Alex Edmondson, Glenn O’Shea, Jack Bobridge and Luke Davison on their way to a sub-4 minute time(Image credit: Cycling Australia)
Luke Davison and Alex Edmonson win their gold medals(Image credit: Cycling Australia/John Veage)
Will Walker and Luke Davison worked well together as the finish line approached.(Image credit: Mark Gunter - markgunter.com.au)
I've won? Luke Davison won Stage 2 of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Healesville(Image credit: Mark Gunter - markgunter.com.au)
Having just won a handful of national track titles in the madison and team pursuit, first in Melbourne then Adelaide, after he also claimed the omnium at the track world cup in Mexico, Luke Davison (Synergy Baku) returned to the road at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour before becoming to the heat and retiring from the race on Stage 3.
With his track legs firing, Davison was hoping to get back to his best at the race where we won stage last year but the going proved too hard. "It's been tough, obviously I've got some different objectives this year but the road form isn't exactly where I'd like it to be and this time last year I was going a little bit better but it's all stepping stones for later in the year and the track season as well," Davison told Cyclingnews.
Talking prior to the stage of the stage at Mitchelton Winery, Davison explained how his longer track season over the summer meant there was little time spent on the road bike.
"It's taking a little bit more time than I thought, obviously the base and all the training around the road season versus track season is very different so it's hard having the track season extended from almost October through to January-February, possibly even Commonwealth Games in June/July.
"Normally your track season might be two-three months maximum so it's been a bit longer than usual and most people are doing their base km's around Christmas time when we're still doing efforts, it does alter your year a little bit."
With the UCI Track world championships coming up later this month, Davison will turn his attention back to the velodrome after his brief foray on the road.
"In three weeks we fly out for Colombia where hopefully I'll take the omnium and the team pursuit.
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"I have nine days in Adelaide to prepare for the worlds and the then we fly out to have a few days to settle in Colombia, then we start racing."
The Herald Sun's opening night 2.5km Prologue around the banks of Melbourne's Yarra River was a course favoured by Davison, who was one rider to wear a skin suit, but an issue with his bike disrupted any chances for the win.
"It suited me quite well but I had a bit of an issue with the seat post down the first descent on that back section at about 700m which wasn't exactly ideal but I couldn't stop so I tried to give it everything and I came past the finishing line and ten seconds was enough to put you in 50th place. I did all I could but in the end it's not going to cut it."
Davison's 2014 racing schedule will be a mix of both track and world as he chases gold medals and rainbow stripes and also taste success on the road.
"The Tour of Thailand will be the next race with Baku [on the road] which is about a month after the world championships so I'll have a good period of time to prepare for the road season so hopefully I can get a few good road races in then come back and do the Commonwealth games and finish off the back end [of the season] in Europe."
