Nathan Elliott makes history by winning back to back ‘Warnys’
Via Cycling Victoria press release
Nathan Elliott (IsoWhey Sports Swiss Wellness) made history as the first man to win back-to-back Melbourne to Warrnambools (sponsored by Anchor Point) with one of the bravest and most daring rides in the 102-year history of the race.
Elliott was part of a six-rider breakaway from the outset of the 277km course, despite a lead of more than five minutes, he was brought back by the two significant climbs at Camperdown with 65km remaining.
The 26-year-old was part of every breakaway attempt for the next 50km before he threw it all on the line and attacked with 6km remaining.
After Elliott held off the efforts of NSW Institute of Sport’s Tom Robinson (finishing fourth), he held off the peloton to defeat WA Olympian Sam Welsford and Tommy Nankervis (Stitch and Dart) by two seconds in a time of 6:34.23.
“I really went for it at the 2km, dug deep, and gee, it was hard those last 300m up the hill and into a head wind,” Elliott said.
“But I wanted it so bad. I knew nobody had gone back-to-back in this great race and when I had it in my grasp I certainly wasn’t going to die wondering _ I just gave it everything I had,” the physically exhausted and mentally sapped Victorian said.
Congratulations @n_sumo23 history making ride. #M2W17 pic.twitter.com/ltpVgOXWuU
— Karin Jones (@KarinJones64) October 14, 2017
In sunny and warm conditions with thousands cheering him home, Elliott was able to sit up and raise his hands in the last 50m to savour the historic moment of being the first to win this 102 year old Australian classic in back-to-back editions.
Elliott crashed and did not finish at his first attempt at the race three years ago, and now has gone on to win his next two. He has had a tough season after starting out with being hit head on by an out of control vehicle at the beginning of the year.
Runner-up Welsford almost caused one of the great upsets. He is the current world champion in the teams pursuit and the Olympic silver medallist at Rio.
“It was a great experience and good to show that track riders can be competitive in these really tough road races,” he said.
Welsford said he “wanted to have a crack at his legendary race” and was pleasantly surprised to be right in the finish.
“The two mountain climbs were really tough for big guys like me but when I re-joined the peleton and it became obvious it would be a sprint home I was rapt.”
The dash to the finish was marred when 20 riders at the head of the peleton crashed just 150m out.
Anchor Point #M2W17 podium.
1st: @n_sumo23
2nd: @sam_welsford
3rd: Tommy Nankervis
???????????? pic.twitter.com/F3EmgVV6Cp— Cycling Victoria (@cyclingvictoria) October 14, 2017
Bruce Clarke won the race in 1971 and 1973, David Allan in 1976, 1979 and 1982, Peter Besanko in 1989 and 1992, Jamie Drew in 1999 and 2002 and Joel Pearson in 2009 and 2011, but no cyclist has won back-to-back.
NSW Institute of Sport’s Ryan Cavanagh also was a star of the day.
He won three of the four sprints to become the Midlands Meats Sprint Champion, and he also won the McCarthy Catering 200km championship. To boot, he won the Scody King of the Mountain award.
Photo Gallery
Results – Anchor Point Melbourne to Warrnambool 2017
| 1. | 1 | Nathan ELLIOTT (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | 6h34:23 | |||
| 2. | 184 | Sam WELSFORD* (Northern Districts WA CC) | +2 | |||
| 3. | 133 | Tommy NANKERVIS (Stitch and Dart) | +2 | |||
| 4. | 13 | Tom ROBINSON (NSWIS) | +2 | |||
| 5. | 105 | Nicholas LEONARD (Anchor Point South Coast) | +2 | |||
| 6. | 5 | Michael FREIBERG (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | +2 | |||
| 7. | 83 | Toby ORCHARD* (Nero Racing Team Edition) | +2 | |||
| 8. | 27 | Sean WHITFIELD* (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | +2 | |||
