International experience boosts Attaque Team Gusto’s Jayco Herald Sun Tour ambitions

Victorian Alistair Donohoe will be hoping third time’s a charm when he lines up for Attaque Team Gusto at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour with a truly international line-up hell bent on riding in the manner their name suggests.

The 64^th edition of Australia’s oldest stage race will be held around Victoria from Wednesday 1^st to Sunday 5^th February 2017.

Donohoe, who competes as a C5 due to an impairment with his right arm, was in gold medal position in the road race at the Rio Paralympics when he spectacularly crashed 100 metres from the finish line after colliding with another rider. He had been on target to add to his silver medal from the 4000 metre individual pursuit and although he ran across the finish line without his bike, placed fifth.

“It’s great to be racing the Sun Tour for the third time in my career and it’s so good to get into some serious racing again with Rio being my last major competition,” 2016’s runner-up in the youth classification said.

“I am hoping to end the Sun Tour on a better note than I ended Rio though!”

Attaque Team Gusto’s General Classification ambitions are headed by Kazakh rider, Alexandr Shushemoin. The 29-year-old is a new face on the team having moved across from Astana feeder squad Vino 4ever SKO and Australia’s summer of cycling gives Shushemoin his first opportunity to travel down under.

“I am really excited to be here,” Shushemoin said. “It’s cold back home, so I have come to Australia early for some good training and hopefully a nice result.

“So far, everything has been going well. This race will be a good test for me and my teammates. It is important to start the year with some good results, so I am here for that.”

Shushemoin has some runs on the board, finishing runner-up at last year’s Tour of Szeklerland in Romania, fifth overall at 2016’s mountainous Tour de Korea and in 2015, was race leader following stage victory at the notoriously tough Tour of Iran.

Shushemoin will have key support from another new face on the team, German Mario Vogt while the reliable Alder Martz from the USA is captain on the road.

Attaque Team Gusto’s Slovenian sports director, Tomaz Poljanec has had the squad in reconnaissance mode in the Victorian high country, knowing the roads will shape the fortunes of his seven riders at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

“We just had a training camp at Falls Creek. It was a great chance for the guys to spend time with each other and review some of the stages. Coming from all parts of the world, it is important that we can get them together as much as possible,” he said.

“After last year’s results, we will certainly be looking to come away from this race with something. We will see for GC after stage 1, but you can be assured we will be aggressive in every stage.“

Attaque Team Gusto will have to be aggressive with Team Sky’s Chris Froome returning to the race to defend his 2016 title, while ORICA-Scott head to the Sun Tour with two-time winner Simon Gerrans and Esteban Chavez.

Perth-based Kiwi Guy Kalma came within two seconds of his first UCI victory at last year’s Tour de Filipinas and so will be out for redemption at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Kalma’s willingness to throw the dice is shared by teammate Tim Guy. The New South Welshman and high school teacher broke through for his first win at UCI at the Tour de Filipinas, close to a decade after first racing at that level.

Winner of the sprint classification in 2016, Canberra-based rider Ben Hill, returns and he’s anticipating another race on the front foot.

“I like to race. I’m not one to sit in a bunch for too long,” he admitted. “Last year I got up the road a bit and found myself in the sprint jersey, so that became a major goal for me and I was happy I was able to hold it until the end of the race.

“Initially, I didn’t think this year’s edition had a lot for me, but we’ve had a closer look at the stages and there’s definitely some goals we’ve set that I’ll be looking to target over the week. To come away with another jersey would be great.”