The records have tumbled at the 2017 Jayco Herald Sun Tour Prologue, Team Sky’s Dutch powerhouse Danny van Poppel breaking the course record to claim stage victory in Melbourne’s CBD. Van Poppel will now wear the yellow jersey for Thursday’s queen stage to Falls Creek.
For today’s full stage results click here.
The flying Dutchman bettered Australian Will Clarke’s record set in 2016 of 2:34.27, blasting through the course at 49.6km/h to set a new best time of 2:32.56. Brenton Jones (JLT Condor) was runner-up, one second back with teammate Alex Frame third just a tenth of a second in areas.
The win came as sweet relief for van Poppel, having twice finished on the minor placings at the Tour Down Under last month in his debut for Team Sky.
“I was focused to win it and nothing else,” the 23-year-old said. “I’ve done it and I’m really happy because you’re always searching for the first victory of the team and for myself and I’m happy that I did it.”
Van Poppel’s win will force Team Sky to defend the lead as soon as the starting gun fires in Wangaratta tomorrow and the sprinter admitted that his time in the yellow jersey will only be brief with the stage set up for the climbers.
“It’s good but I hope I can give it to Chris tomorrow,” van Poppel said. “It will be nice if tomorrow is a nice day for Chris and the team so we’ll go full for him…”
It was another close call for Jones, having finished third in the Prologue in 2015. The Victorian refused to be drawn on whether he was cursed, instead looking for positives in the result.
“Maybe you could say that but I think it’s great consistency as well,” he said. “I’m not regretting anything. I rode a good race. Danny was really fast today; he’s a WorldTour rider so there’s no disappointment in coming second.
“It was great to see my teammate Alex in third as well.
“It’s a great course… I’m happy.”
Defending Jayco Herald Sun Tour champion Chris Froome was the last man of the 104 riders out of the start house in Federation Square, the bustling crowd cheering the three-time Tour de France winner on. Froome was pleased to arrive at the finish line at Queensbridge Square with his teammate on the top of the podium.
“It’s a great start for the team, with Danny winning – that’s giving us a lot of confidence going into the week ahead,” he said. “He did a great ride.”
Froome admitted that the course was no easier second time around.
“It’s definitely a bit of a lung buster – you just have two minutes to get everything out,” he said. “It’s not really my kind of course, but it’s great to kick the week off.”
The course:
The action will shift dramatically, from Melbourne’s CBD to Victoria’s spectacular high country for Falls Creek Stage 1, the Jayco Herald Sun Tour traversing Tawonga Gap and Falls Creek for the first time since 2007. Departing Wangaratta, the longest stage of the 64th edition of the race at 174.2km will be action packed with the battle for yellow set to explode over the next four days. The 2017 Jayco Herald Sun Tour won’t be won on Thursday, but this is the day for the true contenders to make their intentions known.
Cycling Australia – She Rides Stage 2 at 165.6km in length will be another day where the general classification really takes shape. Leaving Mount Beauty, the KOMs will bookend the stage, which is largely flat but it’s the conclusion of the stage that will force the selection. The 11km climb to Stanley only 10km from the finish in Beechworth should result in a reduced bunch to determine the stage win.
Mitchelton Wines Stage 3 is 167.7km of racing the sprinters will be waiting for. The road will head skywards at the Strathbogie Ranges at around the halfway mark of the stage, but the long, flat run to the finish gives the fast men plenty of time to recover. The road into the Mitchelton Winery and then to the finish line requires perfect positioning so the lead-out trains will need to be at the top of their game.
Let’s Go Motorhomes Stage 4 is the stunning conclusion to the toughest Jayco Herald Sun Tour seen in years. It’s a new stage, but one that is familiar to any cyclist who has spent time in Melbourne. The 121km of racing comprises of four laps around a Kinglake circuit that will decide who takes home the yellow jersey. The climb itself is seven kilometres long and expect the last lap to take around 14 minutes and the circuit format will require the teams attempting to put their leader on the podium to be highly vigilant. Froome and Chaves are favourites to rise to the challenge and take home the trophy, but could a darkhorse cause an upset?
The 2017 Jayco Herald Sun Tour will be presented by Jayco and the Herald Sun, along with the continued support from the Victorian State Government.
