By timbo_77
October 14th 2008 @ 12:23am
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Loading ...Cyclists ready to roll on the Sun Tour
The 2008 six stage edition of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour will include some of the biggest names in world and domestic cycling. Fifteen teams of seven riders have been invited to contest the Sun Tour this year, including international professional teams such as CSC-Saxo Bank (Denmark), Barloworld (Italy) and Toyota United (USA).
Stuart O’Grady, Brad McGee, Baden Cooke, Hilton Clarke, Henk Vogels, Matthew Goss and Ben Day will lead the Australian assault for the 57th Sun Tour.
The international stars are rolling out in force again to take home Australia’s oldest professional stage race, including Great Britain’s Chris Froome and Denmark’s Lars Bak.
The festival on wheels begins its journey with a preface criterium in Traralgon on Sunday October 12, culminating with the traditional Lygon Street criterium in Carlton a week later.
The first stage of the tour begins on Monday October 13th in Traralgon and takes the riders to a seaside finish in the South East Gippsland town of Inverloch.
The Stage Four, 115.4km journey from Alexandra to Mt Buller, provides the toughest stage finish with a category one climb to the summit of Mt Buller.
The Fifth Stage penultimate time trial is being predicted as the tours defining stage, with Ben Day, the 2006 Commonwealth Games Silver medallist in the time trial discipline, firming as an early favourite.
Brad McGee will ride his last professional race before taking up a new role with CSC-Saxo Bank in 2009 as Directuer Sportif.
McGee is replacing fellow Australian Scott Sunderland, who is moving on to take up the Sports Manager position with the new, Team Cervelo.
The Sun Tour will also mark the graduation for many young riders from domestic development teams to professional European squads, including Mitchell Docker (Skil-Shimano) and Cameron Myer (Garmin-Chipotle).
With the recent suspensions of Stefan Schumacher and Leornardo Piepoli for testing positive to CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator) during the 2008 Tour de France, a clean Jayco Herald Sun Tour will be a positive step towards rebuilding Australian cycling fans’ faith in the sport.
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