Most Aggressive overall for Alex Ray

Alex Ray enjoying his bubble reward ©Shane Goss – licoricegallery.com

Aug 1st, 11. Pocket Rocket Alex Ray earned the overall Most Aggressive Rider title for PureBlack Racing at the end of the nine stage Tour of Gippsland.

Australians won most of the spoils at the Victoria event, including five stage wins to Genesys Wealth Advisors' Steele Van Hoff, but the Kiwis put up a good fight.

Rico Rogers (Lakes Oil) placed 2nd three times and NZ team PureBlack Racing won a stage thanks to Ray and had three riders awarded Most Aggressive Rider over four stages as well as earning their overall Most Aggressive title.

The Tour of Gippsland is the first in a series of four tours which make up the Scody Cup, Australia's premier domestic road series.

On all but the last day of racing the riders faced a morning criterium and an afternoon road race.

Rogers, who has had a great season racing in Asia, placed 2nd in the opening and closing criteriums as well as in one of the road race stages.

It was in the second to last criterium where 20 year old Ray won a stage after driving a three man break and doing most of the work to keep them in front of the peloton.

Ray earned Most Aggressive Rider on that occasion, a title earned the day before by two other PureBlack racing teammates. James McCoy earned the jersey in the criterium and Louis Crosby in the afternoon road race.

Going into the final stage, the three PureBlack riders were in contention for the overall Most Aggressive rider title, along with three other riders.

The team set their final stage goal to earn the overall title. First they let the GC contenders battle for the interim sprints, and their all important bonus seconds, then they set to work.

Ray driving the front in the final stage criterium ©Shane Goss – licoricegallery.com

McCoy took a few laps off the front, as did Crosby. They each broke away for a few laps at a time, and they got the crowd buzzing. Then it was Ray's turn to take the front and attract the commentator's call.

The big teams did not let any break stick, but after waiting nervously at the podium, the Kiwis heard they had done enough. Ray was awarded the Most Aggressive Rider of the stage which earned him enough points to take the overall title.

"Winning a stage, and four Most Aggressive Rider jerseys is a pretty good return from our first tour here with only five riders," said PureBlack Racing's Director Greg Cross,

"It took a little while to adapt to the racing here, but we will be ready for action in 10 days time in the Tour of Geelong when two more riders join the team."

The tour was won by Nathan Haas of Genesys Wealth Advisors who joined the successful Stage 4 twelve rider breakaway which took over 6min on the rest of the field. It was the only stage which really split up the field. Haas did not win that stage, but after stealing 14 bonus seconds in the following morning's criterium he took control of the leader's jersey and defended it until the end.

Full Tour of Gippsland results...