Subway fight for team classification

Nov 15th, 09.  Subway Avanti Cycling Team raced to the top of Hainan Island holding second place on the Team Classification in China while McCauley slips to fifth place overall.

Sprint finish in Haikou ©Paul Larkin / Subway Avanti

During last night's stage Gordon McCauley moved to fifth place on the General Classification as again time bonuses were swept up by other riders in the interim sprints and the stage finish.

In a similar fashion to Stage 3, the finish of the stage ended in a bunch sprint which left McCauley and his teammates out of the top placings.

The stage win by Francisco Ventoso of the Carmiooro A-Style team has enabled the Spaniard to move past McCauley and into the tour lead causing the latter to drop to fifth overall but still only 12 seconds down.

The Subway Avanti formation has still retained its second place on the Team Classification behind the Ukraine National Team.

The stage was run over flat terrain averaging 42.8km/h. Most members of the Subway team managed to get into the various breaks, but these moves were always short lived due to the aggressive nature of the main field.

A lone late escape by a rider from the China National Team was reeled in with 5km remaining, having built a maximum lead of 1m15s over the peloton. Unfortunately for the escapee the prospect of a bunch gallop meant the teams of the tour leaders ensured the speed to the finish remained high.

Stage Five will take the field from Haikou to Chengmai over a distance of 158km.

After 6 days and nine stages in the winds of the Tour of Southland, and now half way through a hot China Chinese tour, the Subway Avanti team must be starting to get very tired yet they  continue to hold their own in this top rated tour.

General Classification after Stage Four;

• Francisco Ventoso (Carmiooro A-Style) 621.1km in 14hrs 47mins 59secs
• Boris Shpilevsky (Russian National Team) same time
• Vitaliy Buts (Ukraine National Team) at 1sec
• Mykhaylo Khalilov (Ukraine National Team) at 11secs
• Gordon McCauley (Subway – Avanti Cycling Team) at 12secs
• Grega Bole (Slovenia National Team) at 15secs

Others (Subway – Avanti Cycling Team);

• 36. James Williamson at 25secs
• 54. Eric Drower at 25secs
• 63. Joseph Cooper at 25secs
• 68. Samuel Horgan at 58secs
• 103. Hayden Godfrey at 34mins 45secs
• 120. Joshua England at 52mins 42secs

Thanks to Subway Avanti's Greg Hume and Paul Larkin for the race report and photo.