The race that catapulted Richie Porte onto the world stage returns to his training ground seeking to unearth more cycling gems.
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Winning the stage up Poatina Hill set Porte up for the 2008 title, European recognition and a string of top-flight victories and this year’s race returns to the same daunting climb.
Friday’s formidable 71.5-kilometre Longford to Poatina queen stage will also be the beginning of the inaugural women’s Tour of Tasmania.
Both events then tackle the undulating delights of Gunns Plains on Saturday and conclude with a Devonport criteria on Sunday.
As the final race in the National Road Series calendar, the Bluff Road stage will also see the respective series champions crowned with Germany’s Raph Freienstein taking a slender lead into the deciding tour.
Hostilities kick off with the increasingly-familiar lung-busting 670-metre prologue up Brisbane Street West in Launceston on Wednesday with Thursday’s 115.9km stage meandering its way from George Town to Grindelwald.
The 86-strong men’s field will be seeking to join an honour roll with a track record of launching impressive careers.
Western Australia’s 2007 champion Cameron Meyer and Queenslander Nathan Haas (2011) both graduated to WorldTour contracts.
England’s Kristian House (2006) and New Zealand duo Gordon McCauley (2010) and Patrick Bevin (2014) have helped give the tour some international recognition while Bernie Sulzberger ensured back-to-back home-state champions when he took the title from Porte in 2009.
Victorians have dominated the race in recent years, claiming four of the last five titles through Lachlan Norris (2012), Jack Haig (2013), Benjamin Hill (2015) and last year’s champ Lionel Mawditt.
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY
Time trial prologue (0.67km), Brisbane Street West, Launceston (MEN 12.30pm)
THURSDAY
Road race (115.9km), George Town to Grindelwald (MEN 10.30am)
FRIDAY
Road race (71.5km), Longford to Poatina (MEN 10am, WOMEN 1.45pm)
SATURDAY
Road race (70.5km), Ulverstone to Riana (MEN 10am, WOMEN 1.15pm)
SUNDAY
Criterium (1.8km circuit), Devonport (WOMEN 9am 20 laps, MEN 11.30am, 30 laps)
MEN’S FIELD
INFORM MAKE
1 Raphael FREIENSTEIN
2 Stuart SMITH
3 Thomas MCFARLANE*
4 Thomas JONES*
5 Carter TURNBULL
6 David WILLIAMS*
7 William MOLONEY-MORTON*
OLIVER'S REAL FOOD
11 Nicholas WHITE
12 Benjamin ANDREWS
13 Rowen DEVER
14 Fintan CONWAY*
15 Jack SUTTON
16 Karl MICHELIN-BEARD
17 Thomas BOLTON*
BENNELONG SWISS-WELLNESS CYCLING
21 Tristan WARD
22 Chris HARPER
23 Dylan SUNDERLAND
24 Alistair CHRISTIE-JOHNSTON*
25 Scott BOWDEN
26 Brendon DAVIDS
RABBLE CONTINENTAL
31 Oliver MARTIN
32 Ryan THOMAS
33 Jonathan BUTLER
34 Thomas ROBINSON
35 Mitch NEUMANN
36 Michael VINK
37 Calan WHITE*
NERO KOM FINANCIAL ADVICE RACING
41 Christopher MILLER
42 Ben VAN DAM
43 Angus CALDER
44 Sam BASCOMBE*
45 Alex ABELL
46 Rylee FIELD
MOBIUS BRIDGELANE
51 Connor BROWN*
52 Alistair DONOHOE
53 Alexander EVANS
54 Peter LIVINGSTONE
55 Ben METCALFE*
56 Conor MURTAGH
57 Craig WIGGINS*
AMR RENAULT
61 Jay VINE
62 Ryan STANDISH
63 Blake SUNDE*
64 Nic SIMPSON*
65 Jasper ALBRECHT*
66 Sam MOBBERLEY
GPM-STULZ
71 Cameron IVORY
72 Cameron ROBERTS
73 Edward WHITE
74 Aaron WATTS
75 Riley FLEMING*
76 Thomas GREEB
77 Tasman NANKERVIS
TEAM SKODA-FRUZIO
81 Aaron WYLLIE*
82 Ben HAMILTON*
83 Jayden KUIYPERS*
84 Harry TALBOT*
85 Paul WRIGHT*
86 Matt HARVEY*
87 Tim HARVEY*
DULUX TIS RACING
91 Jacob LANGHAM
92 Zachary JOHNSON*
93 Luke THOMPSON
94 Kaine CANNAN
VERIS RACING MEN
101 Matthew PETERSON
102 David LEWIS*
103 Tom MCCRAKEN
104 Juan-Pierre VAN DER MERWE*
105 Jordan SCHMIT
106 Byron WOODS*
RAULAND DEVELOPMENT
111 Gene RICHARDS
112 John WANSINK
113 Kees DUYVESTEYN*
114 Nicholas THORNLEY
115 Shaun FALZARNO*
116 Kurt EATHER*
117 Wesley HO
INDIVIDUAL RIDERS
121 Brandon CONWAY*
122 Rhys ROBOTHAM*
123 Robert PARKER*
124 Jordan SCHMIDT*
125 Dylan SIMPSON*
126 Samuel HILL
127 Daniel NEWMAN
128 Daniel FURMSTON
129 Carter BETTLES*
* under-21 rider
WOMEN’S FIELD
HOLDEN TEAM GUSTO
1 Grace BROWN
2 Jemma EASTWOOD*
3 Jenny PETTENON
4 Veronica LEBEDEV*
SYDNEY UNI-STAMINADE
11 Georgia WHITEHOUSE
12 Megan SCOTT
13 Emily WATTS*
14 Jade COLLIGAN
15 Anna BOOTH
SPECIALIZED WOMEN’S RACING
21 Sharlotte LUCAS
22 Kate PERRY
23 Taryn HEATHER
24 Ella BLOOR
25 Lucy BECHTEL
SPLATT LAWYERS RACING
31 Jessica PRATT*
32 Jamie GUNNING*
33 Nicky ROLLS
34 Bree WILSON
35 Holly RANSON *
ST LUKE’S HEALTH
41 Ruby GANNON
42 Lauren PERRY
43 Catelyn TURNER
44 Nicole FRAIN
VERIS RACING TEAM
51 Emily MASCARO*
52 Erin NOLAN
53 Sofia ERHARD
54 Kathryn WOOLSTON
VIE13 KOM FINANCIAL
71 Elizabeth STANNARD (NZL)
72 Emma CHILTON (VIC)
73 Kirsty DEACON (VIC)
74 Katie BANERJEE (NSW)
75 Kerry JONKER (VIC)
INDIVIDUAL RIDERS
61 Justine BARROW
62 Annelise JEFFERIES
63 Jennifer DARMODY
64 Georgia O’ROURKE
* under-23 rider
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.
