THE Tour of the Great South Coast kicked off on Tuesday morning, with the opening two stages around the streets of Mount Gambier.
Australia’s world championship team staged a 1, 2, 3 finish in the criterium around Vansittart Park in the morning, before facing a real challenge around the Blue Lake road course in the afternoon.
In the washup from the two stages, Japan 2020 Olympics gold medal hopeful Sam Welsford – with a first place in the morning and third in the afternoon – now leads the tour after the first day by six seconds over Rylee Field, with Kelland O’Brien nine seconds adrift in third.
In the opening criterium of the National Road Series event around a Vansittart Park street circuit, the riders covered 30 laps and the Limestone Coast turned on the weather, which in previous years has been wet, cold conditions.
The Pro Racing Sunshine Coast team set the tour benchmark early as it filled the podium, which was no real surprise, with the team consisting of the world-record-holding Australian pursuit riders.
Welsford took the first honours of the tour with the victory, ahead of team mates Cameron Scott and O’Brien.
“This was a perfect ride by the boys,” Sam Welsford said.
“This is our post-Europe tour and we have put into action a few things we learned from the European trip.
“We stayed calm throughout and went for it on the final lap.
“Kel led the way for the fist half and then Cam came from his wheel until the last corner and then I did the rest.
“It all worked out perfectly.”
In the washup O’Brien assumed the leader’s jersey after some impressive sprint performances.
He also claimed the sprint jersey after a big opening stage.
Following the team’s recent success on the international stage, O’Brien said it was pleasing to take the first win of the tour.
“It is awesome to take a win here,” he said.
“It was nice to have the sunshine out – last year it was wet so it was good to take the raincoat off.”
Welsford currently leads the criterium honours after his victory, with two more criteriums to race at Naracoorte and Portland.
The most aggressive rider of the morning’s stage went to Anchor Point’s Jordan Villani, who was pleased to take the honour against such a tough field.
The rising star honours went to Drapac’s Jensen Plowright, which should go a long way to help him find a new ride, with the team to disband after 15 years of racing.
The opening stage saw one moment of carnage where a rider was taken away in an ambulance after a crash mid-field, but all else went to plan in the ideal conditions.
From there the tour headed up to Reidy Park for stage two, a road race around the Blue Lake and the streets close to the school.
The afternoon planned a little differently to the morning, with the tough, hilly course allowing other teams and riders to challenge the world champions.
As a result GPM-Stultz rider Field claimed the stage win with an impressive performance on the final downhill section of the course.
Inform’s Lucas Plapp claimed second place from stage-one winner Welsford.
Welsford claimed the leader’s jersey from teammate O’Brien, with the latter retaining his sprint classification lead.
The first King of the Mountain honours went to Drapac’s Ryan Thomas, who rode a strong race in a small breakaway group.
The most aggressive rider of the stage went to Inform’s Nathan Elliot, while Plowright retained his rising star jersey.
Welsford said he was pleased and surprised to don the leader’s jersey after the opening day.
“I did not think I would be in the leader’s jersey (after the opening day),” he said.
“It was a really hard stage around the Blue Lake, but it is really awesome.
“We are hoping to continue on with the success we are having, but there are still six more stages left.”
Welsford said he expected to be targeted now, but felt his team was up to the challenge.
“I think we will have a target on our backs, but we are here to race really hard and I think a lot of teams know that,” he said.
“It is good to be in the jersey, but we cannot be complacent – it is a long tour.”
Welsford won the elite scratch race at the world championships this year less than an hour after he was part of the winning team pursuit team which set a world-record time of 3:48.012.
The Tour of the Great South Coast moves on to the notoriously-tough Port MacDonnell stage today, but Welsford claimed success there last year and is keen for another crack.
“Last year the Port Mac stage was an awesome race and the cross winds were really savage,” he said.
“It is probably one of my favourite stages so I am really excited for it.”
Today’s stage begins at the Port MacDonnell waterfront at 11am, with five laps of a town and rural circuit over 128.5km.
