Shut The Gates As Nick Wheels In
Sun Herald
Saturday October 26, 1996
AGGRESSIVE riding tactics by the Australians on the road to Goulburn yesterday have all but handed Taree's Nick Gates the Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic.
Gates, who started the Nowra-to-Goulburn leg more than three minutes down on the daunting Bosch figure of Sven Teutenberg, goes into the final day's racing from Goulburn to Canberra holding a commanding 4min 42s lead.
He is the first Australian to wear the yellow jersey on the tour since Matt Bazzano in 1989. But Gates, the defending national road champion from the AIS, can thank some of his Australian mates for his form reversal.
While Dutchman Max van Heeswijk won the stage in 3hr 38.55s, Gates, Kelvin Martin, Marcel Gono and Bart Hickson were all credited with the same time. Teutenberg lost more than 13 minutes on the 145km stage from Nowra, which included two big climbs in the Kangaroo Valley.
"I had to bury my head and just pedal as hard as I could from the time the flag dropped," said an elated Gates.
"It was a case of going out today and attacking or getting into the Germans. I knew the tough climbs ahead of us today was where this tour was going to be won or lost."
Dutchman John Den Braber withdrew yesterday, but survivors of the original 65 riders face a 114km ride from Goulburn to Canberra through Bungendore and Smith's Gap before finishing with a 36km criterium in the city centre.
© 1996 Sun Herald