| 9. | 95 | Julian THOMSON* (AMR Renault Racing Team) | +2 | |||
| 10. | 17 | Ayden TOOVEY* (NSWIS) | +2 | |||
| 11. | 187 | Koen DE KORT (Netherlands) | +2 | |||
| 12. | 26 | Nicholas WHITE* (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | +2 | |||
| 13. | 72 | Benjamin ANDREWS* (Van D’am Racing p/b Butterfields) | +2 | |||
| 14. | 167 | Angus MADDERN (Mt Gambier Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 15. | 54 | Lionel MAWDITT* (InForm Tineli) | +2 | |||
| 16. | 158 | Russell GILL (Norwood Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 17. | 6 | Robbie HUCKER (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | +2 | |||
| 18. | 175 | David RANDALL* (Bicycle Superstore-Giant) | +2 | |||
| 19. | 155 | Raphael FREIENSTEIN (Germany) | +2 | |||
| 20. | 61 | Harrison BAILEY* (GPM Stulz) | +2 | |||
| 21. | 34 | Cyrus MONK* (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | +2 | |||
| 22. | 132 | Gordon KENNEWAY (Stitch and Dart) | +2 | |||
| 23. | 166 | Jacob LANGHAM (City of Burnie Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 24. | 46 | Aden REYNOLDS (mobius Future Racing) | +2 | |||
| 25. | 188 | Tristan WARD* (Sutherland Shire CC) | +2 | |||
| 26. | 154 | Daniel FORSYTHE (Penrith Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 27. | 112 | Kyle GODSON (Future Pro Cycling) | +2 | |||
| 28. | 51 | Sascha BONDARENKO-EDWARDS (InForm Tineli) | +2 | |||
| 29. | 96 | Sean TRAINOR (AMR Renault Racing Team) | +2 | |||
| 30. | 113 | Nick MILLER (Future Pro Cycling) | +2 | |||
| 31. | 186 | Nicholas YALLOURIS (St George Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 32. | 101 | Daniel HERREWYN (Anchor Point South Coast) | +2 | |||
| 33. | 122 | Nathan BOOTH (Phoenix Cycling Collective) | +2 | |||
| 34. | 163 | Alexander HOLDEN* (Bicycle Superstore-Giant) | +2 | |||
| 35. | 179 | Cameron SCOTT* (St George Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 36. | 169 | Brad NORTON (Shepparton Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 37. | 52 | Patrick BURT* (InForm Tineli) | +2 | |||
| 38. | 84 | Ben VAN DAM (Nero Racing Team Edition) | +2 | |||
| 39. | 76 | Callum PEARCE* (Van D’am Racing p/b Butterfields) | +2 | |||
| 40. | 16 | Dylan SUNDERLAND* (NSWIS) | +2 | |||
| 41. | 181 | Riley TERRENS* (Bicycle Superstore-Giant) | +2 | |||
| 42. | 7 | Patrick LANE (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | +2 | |||
| 43. | 44 | Conor MURTAGH (mobius Future Racing) | +2 | |||
| 44. | 178 | Todd SATCHELL (Stawell Great Western) | +2 | |||
| 45. | 162 | Jack HOGAN* (Norwood Cycling Club) | +2 | |||
| 46. | 21 | Clinton EDWARDS (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | +14 | |||
| 47. | 33 | Oliver KENT-SPARK (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | +14 | |||
| 48. | 125 | Samuel MUNDAY* (Phoenix Cycling Collective) | +14 | |||
| 49. | 91 | Alexander EVANS* (AMR Renault Racing Team) | +14 | |||
| 50. | 22 | Brendon DAVIDS (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | +14 | |||
| 51. | 103 | Matthew LANE (Anchor Point South Coast) | +14 | |||
| 52. | 176 | Steven ROBB (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club) | +14 | |||
| 53. | 123 | Samuel HILL* (Phoenix Cycling Collective) | +14 | |||
| 54. | 11 | Ryan CAVANAGH* (NSWIS) | +14 | |||
| 55. | 104 | Samuel LANE (23)* (Anchor Point South Coast) | +14 | |||
| 56. | 24 | Jack SUTTON (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | +14 | |||
| 57. | 177 | Allan SATCHELL (Stawell Great Western) | +14 | |||
| 58. | 3 | Jason LEA* (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | +14 | |||
| 59. | 53 | Ross GORDON* (InForm Tineli) | +14 | |||
| 60. | 173 | Luke PLEDGER (Peel District Cycling Club) | +14 | |||
| 61. | 4 | Jeremy CAMERON (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | +14 | |||
| 62. | 170 | Kelland O’BRIEN* (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +14 | |||
