss during his VO2 Max test.
AIS Sports Scientist Dr Scott Gardner discusses Peter Dawson's testing with Mapei's Dr Ermanno Rampanini
Peter Dawson during his VO2 Max test.
The Mapei Sports Science Team at work with Matthew Goss and Peter Dawson.

Meadley out with broken wrist

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 16:38:14 GMT

South Australia.com - AIS rider James Meadley has flown home to recuperate after breaking his wrist in a training accident.

April 16, 2006
Meadley out with broken wrist
South Australia.com - AIS rider James Meadley has flown home to recuperate after breaking his wrist in a training accident. Meadley was out training with the team yesterday when he crashed on a descent.
He initially thought he was okay and rode back to the team base but later that day Team Physiotherapist, Karin Stephens, opted to take him to the local hospital for tests.
"X-rays revealed he had fractured the radius and scaphoid bones in his right wrist," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "After consulting Australian Team Doctor, Mark Fisher, we opted to send him back to Australia to recuperate."
Meadley's wrist is expected to be in plaster for at least six weeks but he should be back on the windtrainer in half that time.
"We look forward to welcoming him back to Italy when he has regained race fitness," said Stephens.

Team riders score rainbow jerseys

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:01:13 GMT

South Australia.com-AIS riders Dawson, Goss, Wooldridge, 28 claim 4km teams pursuit win at World Championships in Bordeaux, France.

L-R Mark Jamieson, Matt Goss, Peter Dawson & Stephen Wooldridge
Photo ©: Larry Hickmott
South Australia.com - AIS riders win 2006 World Titles
(April 15 2006) South Australia.com-AIS riders Peter Dawson, 24, Matthew Goss, 19 and Stephen Wooldridge, 28 along with Mark Jamieson, 21, have put Australia back on top in the 4km teams pursuit with a stunning victory at the Track Cycling World Championships in Bordeaux, France.
The Australians stopped the clock at 4min01.491sec to defeat Great Britain (Stephen Cummings, Rob Hayles, Paul Manning and Geraint Thomas) by 36 thousandths of a second (4min01.527sec) in one of the closest fought gold medal finals in World Championship history.
The Australians were half a second up after one kilometre but the Brits fought back to within a tenth of a second by halfway. Australia rallied to stretch the margin to 0.4 of a second with one kilometre remaining and from there both teams laid it all on the line.
The Brits edged ahead with two laps remaining but the Australians refused to say die and clawed back the lead to secure the gold medal. It's the first senior World Championship gold medal for Goss but for Dawson and Wooldridge the win brings them their fourth teams pursuit rainbow jersey (2002, 2003, 2004 & 2006)
"I really can't believe it," said Wooldridge who broke down in tears of joy after the result was posted on the board. I'd like to pay credit to all the boys including Ashley Hutchinson (2004 World Champion who didn't start in Bordeaux).
"After 2004 we came out of such a great era for Australian teams pursuiting that culminated with the world record and gold medal in Athens and since then everyone's been talking about who hasn't been here but I've tried to drum in the positive of who is here," said Wooldridge referring to Olympic Champions Graeme Brown, Brad McGee, Brett Lancaster and Luke Roberts who are now pursuing professional road careers. "I say look at these young guys coming through and the fantastic talent.
"These are special nights and I'm going to savour this one more than ever."
"This is probably the sweetest one," said Dawson. "The Brits (England) beat us in Melbourne quite convincingly and it hurt a lot to lose the Commonwealth Games at home because we'll never have an opportunity to race that one again.
"Today was the closest world title I've known and to come out on top is just fantastic," he said. "Full credit to all the Australian team - everyone that's worked hard for this one and it's great for a new team to come up and perform like this. This is just the start towards Beijing.
" For Goss the experience of following in the footsteps of Australia's teams pursuit legends and meeting the challenge was overwhelming.
"Last year was a big learning curve for us and for me it was my first senior pursuit at world titles so to come back this year and be one of the youngest world champs Australia has had - I'm just stoked.”

Commonwealth Games medal rush for SouthAustralia.com-AIS

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 01:51:51 GMT

South Australia.com-AIS riders have collected a swag of medals at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Sean Finning
Photo ©: Shane Goss
Commonwealth Games medal rush
(March 21, 2006) South Australia.com-AIS riders have collected a swag of medals at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Victorian Sean Finning, kicked off the medal charge with a gold medal performance in the points race. Finning was unstoppable, lapping the field six times to finish with an astounding 137 points.

