Hall Finishes With Three Of A Kind

Illawarra Mercury

Monday October 27, 1997

By MIKE GANDON

Wollongong's world duathalon champion Jonathan Hall scored his third stage win of the 1997 Commonwealth Bank Classic when he finished first in the 113km road section between Goulburn and Canberra yesterday.

The courageous Hall has been battling a knee/calf injury all week, but has turned in some spectacular performances.

Hall won the three kilometre time trial at Nelson Bay last Monday and the gruelling 146km road stage from Wollongong to Nowra last Friday.

The Ansett Australia International cyclist topped it off by winning yesterday's final road stage into Canberra with Germany's Thomas Liese (Bosch) and Heiko Szonn (Ansett) filling the minor placings.

The Dupont-UK team's preparations were disrupted when they had $15,000 worth of spare equipment including a bike, handle bars, two sets of tyres and two bags of wheels stolen from the Goulburn Law Enforcement Academy where they were staying overnight on Saturday.

When yesterday's stage began Ansett's Alex Nadobenko made the first break on the road at 17km, but when he was reeled in six kilometres later Hall was in the front pack.

Casino Canberra's Baden Burke then slipped away at 60km at Tarago.

A group consisting of Hall, Liese, Szonn and England's Dan Smith formed at the front and established a 1:46sec lead at 59km and extended that to 3.14 at 70km approaching the King of the Mountain at Smith's Gap.

Liese was first to the top ahead of Smith as Hall dropped back slightly to assist his team-mate Szonn.

The gap from the four leaders to the main bunch was out to 4.33 at 74km.

Liese then took the lead by himself and led by 38secs at 88km turning onto the Federal Highway.

At 100km Liese was still 12secs ahead of Hall, Smith and Szonn with the rest of the field 5.05 in arrears.

Riding into Canberra with 5km left Hall, Smith and Szonn grabbed Liese before the Wollongong rider attacked off the front to power away for another stunning stage victory.

Hall will go to Perth next week to contest the time trial and road race at the National championships.