| 63. | 81 | Angus CALDER* (Nero Racing Team Edition) | +14 | |||
| 64. | 42 | Jesse COYLE (mobius Future Racing) | +14 | |||
| 65. | 153 | Rylan DOWDELL (Norwood Cycling Club) | +14 | |||
| 66. | 82 | Christopher MILLER (Nero Racing Team Edition) | +14 | |||
| 67. | 151 | Todd BUSCHKUEHL* (Bicycle Superstore-Giant) | +22 | |||
| 68. | 135 | Dan FURMSTON (Stitch and Dart) | +22 | |||
| 69. | 172 | Matthew PETERSON (Peel Districts Cycling Club) | +22 | |||
| 70. | 114 | Joel STRACHAN (Future Pro Cycling) | +26 | |||
| 71. | 94 | Ivan MICHELIN-BEARD (AMR Renault Racing Team) | +26 | |||
| 72. | 64 | Jake KLAJNBLAT (GPM Stulz) | +26 | |||
| 73. | 2 | Cameron BAYLY (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | +26 | |||
| 74. | 45 | Dylan NEWBERY (mobius Future Racing) | +26 | |||
| 75. | 180 | Nicholas SIMPSON* (Castlemaine Cycling Club) | +26 | |||
| 76. | 35 | James WHELAN* (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | +26 | |||
| 77. | 32 | Tom KAESLER* (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | +29 | |||
| 78. | 56 | Stuart SMITH (InForm Tineli) | +40 | |||
| 79. | 165 | Jordan KERBY (Hamilton Wheelers Cycling Club) | +56 | |||
| 80. | 152 | Joel COXON* (Hawthorn Cycling Club) | +1:00 | |||
| 81. | 77 | Jason THOMASON (Van D’am Racing p/b Butterfields) | +1:16 | |||
| 82. | 185 | Rohan WIGHT* (Scotch College SA Cycling Club) | +1:34 | |||
| 83. | 161 | Joshua HARRISON* (Central Districts Cycling Club SA) | +2:04 | |||
| 84. | 15 | Alexander SMYTH* (NSWIS) | +2:40 | |||
| 85. | 106 | Dylan LINDSEY (Anchor Point South Coast) | +3:09 | |||
| 86. | 171 | Jake OLIVER* (Mersey Valley Devonport) | +3:27 | |||
| 87. | 67 | Joel WALSH (GPM Stulz) | +4:24 | |||
| 88. | 65 | Sam PHIPPS* (GPM Stulz) | +4:24 | |||
| 89. | 41 | Aaron BICKNELL (mobius Future Racing) | +5:01 | |||
| 90. | 73 | Iven BENNETT* (Van D’am Racing p/b Butterfields) | +21:11 | |||
| 91. | 134 | Lee TURNER (Stitch and Dart) | +21:11 | |||
| 92. | 23 | Rowan DEVER (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | +21:11 | |||
| 93. | 92 | Kris JOHNSTON (AMR Renault Racing Team) | +21:11 | |||
| 94. | 66 | Cameron ROBERTS (GPM Stulz) | +21:11 | |||
| 95. | 160 | Stuart GRIEVE (Northern Sydney Cycling Club) | +21:11 | |||
| 96. | 12 | Liam MAGENNIS* (NSWIS) | +21:11 | |||
| 97. | 25 | James GLASSPOOL (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | +21:17 | |||
| 98. | 124 | Andrew MCCOSKER (Phoenix Cycling Collective) | +27:24 | |||
| 99. | 111 | Mathew BICKEL (Future Pro Cycling) | +27:24 | |||
| 100. | 93 | Dylan MCKENNA* (AMR Renault Racing Team) | +58:19 | |||
| 101. | 157 | Justin GHOSH (Peel Districts Cycling Club) | +1h04:40 | |||
| dnf | 31 | Brad EVANS (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | ||||
| dnf | 43 | Ethan BERENDS* (mobius Future Racing) | ||||
| dnf | 55 | Thomas MCFARLANE* (InForm Tineli) | ||||
| dnf | 62 | Thomas GREEN* (GPM Stulz) | ||||
| dnf | 63 | William HODGES* (GPM Stulz) | ||||
| dnf | 74 | Lachlan DARCH* (Van D’am Racing p/b Butterfields) | ||||
| dnf | 75 | Matthew DE VROET* (Van D’am Racing p/b Butterfields) | ||||
| dnf | 85 | Shaun MACWILLIAM (Nero Racing Team Edition) | ||||
| dnf | 102 | Ashleigh KEY (Anchor Point South Coast) | ||||
| dnf | 121 | Toby STEWART (Phoenix Cycling Collective) | ||||
| dnf | 131 | Luke JONES (Stitch and Dart) | ||||
| dnf | 174 | Alexander PORTER* (Norwood Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 182 | Kyle THOMPSON* (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 183 | Hamish WEBBER* (St Kilda Cycling Club) | ||||
| dns | 14 | Stuart SHAW (NSWIS) | ||||
| dns | 71 | Thomas ALLFORD* (Van D’am Racing p/b Butterfields) | ||||
| dns | 107 | Lachie NOLTE (Anchor Point South Coast) | ||||
| dns | 164 | Cedric JOLIDON* (Switzerland) | ||||
| dns | 168 | Gaspar MAS NICOLAU (Spain) |