"I knew if I raced well I could get a good result," he said. "The crowd were right behind us as they always are. It came off that way, and worked out well."

"I knew if I raced well I could get a good result," he said. "The crowd were right behind us as they always are. It came off that way, and worked out well." Finning was on top of every lap attack and collected points in sprints as well virtually shutting out any chance of a challenge from his rivals.

The team pursuit
Photo ©: Shane Goss
The talented young rider said after the race his debut Commonwealth Games has been an amazing experience.

"It's absolutely awesome in the village there, we're all in training together and we've got a great atmosphere, and I'm sure the success will just roll on now. It's great to be a young guy in the team among so many experienced riders who keep you in line and help pick you up."

Team mate Peter Dawson backed Finning up in the points race before turning his attention to the Day Three teams pursuit.

In the qualifying round Dawson was rested as Ashley Hutchinson, Stephen Wooldridge, Matthew Goss and Mark Jamieson qualified for the gold medal final against the English quartet.

Hutchinson stepped out for the final and Dawson came in with the Australians putting up a gallant fight against the reigning World Champions who proved too strong on the night.

"We wanted to win; we always want to win and wanted to win this time - I don't think we should be disgraced by our ride tonight,” said Wooldridge. “We put it to them as much as we could - we've got two young guys in the team, and we're starting another generation of team pursuit.

Ashley Hutchinson (R) on the scratch race podium
Photo ©: Shane Goss
“We got third at World's, second tonight, and we've got a lot of great talent - we just need a bit of fine tuning. The reign we had from 2000 through to the last Olympics didn't happen overnight, so this is exciting for us. We'll keep doing what we're doing and hopefully we'll have another battle in three weeks time at world championships."

"As a young team we were on them and hopefully they've peaked too early [for World's] - I think we're still on the rise,” said Dawson. “I can't fault that ride; we were all very smooth, and in training the last few weeks we've been working on going fast and smooth."

Hutchinson, whilst disappointed with missing the final ride in the teams pursuit, had his chance to shine in the Day Four scratch race where he became the fifth South Australia.com-AIS rider to medal on the Melbourne track claiming silver behind Isle of Man cyclist Mark Cavendish.

Success at Bendigo

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 04:27:21 GMT

Success at Bendigo
South Australia.com – AIS riders had a reasonably successful weekend at the Bendigo Madison.

Success at Bendigo

Simon Clarke wins the Bendigo Criterium
Photo©: Shane Goss
(March 13, 2006) South Australia.com – AIS riders had a reasonably successful weekend at the Bendigo Madison. Miles Olman, Simon Clarke and Michael Ford took some time away from the team training camp in Canberra and Sean Finning, from the Commonwealth Games training camp in Adelaide, to race at the Bendigo carnival.

On Friday night the team scored a one – two victory when Simon Clarke received great support from the team to win the Bendigo Criterium in the city’s CBD. Miles Olman was able to share the limelight by running second to Clarke.

On Saturday evening, Simon Clarke was again victorious in the Gold and Opal Wheelrace. David Pell was second and Clarke’s South Australia.com – AIS team mate, Miles Olman, third.

Fortunes turned for Clarke on Sunday when he crashed heavily while in a good position to repeat Saturday’s success in the Bendigo Golden Mile. “I lost a lot of skin and was concerned about a very painful hand”. explained Clarke. “It wasn’t the best way to go into the Bendigo Madison”. He and Olman eventually ran third, two laps behind winners, Mitchell Docker and Zac Dempster (Drapac Porsche) with South Australia.com – AIS rider, Sean Finning teaming up with former AIS scholarship holder, Nic Sanderson to run second at one lap down.

Ford & McConnell third in world-class races

Tue, 7 Mar 2006 04:32:04 GMT

Ford & McConnell third in world-class races
South Australia-AIS riders Michael Ford and Daniel McConnell both made the podium over the weekend.

