Shaw regains Tour of Murray lead

Shaw, 32, who represented Australia twice in the world junior triathlon championships before taking up road cycling five years ago, collected 32 bonus seconds from intermediate sprints in the 52 kilometre afternoon criterium at the Euston Club Resort, to lead the tour by 10 seconds from Gippslander Joel Pearson, with young New Zealander Jason Williamson 17 seconds back in third place.

As captain and strategist for the young Drapac team, Shaw won the opening 155 kilomatre road stage from Echuca to Rochester on Sunday but surrendered tour leadership to Pearson in the hectic 25.5 kilomatre waterfront criterium in Echuca on Monday morning.  

Trailing Pearson by 16 seconds after the crash-marred 48 kilometre criterium in Robinvale on Thursday, Shaw road so aggressively with a small break-away group at Euston that he smothered any impact that Pearson and his strong Genesys team had on the event.

The Robinvale leg was won by the speedy Malaysian Harrif Saleh, who notched his third stage victory of the tour, having previously won the Echuca criterium and the 57km Nyah to Manangatang road race.

Salah defeated Sydney’s Scott Law narrowly, with Victorian Nicholas Walker in third place.

Thirteen riders were involved in a nasty pile-up only 10 kilometres into the 20-lap Robinvale criterium. Six withdrew from the race and two of them – New Zealander Jeremy Stephens and Queenslander Peter Spencer were transported to Robinvale hospital for treatment.

Shaw’s team-mate Angus Morton, NSW, sustained a suspected broken collarbone and is also out of the event.

In a topsy-turvy day for the Drapac team, the Euston stage was won by Thomas Palmer, who trains with Shaw in the ACT. Second place went to New Zealander Rico Rogers, with Salah filling the minor placing.

Shaw was not super-confident about retaining the Elgas purple leader’s jersey until the tour ends in Mildura on Sunday afternoon.

“Our team is young and damaged so we will have to ride with our brains and be clever,” he said.

Stage eight results:
1. Harrif Saleh (Malaysian National Team) 1:05:27, 2. Scott Law (Virgin Blue RBS Morgans) s.t., 3. Nicholas Walker (Jayco/VIS/QAS) 4.  Rico Rogers (Swan Hill Rural City Council) s.t., 5. Gordon Mccauley (Hyster - Total Rush) s.t., 6. James Williamson (Hyster - Total Rush) s.t., 7. Patrick Shaw (Virgin Blue RBS Morgans) s.t., 8. David Pell (Drapac Professional Cycling) s.t., 9. Stuart Shaw (Drapac Professional Cycling) s.t., 10. Dale Scarfe (McDonagh Blake - Witness) s.t.
 
Stage nine results:
1. Thomas Palmer (Drapac Professional Cycling) 1:13:30, 2. Rico Rogers (Swan Hill Rural City Council) s.t., 3. Harrif Saleh (Malaysian National Team) s.t., 4. Joel Pearson (Genesys Wealth Advisers) s.t., 5. Nicholas Walker (Jayco/VIS/QAS) s.t., 6.  Patrick Shaw (Virgin Blue RBS Morgans) s.t., 7. Scott Law (Virgin Blue RBS Morgans) s.t., 8. Alexander Ray (Hyster - Total Rush) s.t., 9. Rene Kolbach (Bike Bug North Sydney/Carrol) s.t., 10. Aaron Donnelly (Jayco Skins) s.t. 
 
General classification:
1. Stuart Shaw (Drapac Professional Cycling) 14:08:44, 2. Joel Pearson (Genesys Wealth Advisers) 0:00:10, 3. James Williamson (Hyster - Total Rush) 0:00:17, 4.  Harrif Saleh (Malaysian National Team) 0:00:19, 5. Gordon Mccauley (Hyster - Total Rush)  0:00:24, 6. Scott Law (Virgin Blue RBS Morgans) 0:00:30, 7. Rico Rogers  (Swan Hill Rural City Council), 8. Thomas Robinson (Genesys Wealth Advisers) 0:00:31, 9. Cameron Peterson (Virgin Blue RBS Morgans)  0:00:36 10. Nicholas Walker (Jayco/VIS/QAS) 0:00:40