Marcel Kittell further extended his remarkable debut pro season record today when he notched up his sixteenth win of the season on stage three of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Australia. The 23 year old German is continuing to extend his advantage over the previous record of eleven wins, clocked up by Robbie McEwen and Mark Cavendish during their debut seasons in the peloton, and has provided further evidence that he is set for a very big future.
The Skil-Shimano rider produced the goods twelve months after taking the bronze medal in the world under 23 time trial championships in the same region of Australia. Today’s triumph came at the end of a 172.6 kilometre stage from Geelong to Drysdale, and ended when Kittel beat Steele Von Hoff (Genesys Wealth Advisers), Thomas Palmer (Drapac Professional Cycling) and 70 others to the line. There was no change to the overall, with Rhys Pollock (Drapac) holding a 15 second lead over Nathan Haas (Genesys Wealth Advisers) and an 18 second advantage over Jonas Jorgensen (Saxobank SunGard).
Kittel has waited three days to win a stage, saying that it has taken him a couple of days to have the legs to do so. “It’s the end of the season. I’ve had lots of races and the travel to Australia was long and hard,” he said. “Today was the first day my legs were okay. But we are very motivated and I tried to win. It was not just a win for me, it was a win for the team. The boys did a really good job today.”
Part of their work was to bring back a four-man move which was clear for most of the stage. It began 14 kilometres after the drop of the flag when 2008 Tour of Ireland winner Stijn Vandenbergh (Katusha) and John Anderson (Mitchelton Australian National Team) got clear, and were subsequently joined by Nic Hamilton (Jelly Belly) and MTN Qhubeka’s Dylan Girdlestone.
Hamilton took top KOM points at the climbs at Benwerrin and the Eumeralla Scout Camp, ending the day in the lead of that classification, eight points clear over Chris Jongewaard (Budget Forklifts). Vandenbergh took the sprints at Deans Marsh and Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch, and was later awarded the Cycle in Greater Shepparton Orange Jersey for the most aggressive rider on the stage.
The move gained solid time but was reeled in steadily by the Drapac and Skil Shimano teams, plus some input by SaxoBank Sungard and Genesys Wealth Advisers. They were caught close to the line, then Kittel’s team made sure he was in the right position.
“I can really believe in my team and today we showed how well we can work together,” he said. “Drapac started to do the work to bring the break back but we helped in order to go for the sprint. Then the boys bought me to a good position with one kilometre to go which was important because the finish was not easy – it went downhill and then up again. It needed good timing.”
That work for a sprint suited Pollock and his Drapac team perfectly, as they had an easier day in the saddle that might otherwise have been expected. “The team rode fantastically today and we didn’t even use everyone up, leaving Tom Palmer to have a good sprint for himself,” he said afterwards.
“I felt pretty good today. The team took over and I just sat in the box seat”
“We have now given ourselves the best possibility going into tomorrow. And who knows – stranger things have happened.”
He’s correctly pinpointed the 131.6km journey from Sorrento to Arthur’s Seat as the likely general classification decider, with the steep finishing climb to be covered three times in all. The race will break up because of that, and the last ascent will see what’s left of the group explode.
The list of potential race winners was considerably reduced by the day one breakaway which propelled Pollock to the stage win and overall lead, and as a result there are only six challengers within two minutes 50 seconds of him.
Points jersey leader Nathan Haas (Genesys Wealth Advisers) is closest, 15 seconds back, with Jonas Aen Jorgensen (Saxo Bank-SunGard), yesterday’s victor Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (MTN – Qhubeka), Jens Debusschere (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Australian national champion Jack Bobridge (Garmin-Cervélo) all at 23 seconds or less. Of those, Jorgensen and Bobridge are tipped as being the most likely to challenge.
Haas may be closest, but he doesn’t appear to see himself as being the final overall winner or, indeed, keeping the Honda green sprinters’ jersey. Instead, he believes that he should be able to retain the other jersey he holds, the State Government Victoria white jersey.
That belief is based on the good sensations he is feeling. “It was a risk to do the Tour of Tasmania last week, but it seems that it has brought my form right up and that risk is now paying off,” he said.
As for today’s winner Kittel, he’s thinking survival tomorrow, then the chance to clock up win number seventeen of the season before the race concludes in two days’ time. “Tomorrow will be a big fight but my role will be to support other riders – maybe as far as the first two climbs,” he said. “Then I must keep something back as there is another chance for me on Sunday.”