Ford & McConnell third in world-class races

Michael Ford in action at the Sydney World Cup.
Photo: ©Mark Gunter

McConnell navigates a tricky descent in New Zealand.
Photo: ©Mikkeli Godfree

(March 7, 2006) South Australia-AIS rider Michael Ford has claimed bronze in the 4km individual pursuit at the UCI Track World Cup held in Sydney on Friday night. Meanwhile, mountain bike racer Daniel McConnell was third in the under-23 cross-country race at the Oceania Championships in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Ford qualified fourth fastest in a time of 4 minutes 32.728 seconds and went on to defeat Ukrainian Vitaliy Shchedov in the ride off for third. Gold went to Science in Sport rider Rob Hayles (GBR) who caught his opponent, Russia's Alexander Khatuntsev with two laps remaining. South Australia.com-AIS director Brian Stephens says Ford's performance was encouraging considering his heavy training load prior to the event.

"Michael was undergoing testing at the AIS and putting in plenty of kilometres on the roads around Canberra in the lead up to the World Cup," said Stephens. "He did no specific track work before the event and flew down the day before."

Across the Tasman teammate McConnell managed to make the podium in the Under 23 cross country event at the Oceania Championships despite mechanical problems. McConnell was in contention for the win until the fourth of six laps when the rear hub seized.

"My back wheel locked up and i had to ride with the rear wheel loose in the frame," he said. "I had to stop and re-fit the wheel several times."

McConnell finished 1 minute 54 second behind winner Shaun Lewis (AUS). Clinton Avery (NZL) was second.

Madison Gold for Olman & Clarke

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 05:30:29 GMT

Olman and Clarke team up for Madison gold

(19 February 2006) South Australia.com-AIS riders Miles Olman and Simon Clarke last night won the 2006 Australian Madison Championship.

Olman and Clarke team up for Madison gold

(19 February 2006) South Australia.com-AIS riders Miles Olman and Simon Clarke last night teamed up to win the 2006 Australian Madison Championship in Melbourne.

Simon Clarke & Miles Olman celebrate victory

The pair amassed 33 points to claim the crown in a hotly contested battle with Victorian duo Richard England and another South Australia.com - AIS Sean Finning who finished with 29 points. England and Finning had been leading by two points going into the final sprint but a crash on the bell lap put paid to their hopes of claiming the gold.

“I came in too slow for the change and when he grabbed me it ripped us both off,” said Finning who has lost some skin but was otherwise unhurt.

Out in front Olman didn’t even realise the crash had happened.

“I was hitting the bell (lap) with my all and didn't even know they’d crashed,” said Olman. “I was just going for it and can’t really remember much at all because I was in Disneyland.

“Clarkey was going really well all race and I didn’t feel too good at all,” said Olman describing the race as a real tug of war between the leading two teams. “It was us one sprint up then them up one and then us again – it was as close as the whole way.”

Clarke was the team's highest placed rider overall in last month's Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under finishing eighth on the GC and second in the Best Young Rider classification.

Olman’s victory comes just a week after the 2003 points race Junior World Champion and 2004 Madison Junior World Champion added the Australian points race title to his credentials. Olman also placed third in the U23 road time trial at the Australian Open Road Championships in South Australia in January.

His return to form comes in the wake of a serious health scare in 2005 that forced him off the bike for most of the season.

“I had glandular fever after junior worlds in 2004, got over it and kept training but just kept getting sick and never felt well,” said Olman who eventually underwent a scan that revealed he was suffering myocarditis, an inflammation of the muscles of his heart. “The infection meant my heart wasn’t beating properly and couldn’t get over 120 beats a minute so I just had to rest and hope it repaired itself.”

A scan in November last year cleared him to race again and doctors are confident the problem won’t return.

Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 03:44:09 GMT

In the action at the Tour Down Under
Team director Brian Stephens assesses the squad's baptism of fire in a top-level stage race.

In the action at the Tour Down Under
Last week, South Australia.com-AIS was in the thick of the action at the Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under. Team director Brian Stephens assesses the squad's baptism of fire in a top-level stage race.
The Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under is over for another year and the South Australia.com / AIS team has made its debut. I had a few hours to reflect during the 14 hour drive home yesterday (Tuesday) with our chief physiologist, Dave Martin in our 'packed to the rafters' team van. Also traveling yesterday, but py plane, were team members Peter Dawson, Miles Olman and new signing Wesley Sulzberger accompanies by staff Rod McGee (Manager), Karin Stephens (physio / masseur and Wayne Nichols (mechanic). They were joined by other team members Ash Hutchinson, Steven Wooldridge and Sean Finning. They arrived in Wellington, NZ yesterday afternoon and start the Tour there tonight.
Jon Clarke and Simon Clarke