- Average speed of the winner: 42.1 km/h
- Number of starters: 115
- Riders abandoning the race: 14
Result: B Grade
| 1. | 206 | Jarrod CURRIE (South Coast Cycling Club) | 6h34:25 | |||
| 2. | 211 | Lewis FULCHER (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +0 | |||
| 3. | 224 | Thor NAVNTOFT (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +0 | |||
| 4. | 208 | Jason RIGG (Northern Districts WA CC) | +0 | |||
| 5. | 230 | Tom PATON (Geelong Cycling Club) | +12 | |||
| 6. | 217 | Richard MILLIGAN YOUNGER (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club) | +12 | |||
| 7. | 216 | Richard BARKER (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +20 | |||
| 8. | 229 | Trent SHANNON (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club) | +31 | |||
| 9. | 207 | Jarrod MORONI (Bendigo & District Cycling Club) | +4:44 | |||
| 10. | 222 | Steve WILSON (Melbourne Cycling league) | +21:06 | |||
| 11. | 220 | Sean VINTIN (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +21:06 | |||
| 12. | 228 | Trent CLIFFORD (Geelong Cycling Club) | +21:09 | |||
| 13. | 225 | Tim DECKER (Norwood Cycling Club) | +21:09 | |||
| 14. | 204 | Gervaise CHRISTIE (Mansfield Mt Buller) | +21:09 | |||
| 15. | 205 | Indiana MICHEL (Shepparton Cycling Club) | +21:09 | |||
| 16. | 212 | Marc LOECHERER (Italo Australian Cycling Club) | +27:22 | |||
| 17. | 203 | Daniel WELCH (Footscray Cycling Club) | +27:22 | |||
| 18. | 227 | Travis EDWARDS (Geelong Cycling Club) | +27:22 | |||
| 19. | 201 | Aaron SALISBURY (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +27:22 | |||
| 20. | 215 | Michael MILES (Melbourne Cycling League) | +27:22 | |||
| 21. | 213 | Mat ELKAN (Footscray Cycling Club) | +27:34 | |||
| 22. | 226 | Tim MCGRATH (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +27:38 | |||
| dnf | 202 | Alan LIM (St Kilda Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 210 | Keegan SUTTON-BAKER (Townsville Cycle Club) | ||||
| dnf | 218 | Robert YOUNG (Albury-Wodonga Cycling Club) | ||||
| dns | 214 | Matthew BORG (Sydney Uni Velo Club) | ||||
| dns | 219 | Sam EDWARDS (Melbourne Cycling League) | ||||
| dns | 223 | Taylor LUXFORD-SANDERSON (ADF Cycling) |
- Average speed of the winner: 42.1 km/h
- Number of starters: 25
- Riders abandoning the race: 3
Result: C Grade
| 1. | 322 | Simon HUBBARD (Cairns Cycling Club) | 6h55:31 | |||
| 2. | 324 | Tim JONES (Southern Masters Cycling Club) | +0 | |||
| 3. | 301 | Andy COWARD (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +0 | |||
| 4. | 306 | Chris PAPAKOSTAS (Hawthorn Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 5. | 312 | Duncan MURRAY (Cairns Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 6. | 316 | Leigh KELLY (Footscray Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 7. | 318 | Peter GREIG (Warrnambool Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 8. | 304 | Bruce SNELL (Moreton Bay Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 9. | 308 | Damien INGRAM (Cairns Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 10. | 313 | Gary HAYDON (Cairns Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 11. | 325 | Timothy REDDICK (Port Fairy Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 12. | 311 | Derek TRIKARSO (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 13. | 307 | Christopher JOUSTRA (Latrobe City Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 14. | 315 | Josh MCMINN (Warrnambool Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 15. | 302 | Ben GRIFFIN (Southern Masters Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 16. | 303 | Brent DAVIS (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +6:16 | |||
| 17. | 305 | Chris SMITH (St Kilda Cycling Club) | +6:22 | |||
| 18. | 314 | Graham GRANT (Cairns Cycling Club) | +6:22 | |||
