Commonwealth Games RR Championship
12-Sep-1998
| The Sweet taste of victory IT has taken 20 years to achieve, but Australia finally reclaimed the Commonwealth Games road title when Jay Sweet sprinted to victory on the Shah Alam circuit in Kuala Lumpur. A week earlier, the 23-year-old professional had taken a stage win in the Tour de 1'Avenir, riding for his Big Mat-Auber 93 team, before quitting the French tour to fly to Malaysia to join one of the strongest teams ever to compete at the Commonwealth Games. Sweet battled against severe leg cramps to hold off Malaysia's Rosli Effandy with Canadian Eric Wohlberg claiming the bronze medal. The Australian line-up included Tour de France stage winner Stuart O' Grady, Amore e Vita riders Peter Rogers and Matt White, and Scott McGrory from the German Die Continental team. Wearing number one for the race was Festina's Neil Stephens, whose selection by Australia drew criticism from many quarters, including Malaysia's minister for sport; Stephens was a member of the Festina team thrown off the Tour de France amid allegations that the team was involved in systematic doping, although Stephens has denied he knowingly took any banned substances. His team-mates made it clear they backed Stephens and all credited him as the mastermind behind the Australian victory. "Neil was the nucleus of the team and he was the brains behind the attack that won us the gold," said O' Grady. 1. Jay Sweet (Australia) 184km in 4-31-56 45 of the 97 starters finished the race. |