Wiggins wins TT, leads GC at Sun Tour
Garmin faces unusual dilemma heading into final stage
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Over a technical and windy 10km time trial course in Geelong, Garmin-Slipstream’s Bradley Wiggins took not only the stage 5 win at Australia’s Jayco Herald Sun Tour, but also the race lead with one stage remaining.
Wiggins blitzed the course around Geelong’s Botanical Gardens and along its coastal roads, which used some of the same roads as both the annual Jayco Bay Cycling Classic series and the 2010 UCI world road championships, in a time of 13:07, 14 seconds faster than the second-place finisher, Garmin teammate Svein Tuft.
Wiggins took over the general classification by unseating his teammate Chris Sutton, who has led the race since his stage 3 win on Wednesday. Sutton put in a strong performance to finish sixth, 48 seconds behind Wiggins, bumping the Australian sprinter down to second overall, five seconds behind Wiggins.
With only a circuit race in Melbourne remaining, and time bonuses available during the stage and at the finish line, the five-second gap between the best sprinter in the race and the man who led him out to three consecutive wins creates an interesting dynamic for team Garmin. The winner will come from the argyle squad, but which rider it might be is far from clear.
“We’ve seen the overall of the Sun Tour come down to the final sprint of the final stage, but never between two teammates,” said Garmin director Matt White. “It will be an interesting team meeting this evening. I hate to speak for Bradley, but if he hadn’t helped CJ the last three days, CJ might not have won those three stages. We’re a team and we came here to win the tour, and we’re going to win the tour. With which guy, we’ll see.”
Wiggins destroys the field
As with every stage of this year’s Sun Tour, gray clouds and intermittent rains threatened the race. However come the 12:45 p.m. start time, the roads remained relatively dry.
Because of the course’s technical nature — and also to make the long trip to Australia easier on international teams — riders were restricted from using time-trial bikes; instead the race organization allowed aero handlebar extensions and disc wheels.
The rolling course, which started along Geelong’s waterfront, saw riders tackle the toughest climb of the day straight out of the start house. Multiple 180-degree turns, rough roads and swirling winds kept riders on their toes from beginning to end.
“There are a lot of people dying out there,” said Bissell’s Jeremy Vennell. “There are a lot of tired legs.”
Jelly Belly’s Bernard Van Ulden posted an early fastest time of 13:39, but was unseated by Tuft, who came in at 13:21 while the final three GC contenders were still on course.
Once on course, Wiggins, sporting a British national champion’s skinsuit, was fastest at every time check, and was the only rider that came close to breaking the 13-minute barrier.
Wiggins rode 14 seconds faster than Tuft, 48 seconds faster than Sutton, 57 seconds faster than Bissell’s Ben Jacques-Maynes and 1:10 faster than Fly V Australia’s Jonathan Cantwell.
“I wouldn’t have bet on myself to take the stage win before the start of the tour,” Wiggins said. “I thought it was a tall order even when I woke, but after riding the course this morning, I thought it might be possible. It wasn’t flat by any means, there was a bit of a hill in it, and the windy conditions tend to favor me as well because you really make big gains there. I went out, I felt great, and managed to get over the first climb in the big ring, and I knew I was on a good one from there on. It felt horrible, it didn’t feel smooth, there wasn’t any kind of finesse with it, but it was good to get across the line and get the jersey.”
The stage’s outcome was a bit of a disappointment for Cantwell, who was knocked down from second overall to third, and now sits 32 seconds behind Wiggins, with little hope of unseating either Garmin rider on the podium. Instead, Cantwell will fight for the stage win in Melbourne.
“I am a little bit disappointed. It’s hard when you get so close, yet so far. But I am renowned for my sprinting and criterium riding, so I am still hopeful of the podium,” Cantwell said referring to Saturday's final stage, 15 laps of a 4.1km circuit starting and finishing on Lygon Street in Melbourne.
But even that Cantwell’s podium spot is far from assured. The subsequent reshuffling of the overall classification sees Tuft move into fourth overall, 39 seconds behind Wiggins but just seven seconds behind Cantwell; Van Ulden now sits fifth, 1:41 back.
With intermediate sprints after laps five and 10 delivering three, two and one bonus seconds respectively to the top three in each, and stage honors worth 10, six and four seconds, stage 6 is poised to be a battle from start to finish.
Garmin’s dilemma
The big question, of course is how Garmin will handle the situation. After the stage White, Wiggins and Sutton were each hesitant to say too much until they’d seen the results sheets and spoken amongst themselves. Both riders clearly would like to take the overall win, but also played the diplomatic card, and spoke about riding for the other. Here’s a look at what the two riders and their director had to say about the unusual situation.
Chris Sutton: “We're going to have a team meeting tonight. The main aim is to win tomorrow and to go for five stages straight. We bleed for each other. We're brothers in arms. We are not racing against each other. It's a team effort. I just didn't win three stages here, it was the boys who put me there, the riders and the staff.”
Brad Wiggins: “I’ve never been in this position before, so it’s hard to say. If it means that much to him, he can have it. I’m not going to take off on him or anything. We get on very well. We ride well together. We’re very close on and off the bike. I might just let him have it. He’s a young Aussie, isn’t he?”
Chris Sutton: “To win this race has always been a dream of mine. If I win I am going to be super happy. I will win the Jayco Herald Sun Tour one day. If it’s not this year, I'll be back for the next one.”
Matt White: “If it came down to who wants it more, I think CJ would win that. I think he’s one of the most motivated guys in the peloton to win the race, and he’s ridden a great race. He rode a good time trial today.”
Brad Wiggins: “The fortunate thing is that we’re teammates, so one of us has to win. I reckon I should have been first, but we’ll have to have a talk about it. I mean, today was the race of truth, wasn’t it? He’s had three stage wins… I don’t know, who knows? If he wants to win, he can win. He’s faster than me in the sprints. We’ll see how it goes. If I finish second to him in the sprint, he’ll still win. There are two intermediates as well.”
Matt White: “It’s better to have a plan and stick to it. But I suppose plan will to be win the stage, and CJ is a sprinter.”
Chris Sutton: “I'll ride for Wiggo. We've known each other since 2006 when we were at Cofidis. Bradley's a great time trial specialist and this morning talking at breakfast he really clamed me down. He is always helping me.”
Brad Wiggins: “We might just have a big punch-up in the carpark and see who comes off best.”
Perhaps race commentator Phil Liggett summed it up best, saying, “If was the team manager I would sit down with Sutton and Wiggins and say, ‘Look guys, you’re the best two guys in the race, whoever wants it, goes for it.’ I think you’ll find Chris Sutton winning the tour. Bradley has distinguished himself here, and he wanted to do that, but I think he’ll ride for Chris now. That’s not everyone’s sentiment, but I think it’s very important to win that stage in Lygon Street, and of course if he wins it, the bonus gives him the victory even if Wiggins hangs on to a small bonus.”
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