I felt the team had a solid first appearance in Adelaide. We wanted to win a stage but with Liberty Siguros winning 3, there wasn't much left for other teams. We were after the Under 23 jersey but getting over Willy Walker is always going to be tough so we settled for 2nd in that category with Simon Clarke. The guys rode aggressively and rarely missed an important move. They placed in the top 10 in all but one stage and would have done that had Matt Lloyd not succumbed to the heat with 10 down hill kilometers to go and crashed while fighting for 3rd place. We had a different rider in the move each day as well as 3 in the crucial first day which set the pattern of the race.
Matt Goss and Shaun Higgerson

Matt Goss is learning the ropes of becoming a top line sprinter. He ran 7th in the Jacobs Creek Classic and 7th on another 2 stages. The reliable Simon Clarke was 8th on 2 stages and 8th overall. Newly crowned National Under 23 time trial champions Sean Higgerson, showed great climbing ability to be duking it out with Sanches and Gerrans on Old Willunga Hill on Stage 4 while Matt Lloyd also looked good on the climb before his crash. Johnny Clarke suffered through the heat to claim 8th on the 3rd stage. The rest of the team all played their part as support to these guys.
Generally the Tour was a positive beginning and once the team members get more familiar with each other and gain some more experience, they can do some great things throughout the year. The team attracted a lot of public interest and the new team clothing was unbelievably popular.
I'm looking forward to hearing of some more strong results from New Zealand followed by a period of preparation for the European season and for our track riders, National Championships and possibly Commonwealth Games for some of them.
For more photos of the team in action at the Tour Down Under see the photo gallery Or see these links:
Daniel McConnell in stage 2
Jon Clarke and Simon Clarke in stage 2
Jon Clarke in stage 2
Matthew lloyd in stage 2
Peter Dawson in stage 2
Matt Goss and Shaun Higgerson in stage 3
Jon Clarke in stage 3
Peter Dawson in stage 3
Peter Dawson in stage 4
Shaun Higgerson and Matthew Lloyd in stage 4
James Meadley in stage 4
James Meadley in stage 4
Matt Goss in stage 5
Matt Goss in stage 5
Shaun Higgerson in stage 5
Shaun Higgerson in stage 5
Shaun Higgerson in stage 5
James Meadley in stage 5
For full results and reports see the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under official website

South Australia.com-AIS presented

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:07:17 GMT

The South Australia.com-AIS team was presented in Adelaide.
With a racing program that kicks off with the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under and includes the Tour of Britain, South Australia.com-AIS, was presented in Adelaide today.

South Australia.com-AIS good to go

By Les Clarke

The team hits the road

The team lines up

Jane Lomax-Smith & Mike Rann

(Adelaide, January 15, 2006) With a racing program that kicks off with the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under and includes the Tour of Britain, Australian Continental team, South Australia.com-AIS, was presented in Adelaide today. South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Minister for Sport, Jane Lomax-Smith, attended the presentation and expressed their excitement at the possibilities of the young team promoting the State to an international audience.

"These riders will be like mobile billboards travelling around the world - in France, Canada New Zealand, Sweden, Spain and Italy - they'll be maximising the exposure of South Australia," said Premier Rann. "We think that what we're doing with South Australia.com is a way of building on the growing strength of the Tour Down Under, and we think it's continuous publicity for South Australia."

Premier Rann illustrated how the growth of the South Australian race is a natural fit with the development of the young squad, saying, "The Tour Down Under gets bigger and better each year; the international interest keeps growing, the number of people coming here keeps growing and South Australians have taken cycling to their hearts in a short time... we think it's the perfect fit."

South Australian Sports Minister Lomax-Smith recognised the hard work put into the creation of the squad. "We've worked very hard with Cycling Australia, and I must acknowledge their input in helping us form a liaison with the Australian Institute of Sport to have the South Australia.com-AIS team in so many places this year."

The Minister also announced that Majorie Jackson-Nelson, one of Australia's Olympic legends, would be the patron of the team, illustrating how her late husband, Peter Nelson, had been involved in the sport and as a result Jackson-Nelson's interest in the sport fits her status as the team's patron.

A total financial commitment of $2 million, including technical and support costs, has been made, with the team riding Bianchi's FG Lite model and other technical supporters such as Vittoria and Shimano getting on board. Team director Shayne Bannan believes that this team is an example of the future of cycling at this level, something that is good for both teams and sponsors. "This year there are four Australian Continental teams, including ours, so it could possibly be a trend for the future, where something like this stimulates the companies around Australia to put more into cycling," he said.

