| |
This year the criteriums start off
the Australian National Championships giving the sprinters a
chance to shine on the opening day.
The Route
The circuit is the same as previous years. The 1.1km circuit
is not flat, starting with a brief rise before a descent and
an uphill final 400m to the finish at around 3%.
2014 Results
1 Steele VON HOFF
2 Anthony GIACOPPO +2
3 Brenton JONES +2
4 Cameron MEYER +4
5 Michael FITZGERALD +4
6 Rico ROGERS +4
7 Neil VAN DER PLOEG +4
8 Allan DAVIS +4
9 Craig HUTTON +4
10 Darren LAPTHORNE +8
The Contenders
Full Start List available
here
Steele Von Hoff
Finished second in 2013 after Cameron Meyer held off the
chase. Last year Von Hoff took the win in a bunch sprint to
pull on the Green and Gold jersey. Von Hoff was left in the
dark when Garmin-Sharp left him hanging on if his contract
would be renewed. After signing with British continental team
NFTO Von Hoff will ride a lot of criteriums in 2015, providing
extra motivation to retain the title.
Second on stage three of the Bay Crits but unable to beat Ewan
and has no teammates for support. With no team support expect
Von Hoff to play a waiting game and try and win a bunch
sprint.
Caleb Ewan
Won both the under 23 criterium and road race last year and is
the big favourite to take the elite criterium title this year.
Despite still being under 23 years of age, Ewan now rides at
the elite level due to his professional contract with
Orica-GreenEDGE. There is probably nobody in the field who can
match Ewan's speed so in a sprint finish expect to see Ewan as
the name to watch.
Ewan won the first three stages of the Bay Crits thanks in
part due to his teams dominance. A rare chance to be the first
rider to clean sweep the event fell apart when Orica-GreenEDGE
let a break go up the road on the final stage. With just one
rider on the team here it might be hard to stay in contention.
Orica-GreenEDGE's focus is on retaining their road race and
time trial wins but Ewan will still have strong support from
Leigh Howard.
Brenton Jones and Drapac
After winning the Bay Crits in 2014 Jones came in as a name to
watch and he didn't disappoint claiming bronze. Jones went
from strength to strength throughout the year winning both in
Australian in the NRS and also overseas. Jones, now with
Drapac has confirmed himself as one of the top sprinters
domestically.
Last year Drapac's entire train went down on the final corner
so expect to see them determined to make up for the
disappointment of last year. It is a strong team to support
Brenton Jones and the recruitment of leadout man Graeme Brown
will be key to that. The engines of Bernie Sulzberger and Sam
Spokes add additional firepower to the team.
Shannon Johnson
A name that might not be familiar to those who don't follow
domestic racing in Australia. Johnson started out racing
superbikes before switching to cycling. The criterium
specialist picked up wins in Noosa and Tasmania at the end of
2014 as well as numerous victories during the NRS. He might
not have the team of a number of other favourites but expect
him to work off other teams.
Anthony Giacoppo
Giacoppo took the win in 2012 ahead of Renshaw and Von Hoff. A
long time rider of the now Avanti Racing Team will look to
start off strongly but is just one of a number of options the
team has. In recent years has spent a lot of his time as a
leadout rider for the likes of Brenton Jones, Scott Law and
Steel Von Hoff. Runner up to Steel Von Hoff last year who
could again be in contention.
Neil van der Ploeg
Neil van der Ploeg won the Stan Siejka Cycling Classic in
Launceston in December for the second time, beating Steele Von
Hoff. One of a number of options for Avanti racing and a
regular winner in Australia. Finished seventh last year but
teammate Giacoppo finished second. Depending on the tactics of
Avanti van der Ploeg could well be in contention for the
victory.
Luke Davison, Scott Sunderland and Budget Forklifts
Budget Forklifts may have been a bit under the radar over the
past few years with the success of Avanti and Drapac but the
team consistently picks up big results in Australia and Asia.
Several new recruits bolster the team including most of the
Australian men's track endurance squad.
Luke Davison a former NRS winner and World and Commonwealth
team pursuit champion packs a fast finisher and could
challenge the likes of Ewan and Johnson. Former team sprint
and Commonwealth 1km TT champion Scott Sunderland continues
his switch to endurance and won the Shimano Super Crit in a
dominating sprint. The course here though might be too much
for Sunderland.
Sam Witmitz won three stages and the overall at the Tour of
Taihu Lake. Likely to be used in a leadout but with Tommy
Nankervis the team has a formidable train.
Wesley Sulzberger
After being dropped by Drapac, Wesley Sulzberger finds himself
on the now continental Navitas Satalyst Racing team run by his
manager. The former under 23 World Championships silver
medallist had a solid 2014 season finishing second at the
Adelaide Tour and sixth at the Tour of Tasmania. Has a strong
finish and will be looking for early season results to rebuild
his career.
Luke Ockerby
The track and criterium specialist could prove to be the real
surprise. The former winner of the Stan Siejka Classic has
spent the past few weeks at the Tasmania Christmas carnivals
picking up a number of wins and podiums. Has a very quick
sprint and could upset a number of better-known rivals.
Other names to watch: Oliver Kent-Spark, Ryan MacAnally, Rico
Rogers, Pat Shaw, Stu Shaw, Paul Van der Ploeg, Mitchell
Mulhern, Ben Hill and Craig Hutton. |
|