Herald Sun Tour
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| Herald Sun Tour | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Established | 1952 |
| Held | October |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Victoria |
| Type | Stage race |
| Data | |
| Editions | 54 |
| First Winner | Keith Rowley,  Australia |
| Most Recent | Simon Gerrans, Australia |
| Most Wins | Barry Waddell, Australia, (5) |
The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six day event and it is held annually in October.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first general classification winner was Keith Rowley, a Maffra sheep farmer, in a time of 42hr 57min 55sec. The first King of the Mountain and Sprint champion was J.McDonough from Coburg.
Australian cyclists dominated the first 30 editions of the race, before its status rose and began attacting overseas stars. By the year 2000 the race had shifted to October and Australia's cyclists racing in Europe began to compete in the race. The resulting rise in the event's standard saw the race become rated by the UCI for the first time in 2005, however this is now under jeopardy. Several notable Australian cyclists have won the General classification including Baden Cooke in 2002, Neil Stephens in 1986, and Russell Mockridge in 1957.
The 2004 race was conducted from October 14 to 24, 2004 and involved 85 cyclists in seventeen teams of five. Thirteen stages were completed with a total distance of 1110.7km, 119 intermediate sprints and 37 hill climbs, including the two category one climbs of Mount Baw Baw and in the Otway Ranges. Swedish rider Jonas Ljungblad won the General classification in the time of 26hr 39min 55sec. Karl Menzies won the sprint classification and Phillip Thuaux won the Mountains classification.
