Hot racing coming up in Australia

[jaylew]

Re:

There was some talks here about Hesjedal being the secret pro before last year's Tour, cause he was one of the few who filled the clues.

Guess what, Hesjedal was present at Down Under and at the Cadel Evans race like TSP mentions.

Apparently it's Greg Henderson

I'm not so sure. They supposedly include red herrings in the posts to make it impossible to deduce.

 

[TMP402]

If you're a pro or recently retired ex-pro the secret pro would be incredibly easy to write. Even if you weren't actually at such and such notable race, all you need is a TV and some friends still in the business to share a couple of anecdotes. That's assuming it's written by one person.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Re:

Apparently it's Greg Henderson

Perhaps it should be renamed The Secret Bro

 

[jahn]

The remark in the last one:
"I think it’ll be more exciting than the skinny dudes all comparing their watts per kilo against each other."

No climber would ever say that, red herring or not

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

If you're a pro or recently retired ex-pro the secret pro would be incredibly easy to write. Even if you weren't actually at such and such notable race, all you need is a TV and some friends still in the business to share a couple of anecdotes. That's assuming it's written by one person.

I've felt that it's Wade Wallace (the owner/creator of CyclingTips) based on input from various pros for a long time and nothing much has come along to make me think otherwise.

Wallace isn't an ex-pro but he was a very decent domestic rider and has a fair few friends and acquaintances who are former and current pros, including Greg Henderson, Simon Gerrans, Baden Cooke, Cadel Evans, Koen de Kort and Simon Clarke.

Assembling these pieces from the opinions of the pros he knows and has access to would be very easy for someone like him.

 

[StryderHells]

Re: Re:

If you're a pro or recently retired ex-pro the secret pro would be incredibly easy to write. Even if you weren't actually at such and such notable race, all you need is a TV and some friends still in the business to share a couple of anecdotes. That's assuming it's written by one person.

I've felt that it's Wade Wallace (the owner/creator of CyclingTips) based on input from various pros for a long time and nothing much has come along to make me think otherwise.

Wallace isn't an ex-pro but he was a very decent domestic rider and has a fair few friends and acquaintances who are former and current pros, including Greg Henderson, Simon Gerrans, Baden Cooke, Cadel Evans, Koen de Kort and Simon Clarke.

Assembling these pieces from the opinions of the pros he knows and has access to would be very easy for someone like him.

You are pretty much correct, it's Wade with input from a few current and ex pro's

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Here we go again

Shimano Super Crit
Sunday, 18 December

Who's confirmed?
Gerro
Haas
Von Hoff

 

[hammerthaim]

Re:

Here we go again

Shimano Super Crit
Sunday, 18 December

Who's confirmed?
Gerro
Haas
Von Hoff

Scott Sunderland to smoke them all.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Re: Re:

Here we go again

Shimano Super Crit
Sunday, 18 December

Who's confirmed?
Gerro
Haas
Von Hoff

Scott Sunderland to smoke them all.

Tommy Nankervis is in pretty good form so he might give it a shake too

 

[robin440]

is that the 1 crit where the winner gets 20,000 dollar?

 

[StryderHells]

Re:

is that the 1 crit where the winner gets 20,000 dollar?

Overall prize money is $20,000 or just a bit over but the winner of the elite men's and women's Crit gets $3,000.

Mark Renshaw is another name we can add to the startlist

 

[yaco]

Mark Renshaw will also ride the Austral Wheel Race next month.

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

Here we go again

Shimano Super Crit
Sunday, 18 December

Who's confirmed?
Gerro
Haas
Von Hoff

Scott Sunderland to smoke them all.

Tommy Nankervis is in pretty good form so he might give it a shake too

Jay McCarthy is already back training, he obliterated us all in a State Open crit last weekend - spent 20 minutes on the front, rode up to the break himself and won the sprint from 400 m out.

IF he races, he'll be hard to beat.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

https://cyclingtips.com/2016/12/chris-froome-to-start-his-2017-season-in-australia/

The Sun Tour in particular is shaping up as a thrilling contest with Chaves and Froome set to headline and organisers today revealing an exciting new course. The race will again begin with a 2.1km prologue time trial in the heart of Melbourne, before making the trek to north-east Victoria for stage 1. Starting in the rural centre of Wangaratta, the stage will go over the popular Tawonga Gap climb, before finishing with a 26km ascent towards Falls Creek (the stage will finish just before the summit).

Stage 2 starts in Mount Beauty and features a tough 10km climb to Stanley, before finishing with a 9km descent into Beechworth. Stage 3 will be the only chance for the sprinters, with a largely flat stage from Benalla to the Mitchelton Winery.

