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Orica-GreenEDGE leader Simon Gerrans has backed cycling teammate and good friend Daryl Impey as the South African fights a doping case.
Despite the drama surrounding Impey, Gerrans remains upbeat about team morale and his chances in the opening week of the Tour de France, which starts on Saturday in the English city of Leeds.
Impey, who protests his innocence, was forced out of their Tour team after he returned positive A and B samples to the banned substance Probenecid.
Gerrans famously engineered the transfer of the yellow jersey from himself to Impey early in last year’s Tour.
“I’m really feeling for Daryl in his current situation and I hope it’s something he can get sorted out quickly,” Gerrans told AAP.
“The process is a long way from over, so he has a good chance to try to prove his innocence.”
It has been a bad week for Orica-GreenEDGE, who are expected to be one of the most prominent teams in the opening days of the three-week Tour.
Apart from Impey’s doping crisis, young sprint star Michael Matthews crashed heavily in training and is likely to miss his Tour debut.
Canadian Christian Meier has flown to England as cover for Matthews, who is bandaged heavily and has six stitches in a hand wound.
But Gerrans said with five Tour rookies in their lineup, morale is strong no matter what challenges face Orica-GreenEDGE.
“Everyone is really looking forward to getting started,” Gerrans said .
“Your first Tour de France is always a really exciting thing to do … what everyone dreams of competing in.
“So everyone is really motivated.”
While Gerrans is not one of the overall Tour contenders – the Australian is not suited to the big mountain climbs – he comes to the race with top form and will try to repeat last year’s heroics.
Along with leading the Tour early, Gerrans also won a stage last year and Orica-GreenEDGE took out the team time trial.
This year, Gerrans realised a career goal in April when he won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic.
Sunday’s second stage from York to Sheffield has the same sort of hilly course profile as Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Gerrans has made no secret of his ambitions.
“The stage, profile-wise, suits me really well,” Gerrans said.
“It’s very similar to the Ardennes classics – a lot of short, quite steep climbs.
“Hopefully I will be up there, having a good day and going for the victory.”
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