Written by Willunga Hill at 23:37 15/4-2017
With Austin lining up for one of his last big chances at a tour win, Willunga Hill's management takes a look over the field of Season 40's ROTM.
The race is threatened with a Kiwi takeover with two of NZ's leading OCM climbers, Shane Austin of Willunga Hill and Aidan Randall of Rorys Rovers on the starting line this season. Already among the top favourites for this year's race, each is likely to start the race in top form. Both riders look likely to have deputies arriving at the start in top form too, with Rorys Rovers' other climbing strong man, Jakob Farstad also a TF candidate, while Willunga Hill is looking to compensate for a not-so-strong squad by arriving with no less than 4 riders (including Austin) in TF. Willunga Hill is also hoping the young American Brent Stanley can push for a podium in the YC too.
Speaking of the youth jersey, another young man looking to kick off ROTM in TF is Ghost Riders' Keith Townslie. With his TF kicking in, he has to be viewed as not just the heavy favourite for the youth jersey, but also one of the main favourites for the overall.
Another TF rider is Tobiasz Lukaszewicz of WestPomeranian. Perhaps the main challenger to Townslie's charge for the youth jersey, he seems a good chance for a podium in the main event too.
Once again we see Treaty City CC enter the tour with two very strong riders in Leo Drinkwater and Wilbur Garrity. As with previous editions, it is likely Garrity will sacrifice his own chances for the Irish #1 Drinkwater, who has finished 4th and 2nd in the past two seasons. With the team among the strongest of all in the race, can he utilise that strength to reach the stop step of the podium this time around?
While on the subject of strong teams, perhaps the only team stronger on paper than Treaty City CC is Conero cycling team. Such is the strength of their squad, the team doesn't have an out-and-out stand out rider for leader, but it seems likely that their initial protected rider will be either the Brazilian Manuel Caldeira or the Canadian Kirby Sanford.
The third standout team is ichti's Lots o Huggin Bear. As with Conero cycling team, they arrive with a very strong team but without a clear leader -- Libya's #1 rider Mohamed Ashour Buzbeda seems surely to be the early leader, but the team has at least 3 more who can step up should he falter. Buzbeda comes to ROTM needing "only" 131 points to become just the 4th Libyan to reach 1000 OCM points.
The purest of all the climbers in this season's race is the Slovenian Bruno Hacin of de stamper. Another YC aspirant arriving in TF, his CL and TT specialties mask several deficiencies which stop him from otherwise being a true OCM superstar. Still, he cannot be viewed as anything other than another leading contender for the overall.
Among the outsiders worth looking out for we also have last season's 3rd place Henning Olufsen of Hilltup (perhaps a little short on fitness to have a repeat), Celtic Wolves' Derwin Viggers, the Dane Jonathan Berthelsen of TD Rockets, who will have the support of yet another TF rider in the experienced Olaf Theunissen, and iheb pro team's Ferdinando Lisboa, supported by yet another Kiwi climber in Glen Styris.
For all New Zealanders though, the big question remains: "Can the Kiwis take 1-2 in this season's ROTM?". Management of Willunga Hill certainly hopes so!
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Comments
And Randall and Farstad missed out on TF... bad news for the Kiwis! :-(
Missed one key piece of info -- WestPomeranian coming with 5 riders in TF!! Lukaszewicz might be the man to watch!
Nice preview looks like there is strong competition
No we had no-one in top form for last year. Squad is feeling refreshed, motivated and in good spirits this year.
Thanks. Gotta be hoping the bad luck you had last year with Randall doesn't happen this time around. With TF triggering, he has to be a real good chance for the win -- I honestly don't remember if he was in TF last season...
Good write up. We shall see if the kiwis can fly!
Good write up. We shall see if the kiwis can fly!
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