The 2015 season is about to kick off. Orica-GreenEDGE will get back up to racing speed at the criterium series known as Bay Crits where Caleb Ewan will target wins for the Australian team.

Up and coming sprinter Caleb Ewan will launch his first full season with ORICA-GreenEDGE at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic from this Friday, 2 January.

The ‘Bay Crits’, the first race of a full summer of cycling in Australia, is a happy hunting ground for Ewan who is striving high in his debut season in the elite ranks of international cycling.

Amongst an impressive junior resume, which includes a world championship silver medal and multiple stages of the Tour de l’Avenir, the 20-year-old won the overall title at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic in 2013 and the final stage earlier this year to finish third overall in 2014.

And Ewan, who was promoted from a stagiaire (trainee) role in October, will be amongst good company for another assault on the four-day criterium series in 2015.

The New South Welshman will be joined by top lead out man Mitch Docker, current Australian time trial champion Michael Hepburn, 2013 world under-23 time trial champion Damien Howson and multiple track world champions Leigh Howard and Cameron Meyer.

Amongst the group there will be a variety of objectives, some more focused on preparation for the up coming Australian championships in Ballarat, sport director Matt Wilson explained.

“I expect all of the guys to be going very well actually,” Wilson said.

“Caleb is targeting early season races so he should be in great form, we have two guys going for the time trial at the nationals in Hepburn and Howson, Leigh Howard is always very good at the Bay Crits and Mitch Docker has won here in the past also.

“It’s a good preparation race for the summer. What it does is give these guys a bit of extra racing heading into a full January program so they get time to do some intensity, get the race legs on and then move onto the nationals, Tour Down Under and the races to follow.”

In term of objectives, the focus will be on individual criteriums and the team is expected to utilise the new race rules by pulling riders in and out of the different race days to make the most of the opportunity.

“It’s not a super high pressure race for us,” Wilson said. “But that being said anytime we put the number on in Australia we are expected to win.

“I think if we walk away with a stage win throughout the series we will be pretty happy with that. Anything else is a bonus.”

ORICA-GreenEDGE at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic:

Mitch Docker
Caleb Ewan
Michael Hepburn
Leigh Howard
Damien Howson
Cameron Meyer