Launceston cyclist Richie Porte celebrated his 32nd birthday by retaining his position at the top of cycling’s world rankings.
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The BMC team leader's late bid for victory and eventual 21st place in Sunday’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race cemented his spot in the UCI rankings which he achieved with victory in the WorldTour season-opening Tour Down Under.
Porte, who sits on 672 points, 250 above second-placed Colombian Esteban Chaves, finished in the same time as German winner Nikias Arndt in Geelong.
His Rio Olympic road race teammate Scott Bowden was 60th, 2:11 further back, while a third Tasmanian, Will Clarke, did not finish.
Bowden will represent Andrew Christie-Johnston’s Tasmanian-based IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness team in the 64th edition of Australia’s oldest stage race, the Herald Sun Tour, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday.
Fellow Hobartian Nathan Earle will also line up alongside his former Sky teammate and three-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome in Melbourne.
Fresh from strong showings at the national road race championships in Ballarat (fifth) and Tour Down Under in Adelaide (11th), Earle will join track world champion Cam Meyer in helping lead the next generation of riders in the KordaMentha Australian National Team.
The 28-year-old rode alongside Clarke in the ProContinental ranks with Drapac last year and has joined Japanese-based Team Ukyo for 2017.
Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
