First box ticked for 2012, now onto Tour Down Under
Image 1 of 2
Simon Gerrans tries to sneak away from the lead group on the climb up Mt.Buninyong.(Image credit: Shane Goss/licoricegallery.com)
Shayne Bannan (right) with Neil Stephens in Melbourne with GreenEdge.(Image credit: Shane Goss/licoricegallery.com)
GreenEdge director Neil Stephens was pleased with Simon Gerrans' Mars Cycling Australia elite men's road race win, but said there were some nervous moments for the team leading into the final kilometres.
The Australian WorldTour outfit rode a near perfect race, placing riders in all the key moves of the day, but when Cameron Meyer suffered a hunger flat with around four laps to go, Stephens said things were a little tense.
"Everyone played their role, everyone rode really unselfishly," said Stephens. "But I'll admit at that point I was a little nervous. A lot of teams had really good races, even some of the domestic teams, and they really brought the race to us."
"At the end of the day though, I was quitely confident that in a small group a guy like that Gerro could do the job and he did just that."
Stephens also praised Gerrans as a "great bike rider and a great guy," as well as a fitting representative for the team back in Europe.
"We've worked really hard all year getting things prepared to make sure everything went well today. Now it's on to the Tour Down Under, we'll see what we can do there."
See the full video interview below
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
As a sports journalist and producer since 1997, Jane has covered Olympic and Commonwealth Games, rugby league, motorsport, cricket, surfing, triathlon, rugby union, and golf for print, radio, television and online. However her enduring passion has been cycling.
Jane is a former Australian Editor of Cyclingnews from 2011 to 2013 and continues to freelance within the cycling industry.
