Team Type 1's Chadwick And Wilson Ignite Action At Sun Tour

Mount Buller, Australia – Team Type 1 lit the fireworks Thursday on the slopes of the finishing climb to Australia's popular ski resort, Mount Buller.

But hopes of making the fourth stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour more decisive fizzled, despite aggressive riding by the team's two general classification hopefuls, Matt Wilson and Glen Chadwick.

"There was almost no action given the potential," Team Type 1 Sport Director Ed Beamon said. "We're pretty frustrated right now. Chady and Matt had really good stuff today but the race was very conservative and we needed it to be aggressive."

Chadwick attacked with six miles to go in the 71-mile (115 km) race, but double stage winner Matthew Goss (CSC-Saxo Bank) was able to keep the New Zealand Olympian from gaining more than 20 seconds and he was eventually reeled in with less than two miles to go.

Wilson, the race's defending champion, counter-attacked as Chadwick was caught and the lead group detonated. Lars Bak (CSC-Saxo Bank), who had been helping teammate and yellow jersey wearer Stuart O'Grady, still had fresh legs and was able to follow the move.

In the end, Chris Jongewaard (Panasonic) proved to be the sole survivor of a nine-man breakaway that went off early in the race. The Australian finished 45 seconds ahead of Christopher Froome (Barloworld), while Bak finished third to move into the overall lead. Bak's CSC-Saxo Bank teammate, Stuart O'Grady, is in second place, four seconds behind.

Thirteen riders are within a minute of the lead, with Chadwick 37 seconds back (seventh place) and Wilson at 43 seconds (11th place).

"The guys did a great job but we really missed having Chris Jones or Moises Aldape (at this race)," Beamon said. "Not having that third GC rider hurt us today, but I think we still gave it a pretty good go."

Chadwick and Wilson remain within striking distance of the podium with only a time trial Friday and criterium on Saturday still to come.

The out-and-back, rolling time trial through the TarraWarra Estate Winery in the Yarra Valley will no doubt juggle the overall standings. Only conventional ride bikes may be ridden in the 10-mile (16 km) race against the clock.

Wilson needs only to finish the race to win Team Type 1's fourth mountain classification title of the season. Already the KOM winner at the Tour of Ireland in September, he joins Chadwick (Tour of Utah, Tour de Beauce) and Moises Aldape (Cascade Cycling Classic) as title holders of the climbers crown at stage races in 2008.

Thursday's early breakaway group included Team Type 1's Daniel Holt. But after gaining as much as a four-minute lead, the escapees – save for Jongewaard – were pulled back as the race reached the bottom of the finishing climb up Mount Buller.