After a two year-break, the Jayco Herald Sun Tour is back on the UCI calendar. In 2012 the race wasn't held at all while it was only a national event last year. For the upcoming edition of the Victorian race, Cycling Australia has announced both an under-23 and an elite national selection.

 

Starlet Caleb Ewan is likely to headline the Jayco-sponsored under-23 team after his WorldTour debut at the Tour Down Under last week. After winning the criterium and road titles in his age category, Ewan performed well in the People's Choice Classic criterium preceding the actual race, reaching the podium behind renowned sprinter Marcel Kittel and André Greipel.

 

However, Ewan might still opt out of the second-biggest Australian race. In the road stages of the Tour Down Under he was nowhere to be seen, only coming back again in the closing criterium stage six, where he placed 15th. That is not at all unusual or a cause for concern for a 19-year old in only his second senior season, but Ewan may choose to get some rest ahead of a busy European season: “I'll take a day or two to decide,“ he told the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday. „I don't want to go to Europe overcooked.“

 

Bradley Linfield also comes from the Tour Down Under, and the climber could make a bid for the overall win. If Ewan sits the race out, the team will look to Robert Power for the sprints. Sam Spokes, Alex Clements and Harry Carpenter make up the rest of the team.

 

Ex-WorldTour pros only reserves for elite selection

 

Double track world champion Glenn O'Shea and Victoria-born Patrick Shaw will lead the elite national team, sponsored by real estate company KordaMentha for the race. Ballarat resident Shaw in particular is expected to put his route knowledge to good use in a bid for overall victory: “Pat [Shaw] is probably the most experienced rider on the Australian circuit at the moment, and he has a wealth of knowledge of these circuits,“ said team director Dave Sanders.

 

Matthew Clarke, Robert John McCarthy, Chris Jory and Thomas Hamilton complete the team, leaving nothing more than reserve spots for Allan Davis and Matthew Lloyd, as well as Michael Fitzgerald. Both experienced riders with several years of WorldTour experience, Davis and Lloyd had to take a step back when their contracts weren't renewed last autumn.

 

Former Giro d'Italia mountain jersey winner Lloyd has since signed with US Continental team Jelly Belly, while Davis has yet to find a team. Without the opportunity to show himself in Victoria, the chances of securing a deal with a team based in Europe have to be severely diminished.

 

However, there is still a back door into the race: If Caleb Ewan decides not to line up after all, Robert John McCarthy would probably move into the under-23 team, where he is listed as the only reserve. This would open a spot for Lloyd or Davis – or indeed Fitzgerald.

 

The Jayco Herald Sun Tour starts on 5th February.

 

 

Australian under-23 national team for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour

Caleb Ewan, Bradley Linfield, Robert Power, Harry Carpenter, Sam Spokes, Alex Clements.

Reserve: Robert John McCarthy.

 

Australian elite national team for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour

Glenn O'Shea, Matthew Clarke, Robert John McCarthy, Patrick Shaw, Chris Jory, Thomas Hamilton.

Reserves: Matthew Lloyd, Allan Davis, Michael Fitzgerald.