Always a favourite with the Aussie cycling fans, and fresh off the back of a sensational team win of the 2019 National Road Series, Team BridgeLane are keen to start 2020 in style.
2019 was one of the strongest on record for the team. A dominant display at January’s Road National Championships, saw new recruit and young gun Nick White take out the U23 title in a tight sprint finish; while teammates Tristan Ward and Chris Harper took out second in the criterium and road race respectively.
The talent of the young team was on display again at the 2019 edition of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, which saw them win the hard fought sprint jersey with Ayden Toovey and finish fourth on general classification. Bridglane were the first non WorldTour team on the overall standings with South Australia’s Chris Harper pipping fellow Aussie, and seasoned WorldTour pro, Richie Porte, on the final stage to claim fourth place overall.
Harper and the team then maintained their form to take out the Tour de Savoie Mt Blanc, going up against some of the best emerging riders in Europe in the prestigious Tour. Harper’s results in 2019 saw him sign with Dutch WorldTour team Jumbo Visma for the 2020 season.
The tactics and race craft of their young Directeur Sportif, Tom Petty, cannot be underestimated as he proved time and time again that cycling is about racing smart and knowing when to put it in the gutter.
In what was a cunning master stroke for the team, they fought hard in the final tour of the NRS season, snatching the overall season win from InForm TM Insight MAKE in a nail biting final stage of the Tour of Tasmania.
One thing that cannot be overstated for this team is their depth. With multiple riders in their back pocket, Team BridgeLane will always look to make a splash in front of the home crowd.
At this year’s Jayco Herald Sun Tour the mountainous stages will favour Harper, who has proven time and time again that despite his frame, he can climb like a mountain goat. We’d expect a relaxed opening stage from them, however stage two sees riders tackle the 30km, 3.9% front of Falls Creek. We‘d expect the team to deliver Harper to the foot of Falls Creek with fresh legs, so he can try to put some time into the GC.
The team’s Directeur Sportif, Tom Petty has high hopes for the team at the Tour.
“The Jayco Herald SunTour is actually incredible to our team, we do a few big races as the national team in January, but this for us is the first major target in our own kit, against the biggest teams. It has a lot of history and we’ve won stages in the past and always bring our best to the race.”
Team BridgeLane riders to watch in 2020
Nick White – A youngster who has a massive sprint on him, he’ll be keen to mix it up and keep things animated.
Tristan Ward – With his signature mullet and amazing bike handling skills, he is always one to chase down a break away and put in the hard work for his teammates.
