An ambitious ORICA-GreenEDGE will line up in the final two races of the Australian summer of cycling looking to wrap up the local season on the top step of the podium.

Named today, the team has selected a versatile six-rider squad looking to impose themselves this Sunday at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and again at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour from Wednesday, 4 February.

The six-riders will be: Sam Bewley, Simon Clarke, Caleb Ewan, Michael Hepburn, Damien Howson and Cameron Meyer.

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

Returning to racing after his Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic victory and national championship silver medal earlier this year, Caleb Ewan is the first of many options for success at the one-day Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race this Sunday.

The 20-year-old resumed training following his successful elite road national championship debut and despite being mindful of conditions, is confident in his form for Sunday.

“I have been training pretty hard since the national championships and I think I’ll be in even better form for Cadel’s race and for the Sun Tour,” Ewan said.

“I have looked at the course and I think it can go either way depending on the weather.  It is a pretty tough course and I think if the weather is alright a pretty good sized bunch will get to the end for the sprint but if the weather is bad and there is a lot of wind then it will get split into little groups everywhere.

“If it comes down to a medium sized group at the end, I think I can go pretty well.”

Sport director Matt Wilson expects racing to be exciting and is confident in the team’s options for success.

“I think is a really good course and it’s certainly going to provide some surprises,” Wilson said.

“For me it’s going to come down to those last couple of laps and whether or not the sprinters teams can get organised to bring it back or whether a small group will be able to stay away.

“We have a really good team. We have a lot of cards to play and no doubt about it, we are going there to win.”

Jayco Herald Sun Tour

Attention then switches to the Jayco Herald Sun Tour where ORICA-GreenEDGE return with reigning champion Simon Clarke and similarly ambitious goals.

Clarke secured his victory last year courtesy of a stage two victory from a breakaway and is ready to defend his title in the five-day Tour kicking off on Wednesday, 4 February.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to the Sun Tour,” Clarke said.

“We come back this year with high expectations to defend our title and you can expect to see us working hard to achieve that.

“As the defending champions you always have a slightly bigger target on you back but we are bringing a strong team, including four of us who have just ridden at the Tour Down Under, and I am confident we can get the job done.”

Wilson again reiterated the team’s desire on what he says is a course that suits their abilities well.

“Absolutely we are going there to win again,” Wilson said. 

“The team we are bring to the end of the Australian cycling season is very solid and in great form.

“The course suits us well and we will be looking for stage wins and the overall.”

ORICA-GreenEDGE at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and Jayco Herald Sun Tour:

Sam Bewley
Simon Clarke
Caleb Ewan
Michael Hepburn
Damien Howson
Cameron Meyer