William Clarke (Drapac) proved that he is a real prologue specialist when he took a narrow win in the short 2.1km time trial that started the Herald Sun Tour in Australia. Being one of the final riders down the ramp, he beat sprint sensation Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEDGE) by less than a second to become the first leader in the race while his teammate Brenton Jones completed the podium.

One year ago William Clarke came frustratingly close to the win in the Herald Sun Tour prologue when he was just 2 seconds off the time set by Jack Bauer, ultimately ending the stage in third. Later in the year he went on to win the prologues in the Tours of Japan and Kumano, proving that he is an excellent specialist in short time trials, and this made him eager to get his revenge when the oldest Australian stage race again started with a short, technical time trial in Melbourne.

Held over just 2.1km with lots of turns and a few small climbs, the course was always expected to suit the sprinters and prologue specialists more than the real time triallists and this made Clarke one of the pre-race favourites. Being the fifth last rider to start his ride, he faced a nervous wait while he could see the mark constantly being lowered by riders like Joe Cooper (Avanti), Sam Bewley (Orica-GreenEDGE) and his Drapac teammate Brenton Jones.

A few minutes before Clarke hit the course, one of the outsiders, sprinter Caleb Ewan, did even better than Jones when he stopped the clock in 2.36.42 and put Clarke under pressure. In the final wave of riders, Clarke was the only real threat to the young Australian but he lived up to the pre-race expectations by setting a time of 2.35.52 to win the race by less than a second.

Among the final four starters, only defending champion Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE) was a potential threat to Clarke. However, he is no specialist in this kind of effort and could only manage 7th. That must have been satisfying though as he turned out to be the best of the GC contenders, notably beating his teammate Cameron Meyer by a seconds, with the pair of Orica-GreenEDGE riders being the two big overall favourites.

With the win, William Clarke will wear the first leader’s jersey when racing resumes tomorrow. The 156.9km stage 1 has two solid climbs in its first half but as the final half is slightly descending, there is time for a regrouping and unless the wind plays a role, a sprint finish is expected.

A short course

The 28th edition of the Herald Sun Tour kicked off with a very short 2.1km twilight prologue in Melbourne. The short course was very technical and included a few smaller climbs, meaning that it suited explosive and punchy riders more than traditional time trial specialists.

The first rider down the ramp was talented climber Robert Power (UniSA) who stopped the clock in a time of 2.48.37 to set the first mark of the day. However, Christopher Lawless (Great Britain) quickly relegated him as he set a time of 2.42.32.

Howson takes the lead

Among the next riders, no one was able to challenge the Brit until Danny Summerhill (UnitedHealthCare) got close with a time of 2.42.80. However, it was former U23 world champion Damien Howson (Orica-GreenEDGE) who finally relegated Lawless into second when he rounded off the first wave of riders by setting a time of 2.41.28.

David Edwards (Charter Mason) had a very good ride to slot into third ahead of Summerhill but it was Joe Cooper (Avanti) who stole the attention. The Kiwi proved to be much faster than his fellow early starter and he set a time of 2.38.64 that would place him firmly in the hot set.

Best time for Bewley

Graham Briggs (Condor) just missed out on the top 3 before Adam Phelan (Drapac) proved himself ready for the race by slotting into second with a time of 2.40.70. Now the eyes were on Sam Bewley (Orica-GreenEDGE) though who made use of his track experience to push Cooper out of the hot seat with a time of 2.37.19.

Bewley came under press from Paul van der Ploeg (Charter Mason) who powered around the course in a time of 2.37.69, narrowly missing out on the provisional lead. Moments later Lachlan Norris (Drapac) proved himself ready for the GC fight when he set a time of 2.41.26.

Jones lowers the mark

Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEDGE) is one of the overall favourites and one of the favourites for the prologue too but the Australian just missed out on his teammate Bewley’s mark. The former Tour Down Under stopped the clock in 2.38.85 which was only enough for fourth.

Brenton Jones (Drapac) showed that the course suited the fast guys when he became the rider to finally beat Bewley. With a time of 2.36.85 he moved into the hot seat but quickly faced a big threat from track and time trial specialist Michael Hepburn (Orica-GreenEDGE). However, the former Australian time trial champion could only manage 2.37.26 which was enough for third.

Ewan moves into the hot seat

Jack Beckinsale (UniSA) had a decent ride but it was Neil van der Ploeg (Avanti) who was the next to get close. With a time of 2.37.22, he slotted into third, making it two van der Ploegs in the top 10.

Felix English (Condor) set a time of 2.40.02 while sprinter Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) showed good condition with a time of 2.40.15. However, the eyes were now on Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEDGE), one of the big favourites on this short, explosive course. With a time of 2.36.42, Ewan didn’t disappoint and he denied Jones the chance for a surprise win.

Clarke takes the win

Steele Von Hoff (Australia) was another favourite and he made it into 8th with a time of 2.38.79. Samuel Witzmitz (Budget Forklifts) had a very good ride to just miss out on the top 10 but it was Patrick Bevin (Avanti) who was now the man in the spotlight. Tipped as a potential winner, the Kiwi set a time of 2.37.65 which was enough for 6th.

Kristian House (Condor) had a decent ride to finish in the top 20 before arguably the biggest favourite William Clarke (Drapac) hit the course. The Australian didn’t disappoint as he became the only rider to go below the 2.36 mark with a time of 2.35.53.

The only real threat was defending champion Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE). Not known as a specialist for this kind of effort, he did well by slotting into seventh, setting himself up for a defence of his title.