With the track racing background of many of the riders in this team, including former world champions Ashley Hutchinson and Peter Dawson, and former junior world champion Michael Ford, Bannan believes this team will assist track riders with the pressures of riding the boards and trying to make ends meet. "The philosophy is to focus on the development of riders into the ProTour. And probably most important for us, is to fill the void for the track endurance riders."

"It really gives these guys a way to focus in on a race program that will help them prepare for teams pursuit events at Commonwealth and Olympic Games level," he said. "It will help maintain longevity in the sport, instead of struggling each year with a team overseas where there might be a conflict with the way they want to prepare and the races they'll be riding."

Bannan is confident the team will be succesful, and with a strong racing program he's sure that this new direction will be a step up from how things were in previous years. "It's an area we can focus on and do things better than we have in the past."

©Cyclingnews.com, 2006

Higgerson and Olman on podium at Australian Championships

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 09:16:20 GMT

Higgerson and Olman on podium at Australian Championships
South Australia.com – AIS rider Shaun Higgerson was a clear winner of the U23 time trial at the Australian Open Road Championships in the Adelaide Hills town of Mt Torrens.

Higgerson and Olman on podium at Australian Championships

South Australia.com – AIS rider Shaun Higgerson was a clear winner of the U23 time trial at the Australian Open Road Championships in the Adelaide Hills town of Mt Torrens.

Higgerson defeate defending champion, Mark Jamieson from Tasmania and with another South Australia.com – AIS rider three time junior track World Champion Miles Olman of Queensland third.

Higgerson, winner of the 2005 Tour of Tasmania, rode 56min20.86 for the 40km, 27 seconds faster than Jamieson and 30 seconds up on Olman.

South Australia.com-AIS Cycling Team launched

Sun, 18 Dec 2005 02:41:15 GMT

South Australia.com – AIS team heralds new era for Australian cycling
Cycling Australia is delighted to announce the formation of the South Australia.com – AIS Cycling Team, a major initiative in the growth of our High Performance Program.

South Australia.com – AIS team heralds new era for Australian cycling

Cycling Australia is delighted to announce the formation of the South Australia.com – AIS Cycling Team, a major initiative in the growth of our High Performance Program.
The team will be registered as a UCI Continental Team in the Oceania Region and will integrate the current AIS U23 road development program with the talent of Australia’s track endurance riders with major sponsorship support from the South Australian Tourism Commission.
“The Australian Institute of Sport has been our partner for many years and now, with the added financial support of the South Australia Government through the Tourism Commission, we look forward to a new era of cycling success,” said Mike Victor, President Cycling Australia.
The Hon. Jane Lomax-Smith, South Australian Minister for Tourism, says the Tourism Commission’s sponsorship of the team is an innovative approach to drive tourism visitation to the state.
“Cycling is well positioned to capture the imagination of millions of potential visitors to South Australia,” she said. “We have benefited enormously from the profile of the Jacob’s Creek Tour Down Under but this is the first time we know of that a tourism agency has undertaken such a bold and unique campaign.”

