Tour of the Great South Coast - Day Four

Stage five featured an incredible solo effort from Nero Kom Financial Advice’s Ben Van Dam’s which ended in the dying stages of the race by Drapac EF P/B Cannondale Holistic’s Liam Magennis who stole the win. 

Just hours before the fifth – and arguably the most challenging – stage of the Visit Victoria-Campolina Tour of the Great South Coast, hail pounded the pavement to signal it would be a challenging road ahead for the 100+ cyclists on the Tour’s penultimate day.

Setting off along the coast of Cape Bridgewater, immediate action off the front made for a hungry and competitive start to the 121-kilometre road race.

A brave effort on his own in the wind and the rain saw Van Dam lead for approximately 50-kilometres as the peloton allowed him to establish a lead of more than two minutes at the halfway mark.

Many tried to break free of the peloton but little stuck, with Magennis – who recently won time trial gold at the World University Championships in Portugal – the only one powerful enough to make a break stick, catching Van Dam with seven kilometres to go.

While the peloton remained together, Magennis was able to get in front of Van Dam in the final kilometres, with the duo crossing the line first and second respectively.

Less than a minute later, stage three winner and track gold medalist Samuel Welsford (Australian Cycling Academy-Ride Sun) won the bunch kick to complete the podium.