| dnf | 309 | Damien LAING (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 319 | Peter HOWARD (Southern Masters Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 320 | Phillip SKERMAN (Brisbane Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 321 | Ricardo PINTO (Melbourne Cycling League) | ||||
| dnf | 323 | Simon WILE (Audax) | ||||
| dnf | 326 | John CLARKSON (Southern Masters Cycling Club) | ||||
| dns | 310 | David HAYNES (Brunswick Cycling Club) | ||||
| dns | 317 | Craig EASTWOOD (Melbourne Cycling League) |
- Average speed of the winner: 40.0 km/h
- Number of starters: 24
- Riders abandoning the race: 6
Result: D Grade
| 1. | 401 | Alexis KALESS (Manly Warringah) | 7h29:43 | |||
| dnf | 403 | Gerard FAULKNER (Port Fairy Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 405 | Nicholas SKARAJEW (St Kilda Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 406 | Nick KOURAMBAS (Melbourne Cycling League) | ||||
| dnf | 407 | Rob MITCHELL (Hawthorn Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 408 | Roger CULL (Sydney Cycle Club) | ||||
| dns | 402 | Andrew KASZUBSKI (Blackburn Cycling Club) | ||||
| dns | 404 | Lindsay BURGOYNE (Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club) |
- Average speed of the winner: 37.0 km/h
- Number of starters: 6
- Riders abandoning the race: 5
Result: Women
| 1. | 510 | Erin NOLAN (Roues Chaudes CC) | 7h38:59 | |||
| dnf | 502 | Sabine BIRD (Roues Chaudes Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 504 | Carly WILLIAMS (Melbourne Cycling League) | ||||
| dnf | 505 | Kate PERRY (Brunswick Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 507 | Kerry JONKER (St Kilda Cycling Club) | ||||
| dnf | 511 | Purdie LONG (St Kilda Cycling Club) | ||||
| dns | 501 | Amy VESTY (Dulwich Hill CC) | ||||
| dns | 503 | Brodie CHAPMAN (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club) | ||||
| dns | 506 | Kate MCILROY (New Zealand) | ||||
| dns | 509 | Megan SCOTT (Giant Cycling Club Sydney) |
- Average speed of the winner: 36.2 km/h
- Number of starters: 6
- Riders abandoning the race: 5
Scody King of the Mountain #1
| 1. | 11 | Ryan CAVANAGH* (NSWIS) | nrs | |||
| 2. | 22 | Brendon DAVIDS (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | nrs | |||
| 3. | 1 | Nathan ELLIOTT (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) | nrs |
Scody King of the Mountain #2
| 1. | 11 | Ryan CAVANAGH* (NSWIS) | nrs | |||
| 2. | 22 | Brendon DAVIDS (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | nrs | |||
| 3. | 35 | James WHELAN* (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | nrs |
Midfields Meats Sprint #1
| 1. | 45 | Dylan NEWBERY (mobius Future Racing) | nrs | |||
| 2. | 185 | Rohan WIGHT* (Scotch College SA Cycling Club) | nrs | |||
| 3. | 11 | Ryan CAVANAGH* (NSWIS) | nrs |
Midfields Meats Sprint #2
| 1. | 11 | Ryan CAVANAGH* (NSWIS) | nrs | |||
| 2. | 45 | Dylan NEWBERY (mobius Future Racing) | nrs | |||
| 3. | 22 | Brendon DAVIDS (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | nrs |
Midfields Meats Sprint #3
| 1. | 103 | Matthew LANE (Anchor Point South Coast) | nrs | |||
| 2. | 33 | Oliver KENT-SPARK (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | nrs | |||
| 3. | 51 | Sascha BONDARENKO-EDWARDS (InForm Tineli) | nrs |
Midfields Meats Sprint #4
| 1. | 11 | Ryan CAVANAGH* (NSWIS) | nrs | |||
| 2. | 52 | Patrick BURT* (InForm Tineli) | nrs | |||
| 3. | 45 | Dylan NEWBERY (mobius Future Racing) | nrs |
Midfield Meats First Warnambool Rider
| 1. | 103 | Matthew LANE (Anchor Point South Coast) | nrs |
McCarthy Catering Male 200km Championship
| 1. | 11 | Ryan CAVANAGH* (NSWIS) | nrs | |||
| 2. | 22 | Brendon DAVIDS (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) | nrs | |||
| 3. | 35 | James WHELAN* (Drapac Pat’s Veg) | nrs |
McCarthy Catering Female 200km Championship
| 1. | 510 | Erin NOLAN (Roues Chaudes CC) | wom |
