CharterMason Giant came into the Grafton to Inverell a single point down on the leaders of the NRS teams classification knowing that that had to get their three riders to the finish ahead Avanti’s. The race started out really fast, with CharterMason Giant initiating a lot of moves and following the rest. Avanti saw the danger and were quick to shut those dangerous moves down, but eventually the elastic snapped with one rider from Avanti and Nicholas Katsonis of CharterMason Giant getting in the move for a break even result from the first 70 kilometres of racing. The break were allowed to build a 7 minute advantage at the bottom of the major climb of the day, up the Gibraltar Range, but the real fireworks sparked when the main bunch reached the foot of the mountain. Damian Harris, the CharterMason Giant DS, gave his views on what happened.
Jacob Kauffmann had a ride that will go down in Melbourne to Warrnambool history, if not in the record books, then in the memories of those lucky enough to witness it. In one of the biggest races of the year, there are always going to be a lot of stories, and in a 280 kilometre race, those stories are longer and more fleshed out. So for one rider to stand out with the unquestionable ride of the day is rare. I was lucky enough to catch up with him both before and after the race.
Lucas Hamilton is a rider that many in the sport would know, but he shot to prominence as he trounced a quality field in the National Capital Tour queen stage, riding away from the pack on the final climb of the day, winning the stage by 37 seconds. He unfortunately crashed out on the next stage with the yellow jersey on his back, but impressed many with his climbing as a 19 year old against the seasoned professionals. He has recovered from his crash and spoke to me after training.
18 year old Ainslie Bakker is a rising star in Australian cycling, and her explosion onto the scene has been all the more remarkable as she has only been racing on the road for less than a year. Bakker attracted a lot of attention in her debut in the NRS at the National Capital Tour, riding as a guest rider for QETS (Cycling Queensland and Queensland Academy of Sport Emerging Talent Team). She finished 2nd behind Ruth Corset, with whom she shares a common background, both having transferred over from triathlon. Ainslie Bakker was kind enough to chat after one of her training sessions.
Ben Kersten, DS of the Subaru NSWIS team and Assistant Cycling Coach under Brad McGee at the Institute proper, had a chat with me from the Dunc Gray velodrome before leading riders in training.
“I pretty much lived at this velodrome as a sprinter when I was racing, I’ve possibly spent too much time in here, so it’s been really enjoyable to be out on the road with the team. It’s an all-encompassing role, it’s not like a european Sports Director who just does the race tactics; it’s business stuff, it’s management, it’s sponsorship, everything involved in the team, I’m the only one who works on it. It’s pretty hectic, but it’s very diverse.” A look at how each team has gone so far, and how they will approach the remaining 11 stages. A grade at the end to quickly sum up their performance, because you can simplify the efforts of 9 riders slogging their guts out in the blazing heat of Spain into a single letter.
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Jamie FinchJust a few of my articles, the content that isn't actually owned by another site. ArchivesCategories |