NRS teams on display at the 2020 Sun Tour
The 2020 Edition of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour and the Lexus of Blackburn Women’s Herald Sun Tour are set to host 11 NRS level teams.
The event represents a fantastic opportunity for national-level riders to gain experience at a UCI level.
An event that is invitation only, it features WorldTour teams and is a great chance to show off the depth of the NRS ranks.
Oliver’s Real Food Racing DS, Sam Lyzell is looking forward to the event and is hoping to make a splash.
“Our focus is to be a factor in the race, in this race, it’s such an open field with so many potential winners and so many different scenarios. The most important thing is that we are a factor in the race, and we also represent our sponsors and race aggressively and take the race to others. We are under no illusion that it’s going to be a tough tour, that being said however, we will look to be aggressive and present especially in breakaways.”
“We’ve got Conor Murtagh, who nabbed a top 10 on a stage last year, and was really outstanding and will be looking to repeat that performance. So we’ve got a few options. You cannot discount it, and you see it time and time again: the local domestic guys on the domestic teams are a factor and they are not to be underestimated.”
Riding the women’s tour this year is 2019 National Road Series Champion Team, Roxsolt Attaquer, who have had impressive performances at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, with Madeliene Wright shaking up the race as part of a five rider breakaway.
“I’m really enjoying it [the team] they are a relaxed bunch of girls who take their racing seriously but don’t take themselves too seriously so it’s really good fun.
“To race in front of a home crowd, it’s going to be amazing, I live in Albury and we’ve got a lot of local support out there, which will be really fun.”
Specialized Women’s Racing’s Kate Perry is keen to attack the hills of the women’s Tour.
“As soon as I saw that the second stage was an ascent of Falls Creek, I put my hand up! It is hands down my favourite climb, having spent a few summers up there over the years, I have come to know it quite well. It is a super exciting climb and one that has a bit of everything (false flats, pinches, and some steady gradients).
“I am super keen to give it a crack on the Falls stage. The JHST has put on some fantastic races over the past two years, with some phenomenal athletes Brodie Chapman and Lucy Kennedy taking out overall honours.”
ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast will also be sporting their men’s and women’s teams this year, featuring both young talent and depth with 2019 national champion Michael Freiberg and Ruby Roseman-Gannon both adding firepower to their teams.
Veris Women’s Racing have made the trek across the Nullabor and will be there to gain valuable experience at the top level.
A fresh-faced & youthful line up at StepFWDIT Suzuki will see their team hungry to prove themselves with Bre Vine looking to make a splash with her new team in 2020.
With Jess Pratt graduating from Sydney Uni Staminade to the WorldTour in 2019, her younger sister Emma Pratt joined the team late in the year and we can’t wait to see a bit of sibling rivalry in the hills. It will be good spectating to watch the Pratt sisters face-off, with Jess Pratt riding for the KordaMentha National Team.
The recently renamed Nero Continental will be looking to their road captain, Chris Miller for advice on how to get through the gruelling middle stages in the high country.
The team has a few new exciting signings in 2020, and we cannot wait to see Jesse Coyle race his way up Falls Creek.
St George Continental Cycling Team have a squad that’s focused on youth, with Ryan Cavanagh being the natural leader out on the road. We would expect Carter Bettles to animate the peloton with a long-range solo breakaway like he so often does in the NRS.