Six-man teams for Jayco u23 National Team and KordaMentha Team Australia
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Caleb Ewan (Jayco-AIS) wins the under-23 GP Palio del Recioto(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Australia's Glenn O'Shea in his world champions jersey in the flying lap in the men's Omnium(Image credit: Gerry McManus/www.splitsecondimages.co.uk)
The 2013 Jayco-AIS WorldTour Academy squad(Image credit: Cycling Australia)
Having just completed his first Tour Down Under on the backing of winning the U23 Australian men’s road race and criterium championships, Caleb Ewan will headline the Jayco national team at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Ewan’s best result on his WorldTour debut was a podium pace in the People's Choice Classic behind Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) and Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) although his opportunities thereafter were limited by a crash.
Joining Ewan on the squad is fellow UniSA member Bradley Linfield as well as junior road world championship representatives Robert Power who both stood alongside Ewan on the podium for the U23 men's road race in Ballarat. The other riders on the team area Sam Spokes (NSW), National time trial medallist Harry Carpenter and Alex Clements.
"This squad is likely to form the nucleus of the 2014 Jayco-AIS World Tour Academy who will race in Europe this season," said team director James Victor. "We look forward to getting the group back together for the first time since the world titles in Florence last year.
"Caleb in particular, has had a busy start to the year but we expect he and Robert Power to challenge for stage wins in bunch finishes."
Cycling Australia has also announced that it will also field an elite national team headlined by reigning track world champion and Olympic silver medallist, Glenn O'Shea and Victorian Patrick Shaw.
The pair will lead the team, KordaMentha-Team Australia, containing several promising talents known for their exploits in the National Road Series. Mt Baw Baw and Tour of Bright winner Matthew Clark, Robert Jon-McCarthy, Chris Jory and Thomas Hamilton complete the squad.
"The team is made up of mostly young guys who are stepping up but we have some more experienced members who we expect to be up high in the rankings," team director Dave Sanders said who spent last week with the UniSA team.
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"It's Australia's most historic race and we're really pleased to have a presence of Australian's in what is now an international race."
Sanders expects his team to make the most of their home ground advantage. "We would be looking at targeting the prologue with a guy like Glenn O'Shea who's the reigning one kilometre time trial national champion.
"Pat [Shaw] is probably the most experienced rider on the Australian circuit at the moment, the first two stages are run around his home town of Ballarat and he has a wealth of knowledge of these circuits.
"We know these roads and it's an advantage, more than an advantage, its gold."
The team will also have several experienced reserves with world champion bronze medallist Allan Davis, Giro d’Italia stage winner Matt Lloyd and Michael Fitzgerald.
Jayco u23 National Team Caleb Ewan (NSW) Bradley Linfield (WA) Robert Power (WA) Harry Carpenter (SA) Sam Spokes (NSW) Alex Clements (TAS)
KordaMentha Team Australia Glenn O'Shea (SA) Matthew Clarke (VIC) Robert John McCarthy (SA) Pat Shaw (VIC) Chris Jory (NSW) Thomas Hamilton (VIC) Reserves: Matthew Lloyd (VIC), Allan Davis (QLD) and Michael Fitzgerald (WA)
