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The Cycling Australia National Road Series kicked off yesterday with the first stage of the Tour de Perth offering up a thrilling finish on Rottnest Island.
The spoils went to Jack Anderson of Budget Forklifts, with the team also claiming second as Samuel Horgan managed to claim second place, closely followed by Neil Vad Der Ploeg (search2retain) in third.
Anderson began his sprint from the seven man group a long way out and though he admitted after that he is not a renowned sprinter, he explained that strength was the secret to this well-earned scalp.
“I was not the fastest sprinter there but I am strong enough to go from a long way out,” Anderson said.
“I attacked from the corner and held them off, it was fantastic.”
The 80km road race truly came to life halfway through the event, when at the 40km mark an eight man break went away that saw all the major teams represented.
This meant that the pack had little incentive to chase and out the onus on those in the break to maximize their advantage.
Also in the break were Jack Haig and Joe Cooper (both of Huon Salmon Genesys Wealth Advisers), Josh Taylor (GPM Data#3), Eric Sheppard (Search2Retain) and Samuel Volkers (Pro Team Downunder).
Bringing in the chasers was Anthony Giacoppo (Huon Salmon Genesys Wealth Advisers) followed by another Budget rider, Alex Wohler, highlighting the strength of the team.
Of the break, the rider everyone had their eye on was the third-placed Van Der Ploeg, but the Victoria rider found himself boxed in for the race to the line, allowing Anderson a clear run.
Anderson cleverly took advantage of the others’ hesitation, even having enough time to relax before the line and to celebrate, as did his second-placed teammate Horgan.
Horgan, in his first race for the team, was also naturally delighted.
“It’s an amazing feeling – the whole team is like a big family so it’s awesome,” he said later.
Today’s stage is a 20km individual time trial.
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