BLOG Carter Turnbull’s Summer of Cycling with the KordaMentha National Team
Thanks to Cycling Australia and KordaMentha I was able to compete in both the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and the 2020 Jayco Herald Sun Tour.
With the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race being a UCI WorldTour race, it is always one to look forward to and is certain to be a hard day of racing. The Jayco Herald Sun Tour isn’t far off being a UCI 2.1 and having four WorldTour teams competing, along with the hard parcourse including two mountain top summit finishes.
For Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, we had a plan to get up the road and see if I could take out either the KOM or intermediate sprint competition and the race played out quite well for me. After some early crosswinds, I was able to get away with my teammate, Elliot Shultz.
Both being in the KordaMentha National Team was great for our trade team (InForm TM Insight MAKE) sponsors and also for both of us to work hard and not worry about tactics. After many hard hours Elliott faded late, which meant I was able to take both KOM and intermediate sprint jerseys making it one of my best days racing so far.
With two days off after a hard day of racing at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, I was keen to get the Jayco Herald Sun Tour underway.
The opening stage was expected to have large amounts of crosswinds and straight from the gun. Due to the wind being slightly weaker and predominantly a tailwind, it resulted in the peloton staying together for a large bunch sprint into Shepparton. It was a good start for the KordaMentha national team with Godfrey Slattery sprinting to fifth and the highest placed non-WorldTour rider.
Stage Two was the first day for the climbers and those looking towards the general classification. After the long ride up to Falls Creek, the overall standings started taking shape with Rudy Porter just outside the top 10 in eleventh place and second in the young riders competition.
After a hard finish the day before, the next stage started on the same note up Tawonga Gap. It took roughly an hour for the main break of the day to get away. After initially missing the move I rode across with another rider and settled in for another long day out. It was a good course for a break but being the longest stage (180km) of the tour all meant the break would have to work hard to survive to the finish. In the end, it wasn’t to be and was another bunch sprint.
The second mountain top finish for the tour was expected to decide the general classification. With potential crosswinds, it was a fast and nervous start. However, the action that many expected in the crosswinds never came and it was just left up to the climb up Mount Buller to decide it. With Rudy putting in another strong climb he moved up to 9th overall with just one day remaining.
As the final stage of the tour and being in the heart of Melbourne, huge crowds were watching. With 22 laps including the rise up Anderson street, it was set to be a challenging criterium. As expected it was a fast race that ended with a reduced bunch sprint. For the KordaMentha national team, we managed to keep Rudy safe and hang onto his 9th in the general classification and 2nd in the young rider classification.
With a variety of stages suiting both sprinters and climbers, it was a challenging but enjoyable Tour for all riders.
About the KordaMentha National Team
The KordaMentha Real Estate National team is focused on providing pathways for riders to develop and race with the elite ranks of cycling.
Over the Australian Summer of Cycling, six men’s and women’s endurance development racing teams were prepared by Cycling Australia for the Santos Tour Down Under, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race plus Race Torquay, and the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.
The teams provide an important development opportunity for athletes within National Road Series (NRS) teams to contest UCI events within Australia.
This is KordaMentha’s third year as a partner of Cycling Australia to the summer of cycling.