Podium place for IPT in Cadel classic

AUSSIE cyclist for the Israel Premier Tech (IPT) team, Simon Clarke (pictured, celebrating on the podium), secured an impressive third placing in last Sunday’s men’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Australia’s only oneday World Tour event. A solo breakaway made for a quiet first half of racing along the 176km course, which started and finished in Geelong. But the pace picked up, with multiple splits in the peloton, resulting in a bunch sprint of about 30 cyclists to the finish line, once the last attacker was caught inside the final kilometre. Fellow IPT rider Kiwi Corbin Strong also positioned himself well to join the sprint, finishing fifth. Marius Mayrhofer from team DSM won. Clarke said strong headwinds during two key climbs, and wet roads, made for “a tricky race”. “In the end, it came down to a combination of saving energy, and strength in numbers. As a group, we [IPT] were super motivated … and I think the fact we had two [riders] in the top five, is exactly where we deserved to be.”

Credit AJN