The Sun Tour’s popular race-ending summit finish at Arthurs Seat is gone in 2017, having been replaced with a circuit around the town of Kinglake, sure to be well attended on the Sunday by Melbourne’s many cyclists and cycling fans.

 

[StryderHells]

Re:

https://cyclingtips.com/2016/12/chris-froome-to-start-his-2017-season-in-australia/

The Sun Tour in particular is shaping up as a thrilling contest with Chaves and Froome set to headline and organisers today revealing an exciting new course. The race will again begin with a 2.1km prologue time trial in the heart of Melbourne, before making the trek to north-east Victoria for stage 1. Starting in the rural centre of Wangaratta, the stage will go over the popular Tawonga Gap climb, before finishing with a 26km ascent towards Falls Creek (the stage will finish just before the summit).

Stage 2 starts in Mount Beauty and features a tough 10km climb to Stanley, before finishing with a 9km descent into Beechworth. Stage 3 will be the only chance for the sprinters, with a largely flat stage from Benalla to the Mitchelton Winery.

The Sun Tour’s popular race-ending summit finish at Arthurs Seat is gone in 2017, having been replaced with a circuit around the town of Kinglake, sure to be well attended on the Sunday by Melbourne’s many cyclists and cycling fans.

Good to see the Sun Tour using more of the wonderful parcours available in Victoria, this years route was brilliant and knowing the roads laid out for next years route it should be another good edition. Climbing the Tawonga Gap followed by Falls Creek is an ambitious mountain stage for an early season race but certainly plays to the strengths of the 2 big draw cards in Froome and Chaves, they are climbing the steep side of Tawonga and Falls doesn't look that hard on paper but the changing gradients does hurt the legs (no idea why they aren't going to the summit). That stage 2 descent into Beechworth is fast so good chance for someone to go full gas and create a gap. The final stage looks like fun, not as good for the roadside fans as Arthur's Seat but it's good to see this event go to Kinglake and hopefully can bring in some much needed tourist dollars to the area which is still recovering from the 2009 bushfires, the Glenburn climb isn't that hard but that circuit has no flats spots so should get raced pretty hard. It's good to see the Sun Tour drawing some big name riders again and gaining prestige as in my opinion it's Australia's best stage race.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

I think the new Arthurs Seat cable car has made the race logistics a challenge.

Anyway, looking forward to the Victorian based races, I'll be driving at Nationals, Cadel's and Sun Tour again this year.

 

[The Hegelian]

Re: Re:

https://cyclingtips.com/2016/12/chris-froome-to-start-his-2017-season-in-australia/

The Sun Tour in particular is shaping up as a thrilling contest with Chaves and Froome set to headline and organisers today revealing an exciting new course. The race will again begin with a 2.1km prologue time trial in the heart of Melbourne, before making the trek to north-east Victoria for stage 1. Starting in the rural centre of Wangaratta, the stage will go over the popular Tawonga Gap climb, before finishing with a 26km ascent towards Falls Creek (the stage will finish just before the summit).

Stage 2 starts in Mount Beauty and features a tough 10km climb to Stanley, before finishing with a 9km descent into Beechworth. Stage 3 will be the only chance for the sprinters, with a largely flat stage from Benalla to the Mitchelton Winery.

The Sun Tour’s popular race-ending summit finish at Arthurs Seat is gone in 2017, having been replaced with a circuit around the town of Kinglake, sure to be well attended on the Sunday by Melbourne’s many cyclists and cycling fans.

Good to see the Sun Tour using more of the wonderful parcours available in Victoria, this years route was brilliant and knowing the roads laid out for next years route it should be another good edition. Climbing the Tawonga Gap followed by Falls Creek is an ambitious mountain stage for an early season race but certainly plays to the strengths of the 2 big draw cards in Froome and Chaves, they are climbing the steep side of Tawonga and Falls doesn't look that hard on paper but the changing gradients does hurt the legs (no idea why they aren't going to the summit). That stage 2 descent into Beechworth is fast so good chance for someone to go full gas and create a gap. The final stage looks like fun, not as good for the roadside fans as Arthur's Seat but it's good to see this event go to Kinglake and hopefully can bring in some much needed tourist dollars to the area which is still recovering from the 2009 bushfires, the Glenburn climb isn't that hard but that circuit has no flats spots so should get raced pretty hard. It's good to see the Sun Tour drawing some big name riders again and gaining prestige as in my opinion it's Australia's best stage race.

Agree. Great to see it back in Alpine country. A Herald-Sun Tour without an ascent of a proper mountain never seemed right to me.

 

[yaco]

More interested in how the young climber type OBE riders like Haig and Power perform, as well as other young Aussie riders - I wonder if DD and Cannondale will send a team.

 

[StryderHells]

Re:

More interested in how the young climber type OBE riders like Haig and Power perform, as well as other young Aussie riders - I wonder if DD and Cannondale will send a team.

