Cameron Scott may have been a late addition to the Bahrain Victorious squad for the Tour de Romandie but the Australian has already made the most of the opportunity, putting in a scorching performance in the prologue to step up onto his first WorldTour podium.
The 26-year-old rider who is usually tasked with helping his teammates was the one who got to make the mark for his team this time, rolling out into the damp conditions late in the 2.3km prologue to come within a second of winner Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling). In taking second, Scott shuffled Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) into third place.
“I’m pretty happy about this result," said Scott in a team media release. "It’s actually my first WorldTour stage race in Europe, so to be on the podium is quite nice and satisfying. To be honest it’s probably the best opportunity for me to get a result for myself.”
The technical course, with 12 corners in the prologue, played to the strengths of the powerful rider who rose to the WorldTour in 2023 after making his mark in Australia with ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast. He'd already given a glimmer of his potential to perform in the stage by last year taking an 11th place on the prologue of the Deutschland Tour in 2023, also run over 2.3km.
“The shorter, the better for me. I grew up in Australia doing lots of crits and track racing, so this course was almost perfect,” said Scott.
The Australian caught the attention of Bahrain Victorious in 2022 when, on a trip to Europe with ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast, he just missed victory in a tight sprint at the 1.2-ranked Dutch race Ronde van Overijssel and then followed up with a win at the 1.2 ranked Memorial Philippe Van Coningsloo.
He hasn't been on the podium in Europe since then, with gaining experience and fulfilling his role as a team helper the priority in his first season on the WorldTour. Development and the team role continue to be the key in his second year but at the end of last season he had flagged the potential to open another layer in 2024. "Hopefully I might get an opportunity myself in one race," he told Cyclingnews in December on the sidelines of the Tour of Bright.
The team couldn't have been much happier with the way he grasped that chance when it came along.
"It was a brilliant ride by Cameron Scott, who came in as a late reserve, and to be able to perform and run second in the stage is a fantastic effort," said Sports Director Neil Stephens, who was also satisfied with the overall showing from the team. Nikias Arndt was 8th, Matevž Govekar came 13th and Damiano Caruso was 51st, which left him well-placed amongst the GC contenders.
"Tomorrow is a tricky circuit, so it’s nice to be up there with a good position behind the bunch," said Stephens. "More importantly, this is a great morale boost for the guys. For the young guys this week, we want to give them the best chance, and if you work hard and give it a go, you can achieve great things.”
