The final stage of the Herald Sun Tour split to pieces, with a group of just 17 riders sprinting for victory in the end. Aqua Blue sport were there after an aggressive effort (Photos: Lucas Mirtsios and Herald Sun Tour)

Aqua Blue Sport aggressive again at Herald Sun Tour

Irish ProContinental team Aqua Blue Sport have attacked the final stage of the Herald Sun Tour in Australia.

The squad completed a successful race by taking two top 10 placings today.

As the field split to pieces on the 152km final stage around Kinglake, the men in blue were to the force.

Calvin Watson was in the early nine-man breakaway. It escaped on the first of nine laps; the climb on the circuit proving instrumental.

Lasse Norman Hansen – who won stage 1 and had held the yellow jersey – also managed to bridge across to the move later in the race.

Danish champion Mads Pedersen, who won stage 2, attacked hard from the front group on the penultimate lap.

Hansen went with him, along with Cyrus Monk and Dylan Sunderland (Bennelong SwissWellness).

With about 10km remaining the flying Pedersen attacked again. Aqua Blue Sport’s Hansen was unable to follow him this time as cramping set in.

However, in what remained of a very thinned out main field behind, WorldTour team Mitchelton-Scott were leading the way.

They managed to sweep up all of the men out front. And in the end the stage came down to a group sprint won by Sam Crome (Bennelong SwissWellness).

Related News

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains

Video - Ireland's Meehan climbs with best on brutal Alpine terrain

Cameron Meyer of Mitchelton-Scott was 2^nd. Larry Warbasse was best of the Aquablue men in 5^th.

And its young new signing Casper Pedersen showed his stuff with 9^th on the day.

The lead group was down to just 17 men at the finish; a measure of just how hard the final stage was.

However, despite that action there was no change at the top of the overall standings.

Mitchelton-Scott took a clear sweep of the final podium with Esteban Chaves, Meyer and Damien Howson; in that order.

Warbasse was the highest placed Aqua Blue Sport rider; in 14^th place at 3:22.

“Today was a good stage for us. The team did a pretty good job lighting it up,” said Warbasse.

“We started pretty hard. And luckily the first time up the climb we had Calvin in the first breakaway of about nine riders.

“So it was a good situation as there weren’t that many climbers in that group.

“It looked pretty good  sometime halfway through the race some teams for some reason started to make it hard again so the race split open.

“(That) actually made the right opportunity for Lasse to catch up to the breakaway with three other riders.

“Then Calvin went all in for him. Unfortunately then Lasse cramped up in the end which was too bad.

“The rest of us sat in the bunch and bided our time and waited for the sprint where we gave it our all.

“I ended up sixth and I probably felt best today out of all the days. And it was nice to finish on a strong note."