Both Haig and Power are good bets to start the season in Oz, I'd like to see Haig at the Sun Tour with those parcours given a shot at leadership but that all depends on how ready to race Chaves is, Power would be a good shot to be racing both the Victorian races but that's just a guess at best. I fully expect Cannondale to be racing the Sun Tour and the Cuddles road race with the Drapac connection, also having 3 Oz riders and 2 Kiwi's helps, on a side not Brendan Canty has the KOM on the Glenburn climb https://www.strava.com/segments/832088 which will be used on the Kinglake circuit stage and he's been training a up that way a fair bit lately.
I'm also keen to see if Giant take Hamilton to the TDU, he could be a good shot to take the best young rider jersey

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Re: Re:

More interested in how the young climber type OBE riders like Haig and Power perform, as well as other young Aussie riders - I wonder if DD and Cannondale will send a team.

Both Haig and Power are good bets to start the season in Oz, I'd like to see Haig at the Sun Tour with those parcours given a shot at leadership but that all depends on how ready to race Chaves is, Power would be a good shot to be racing both the Victorian races but that's just a guess at best. I fully expect Cannondale to be racing the Sun Tour and the Cuddles road race with the Drapac connection, also having 3 Oz riders and 2 Kiwi's helps, on a side not Brendan Canty has the KOM on the Glenburn climb https://www.strava.com/segments/832088 which will be used on the Kinglake circuit stage and he's been training a up that way a fair bit lately.
I'm also keen to see if Giant take Hamilton to the TDU, he could be a good shot to take the best young rider jersey

Pat's Veg are racing SunTour so does that count out Cannondale?

http://www.slipstreamsports.com/2016/11/30/drapac-pats-veg-announces-roster-for-2017/

The team, made up of university students from all around Australia, will start the season at The 2017 Mars Cycling Australia Road National Championships in January before racing at Australia’s oldest stage race, the UCI 2.2-ranked Jayco Herald Sun Tour in February.

 

[del1962]

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/article/2016/12/02/tdu-podium-girls-go

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

https://cyclingtips.com/2016/12/chris-froome-to-start-his-2017-season-in-australia/

The Sun Tour in particular is shaping up as a thrilling contest with Chaves and Froome set to headline and organisers today revealing an exciting new course. The race will again begin with a 2.1km prologue time trial in the heart of Melbourne, before making the trek to north-east Victoria for stage 1. Starting in the rural centre of Wangaratta, the stage will go over the popular Tawonga Gap climb, before finishing with a 26km ascent towards Falls Creek (the stage will finish just before the summit).

Stage 2 starts in Mount Beauty and features a tough 10km climb to Stanley, before finishing with a 9km descent into Beechworth. Stage 3 will be the only chance for the sprinters, with a largely flat stage from Benalla to the Mitchelton Winery.

The Sun Tour’s popular race-ending summit finish at Arthurs Seat is gone in 2017, having been replaced with a circuit around the town of Kinglake, sure to be well attended on the Sunday by Melbourne’s many cyclists and cycling fans.

Good to see the Sun Tour using more of the wonderful parcours available in Victoria, this years route was brilliant and knowing the roads laid out for next years route it should be another good edition. Climbing the Tawonga Gap followed by Falls Creek is an ambitious mountain stage for an early season race but certainly plays to the strengths of the 2 big draw cards in Froome and Chaves, they are climbing the steep side of Tawonga and Falls doesn't look that hard on paper but the changing gradients does hurt the legs (no idea why they aren't going to the summit). That stage 2 descent into Beechworth is fast so good chance for someone to go full gas and create a gap. The final stage looks like fun, not as good for the roadside fans as Arthur's Seat but it's good to see this event go to Kinglake and hopefully can bring in some much needed tourist dollars to the area which is still recovering from the 2009 bushfires, the Glenburn climb isn't that hard but that circuit has no flats spots so should get raced pretty hard. It's good to see the Sun Tour drawing some big name riders again and gaining prestige as in my opinion it's Australia's best stage race.

Falls Creek from Mt Beauty isn't super hard, but long (24 kms) with some downhill in the first quarter. There's some steep pinches to work with and the top is at around 1700 metres if they go all the way to the end of the ski resort.

The weather should be mild on the climb, even in January, with low 20's and even high teens toward the top.

 

[yaco]

Gerrans confirmed for the Herald Sun Tour - A busy summer for Gerrans with the Nationals, TDU, Cadel Evans Race and the Herald-Sun Tour.

 

[MatParker117]

Thomas and Viviani will head to the TDU.

 

[yaco]

Thomas is a perennial at the TDU - Likes the racing and training available and it works for him - And he gets to watch some cricket.