- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Lance Armstrong was quick to praise his new signing Tim Roe after the young Adelaide native shone in his first Tour Down Under. The 20-year-old cyclist was in a three-man break that dominated the 141km opening stage north of Adelaide from Clare to Tanunda.
Roe is riding this week for the UniSA composite national team, but Armstrong’s Trek Livestrong development team signed him late last year.
Once he finishes this week’s Tour, Roe will go to the United States to ride for Trek Livestrong.
“Nice effort today (monster break) for Tim Roe … way to show some guts and toughness, Timmy!” Armstrong said in a Twitter post.
The break was caught well before the finish, but Roe will wear the King of the Mountain jersey in Wednesday’s second stage.
He was also named the stage’s most aggressive rider.
“At the start we (UniSA) had everyone represented in every move that went and I was just lucky enough to get away,” Roe said.
“Getting in the right move that stuck, that’s always hard, to be at the front of the race with 20km to go is always good.”
UniSA riders are always prominent in this Tour and manager Dave Sanders tries to ensure they are represented in all attacks.
He was also full of praise for Roe, who is widely regarded as a rider with great potential.
“He’s our best climber, we hopefully get him in a group, get him up the hill, so it worked out really well,” Sanders said.
“If they had 20km climbs, he would be top-10 in (this) Tour.
“These are shorter, steeper hills – he looks good, but he’d look better on long climbs, that’s his thing.
“He’s a rider who may not look all that flash in Australia, but in the European racing he will stand out, those big climbs.”
Sanders is bound to unleash Roe again in Saturday’s decisive stage, which will feature two climbs up Willunga Hill, but the softly-spoken youngster was not talking up his prospects.
“Climbing with the real guys is going to be a bit different to climbing with the breakaway (riders),” Roe said.
“My form isn’t super-good at the moment, but good enough for the break – it’s all right.”
What’s your best bet? For great odds on all your favourite sports check out PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.