Greg Henderson was denied victory by the tightest of margins on the third stage of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic.
Photo finish decides third stage
Greg Henderson was denied victory by the tightest of margins on the third stage of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in Geelong.
The New Zealander had infiltrated an early breakaway with Baden Cooke (Lowe Farms/Boomaroo) and E3/Pure Tasmania brothers Wes and Bernard Sulzberger, and the quartet held a 32-second advantage going into the final four laps of the 600m waterfront circuit.
That was when Wes Sulzberger made his move, and with Cooke picking up a mechanical, it was left to Henderson to haul the 24-year-old back alone inside the final 300 metres.
Immediately after he had done that, Bernard Sulzberger attacked and Henderson was forced to react again as the duo powered towards the line.
The result was so close that it took several minutes for the judges to decide who had actually won the stage, but it was Sulzberger who eventually emerged victorious.
After the race Henderson had no complaints and wrote on his Twitter page: "We were beaten by the better team tonight. Congratulations to Wes and Bernard, they sewed me right up and I just ran out of legs for the sprint after chasing Wes for three laps."
Michael Matthews' (Urban) fifth-placed finish ensured he has a two-point lead over Matt Goss (E3/Pure Tasmania) heading into Wednesday's final stage in Williamstown. Henderson sits a further five points back in fifth place overall, with Chris Sutton - who ended the day in eighth - a further place behind him.
Simon Gerrans meanwhile, holds a one-point advantage over Graeme Brown (Urban) at the top of the sprint classification.
