NATIONAL cycling coach Matthew Gilmore responded to the news of fellow Tasmanian Richie Porte being knocked off the top of the world rankings with a confident prediction.
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‘‘He’ll get it back as soon as the Giro d’Italia gets under way,’’ Gilmore said as the Launceston rider continued his preparations to lead Team Sky into the first Grand Tour of the season from May 9.
Despite victories in three consecutive stage races this season, Porte was yesterday displaced atop the UCI World Tour rankings by Spaniard Alejandro Valverde claiming his second classic of the season at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
But Gilmore remained firmly in the Launceston rider’s corner.
‘‘Richie is in fantastic condition and his confidence would have to be sky high at the moment,’’ he said.
‘‘He would be trying to deflect favouritism onto someone else ahead of the Giro but that would be pretty hard given his results.
‘‘I hope he has a fantastic tour, stays upright and healthy and continues his excellent form.’’
In other Tasmanian cycling news, Launceston’s Alex Clements sits 125th after stage two of the Tour De Bretange in France.
Riding in the AIS World Tour Academy’s first race of the year, Clements completed the 147km first of seven stages, from Pont-Château to Crossac.
A pile-up with 25km to go cost team sprinter Jack Haig his general classification chances.
Launceston’s Bernie Sulzberger sits 141st at the Tour of Turkey on the same time as the 127km stage-one winner and race leader Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick-Step) after the Brit outsprinted Clements’ former academy teammate Caleb Ewan (GreenEdge).
On the fourth and final day of the Joe Martin stage race in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Karl Menzies finished 51st, 21 seconds behind the winner, to finish the race in 78th for his UnitedHealthcare team. Fellow Launceston product Clay Murfet (Astellas Cycling) was listed as Did Not Start.
Meanwhile Hobart mountain bike rider Scott Bowden made his international debut by finishing 11th in his first European under-23 race, the Otztaler festival in Haiming, Austria.
‘‘It was an honour to wear the green and gold Aussie champs jersey for the first time and I was happy with my first Euro race of the season,’’ said the TIS scholarship holder who is spending a couple of months preparing for the world cup season.
This weekend Tasmania will host round four of the women’s National Road Series. The Mersey Valley Tour features a 17km individual time trial between Ulverstone and Penguin, an 80km second stage second stage including a 1280m climb and a final 75km leg from Ulverstone including a 1310m climb.
Among the Tasmanian involvement will be Launceston’s junior track world champs Lauren Perry and Georgia Baker both riding for High5 and an Avantiplus team including Rowena Fry, Nerine Adams and Belamie Flint from Launceston with Hobart’s Myra Moller and Yvette Edwards.
