• CharterMason Giant Racing Team takes the points lead in the 2015 National Road Series competition, making the team the nominal #1 in Australia.

• Keagan Girdlestone 3rd on General Classification and winner of the Young Riders jersey.

• Ben Hill, winner of both the King of the Mountains and Sprinters Jersey.

• Daniel Fitter, winner, final stage AND second on Young Riders.

• Second on Team’s GC.

 

After an early arrival on the Gold Coast, the team gelled exceptionally well and were even able to make a video like this [ https://instagram.com/p/22Om2Qhm0r /   ] despite a heavy pre event reconnoiter and training schedule.

 

This year’s Tour of Toowoomba saw the riders take on five stages over four days with 160 riders taking to the start line. 

 

Stage One was 153km road race with the finish at Highfields. CharterMason Giant Racing Team took the event by the scruff of the neck, with Olympic hopeful and track champion Daniel Fitter on the podium. As well as this terrific result, five of the team’s seven riders were inside the top 20.

 

At this point, we owned the Young Riders podium with Fitter, Crome and Girdlestone filling the 1-2-3 spots.

 

Stages 2 & 3 saw the riders hit the road for a short (9km) individual time trial followed by a grueling 167km road race. In the ITT Dan Fitter (5th) was our top performer with Ben Hill (7th) and Keagan Girdlestone (9th). 

 

After a short recovery, the riders saddled up for the afternoon’s road race, where yet again CMGRT saw a rider to the podium, with the injured-but-fighting-on Raphael Freinstein scoring 3rd in a bunch finish. 

 

Per Stage One, the CMGRT lads were up there in numbers with five riders inside the top 20 and four in the top ten! 

 

Stage Four shook the event all over, with changes to GC results and the emergence of our young gun Keagan Girdlestone. After attacking a select group on the last climb, Keagan was able to finish third and gain significant time over some previously major GC contenders. This result saw him vault from second in Young Riders to the wearer of that jersey and from eighth on GC to second overall.

 

The final stage, a criterium, was without time bonuses and therefore anyone contending for general classification would have to attack. Early on, CMGRT’s Ben Hill- as is his usual want- attacked and took both the intermediate sprint points, giving him an unassailable lead in the Sprint Jersey. He then turned his attention to ensuring a great GC result for the team and a stage victory.

 

With the laps running down, Avanti’s Joe Cooper sought individual glory in an audacious solo attack. CharterMason Giant Racing Team were having none of that and Jayden Copp, Jake Magee and then Raphael Freienstein busted themselves to reel in Cooper and then launch Daniel Fitter into his own solo attack on the last lap.

 

Try as they might, the peloton were unable to reel in the 19 yr. old and he took his first ever NRS stage win in fine style.

 

Fitter’s win capped off a great week in Toowoomba. While our GC result with Keagan was terrific, the real tale to be told is in the team’s cohesion, evenness and determination to impose their will upon the race. 

 

As we leave Toowoomba for this week’s Battle on the Border race, we are the number one team in Australia…

 

 

Damo Harris, Team DS: “Seeing Dan Fitter salute on the final stage made me think ‘That’s what all this tour has been about’ It was great to finish off the tour in that fashion. He did the final lap, but the team got him the win. That’s what it is all about. I just want to send a massive thanks to all the staff and riders for believing in the race plan. Each rider laid it on the line every day.”

 

Leigh Parsons, Team Owner: “Despite the fact that we have been working towards this for several years, it’s still blows me away to see our team as the current number one in the NRS. It’s a credit to Damo and his determination to formulate a plan and then have the boys stick to it. More proud I could not be!”

 

Keagan Girdlestone, (Second, GC): “Pretty happy that I managed to hold onto second GC and best young rider after the final crit! Very glad I put in the hard work earlier this year because ‪the 2015 Tour of Toowoomba‬ was next level racing. I need to thank my CharterMason Giant Racing team mates for their support this week and of course they smashed it again today winning the final stage! Love it when a plan comes together!”

 

Tom Reynolds, Media Manager: “I am just happy to see Dan Fitter send out his second ever tweet…” 

 

 

 

• Stage 1
• Stages 2 & 3
  
• Stages 4: 
  
• Stage 5: Not available at time of release. See: https://www.youtube.com/user/CyclingAustralia/videos 

 

PROVISIONAL Standings after 2015 Tour of Toowoomba

1. CMR Charter Mason Giant Racing Team 55   pt

2. BFL Team Budget Forklifts 42

3. ART Avanti Racing Team 41

Final Result

Time/Gap

1. Michael SCHWEIZER (AWS) 13h13:08

2.  Keagan GIRDLESTONE (CMR) +10

3.  Brad EVANS (PVG) +32

7.  Joseph COOPER (ART) +3:34

8.  Daniel FITTER (CMR) +3:36

11.  Benjamin HILL (CMR) +4:02

12.  Sam CROME (CMR) +4:17

18.  Raphael FREIENSTEIN (CMR) +4:58

51.  Jayden COPP (CMR) +11:26

60.  Jake MAGEE (CMR) +24:44

Final Result

1. Benjamin HILL (CMR) 14 pt

2. Samuel VOLKERS (SDU) 6

3. Oliver MARTIN (STR) 5

Final Result

1. Benjamin HILL (CMR) 9 pt

2. Michael SCHWEIZER (AWS) 6

3. Cyrus MONK (AWS) 4

Final Result

Time/Gap

1. 17 Keagan GIRDLESTONE (CMR) 13h13:18

2. 16 Daniel FITTER (CMR) +3:26

3. 77 Ben O’CONNOR (NSR) +3:31

4. 12 Sam CROME (CMR) +4:07

 

Time/Gap

1. CMR Charter Mason Giant Racing Team (16, 13, 17) 3h27:12

2. DSR Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody (125, 127, 126) +0

3. SND Subaru NSWIS Development Team (182, 184, 187) +0

 

Final Result

Time/Gap

1. BFL Team Budget Forklifts 39h46:15

2. CMR Charter Mason Giant Racing Team +26

3. AWS African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team +2:21

 

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