Jane Lomax-Smith

Peter Bartels

Graham Fredericks

Brian Stephens

Matthew Lloyd, Brad McGee & Simon Clarke

Shayne Bannan, Brad McGee, Simon Clarke, Matthew Lloyd & Brian Stephens

Bill Spurr, Brian Stephen, Leeanne Grantham, Simon Clarke, Matthew Lloyd, Shayne Bannan & Kevin Tabotta
The economic value of cyclo-tourism in Europe is forecast to be more than 32 billion (AUD) dollars by 2020 and Britain estimates cyclo-tourism currently contributes to the economy 1.5 billion (AUD) annually.
“The challenge for us is to continue to attract the cyclo-tourism dollar to South Australia and the South Australia.com –AIS cycling team project is evidence of our ability to think outside the square to promote South Australia to the world.
“I am also delighted to announce the team will make its professional racing debut at the Jacob’s Creek Tour Down Under in January,” Dr Lomax-Smith said. “What better way to present the team to the world than through the massive television and media exposure generated by the Tour.”
The driving motivation for the creation of the team is to provide an even stronger platform for the development of Australia’s U23 road cyclists and the track endurance competitors. It will provide support, coaching and race experience within a structured environment so the riders are well equipped when they eventually make the transition to the ProTour ranks.
“Australian cyclists created history in Athens and since then have set a benchmark of performance that we must ensure continues,” said Mr Victor. “There is no doubt other countries have examined our system and, in some cases, are trying to replicate it so we can’t rest on our laurels but must keep improving and fine tuning our programs to meet the challenge.
“This latest development will also provide the best possible scenario to develop our track endurance cyclists for Commonwealth and Olympic Games competition.”
Australian Sports Commission Chairman, Peter Bartels, a former Commonwealth Games cycling gold medallist, warmly welcomed the new team as another important contribution to Australia's cycling success story.
"South Australia has played an important role in the success of Australian Cycling with the first AIS program starting in Adelaide back in 1989.
"I congratulate the South Australian Government and the AIS for this latest exciting initiative which will provide enormous encouragement and experience for Australia's young cyclists as they strive to reach the pinnacle of their sport," Mr Bartels said.
Cycling Australia is also pleased to confirm McGee Sports Australia as a supporting sponsor of the team.
“Brad McGee is an Olympic and World Champion on the track and one of our most accomplished and successful road professionals and should be congratulated for his commitment to putting something back into the sport he loves,” said Mr Victor. “He has been a long time supporter of developing young riders and this project will benefit greatly from his involvement.”
“This is the obvious next step for Australian cycling and what has been needed for a long time,” said Mr McGee. “It will combine the amazing cycling talent we have with an outstanding coaching and support structure in a team racing world wide.
“McGee Sports Australia is very happy to be involved because of the opportunities this will create for Australian cycling and young Australian cyclists.”
South Australia.com - AIS will compete in two groups with one, primarily involving the U23 road riders, based in Italy from March to October and competing in Europe while the second group of mainly track endurance riders will be based in Australia and contest events in Asia, Australia and North America.
South Australia.com - AIS will line up in UCI classified HC 2.1 and 2.2 stage races and HC 1.1 and 1.2 one day events. The complete race calendar for the team will be announced in January.
Cycling Australia is also proud to continue its special professional relationship with Mapei who has been a major sponsor of the AIS U23 Team since 1999. From 1993 to 2002 Mapei developed into one of the most successful professional cycling teams in the history of the sport and the company is excited to be involved in the next phase of Australia’s cycling growth.

“The philosophy, ethics and commitment displayed by the Australian U23 program is very similar to that show by the Mapei professional cycling team during its ten year reign,” said Prof. Aldo Sassi, Director Sport Service, Mapei. “Mapei believes Australian Cycling has been an example of the new modern era and this has been demonstrated by Australia’s results and performances at a world level over the past decade.

“The qualities shown by the AIS and Cycling Australia lead to Dr Squinzi’s willingness to continue sponsorship through his companies Mapei and Sport Service Mapei,” Prof. Sassi said.
Cycling Australia is also pleased to continue its association with Bianchi Bicycles, Mapei, Shimano, Santini, Vittoria and Cyclingnews who have all come on board as support sponsors for South Australia.com – AIS.
Fast facts
• In 2005 Australia topped the medal table at the Road Cycling World Championships in Spain with medals in all divisions – elite men, elite women and U23 men.
• At the Athens Olympic Games Australia was the dominant cycling nation collecting ten medals including six gold.
• Australia won more medals than any other nation at the 2005 Track Cycling World Championships.
• Cycling Australia recorded double the average growth rate of racing membership in 2005.
• Cycling is the fourth highest participation sport in Australia with more than 1.6 million participants in 2004. This is an increase of 15% on 2001.
• There are approximately six million bicycles in Australia.
• Cycling is well positioned to capture two global mega-trends: health and exercise, and environmental sustainability.
• The image of cycling is highly appealing: urban, European, fashionable café lifestyle and culture.
• Bicycles are the most popular vehicle in the world with 1.4 billion bicycles versus 340 million cars.
• In 2000, 101 million bicycles were produced versus 41 million cars
• The economic value of cyclo-tourism in Europe is forecast to be more than 32 billion (AUD) dollars by 2020 and Britain estimates cyclo-tourism currently contributes to the economy 1.5 billion (AUD) annually.


Matthew Goss during his VO2 Max test.	AIS Sports Scientist Dr Scott Gardner discusses Peter Dawson's testing with Mapei's Dr Ermanno Rampanini	Peter Dawson during his VO2 Max test.	The Mapei Sports Science Team at work with Matthew Goss and Peter Dawson.