Twelve months ago, Dylan Sunderland, Cameron Ivory and Raphael Freienstein were pictured together at Devonport Bluff having respectively won the Tour of Tasmania, its final stage and the overall National Road Series.
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All three are back in Tasmania this week hoping for more success by the time they reach the same spot on Saturday.
A National Road Series which began in Queensland in August and meandered down through NSW and Victoria winds up with its most southerly, and hilly, chapter.
And while Roxsolt Attaquer and InForm TM Insight MAKE may have already wrapped up the teams classifications, two top quality fields have assembled featuring many riders making domestic farewells before heading off onto the international circuit.
Ivory will be seeking to add to an impressive list of Tasmanian victories which also includes the Launceston Classic, the Cycling Festival Hill Climb and the equally-gut-busting Tour of Tasmania prologue up Launceston's Brisbane Street West zigzag which again kicks off proceedings on Tuesday.
Sunderland will be hoping to defend his crown by reigniting a love affair with Grindelwald on Wednesday, having won stages there in 2015 and 2018, before graduating to the WorldTour for 2020 with Team NTT.
Freienstein sits third in this year's NRS standings with 417 points but that is less than half the tally of series leader Jarrad Drizners (865) whose sensational form has already both propelled InForm TM to the teams title and earned him a contract with the American continental team Hagens Berman Axeon.
Like his BridgeLane teammate Sunderland, Chris Harper is also preparing to step up to the WorldTour with Lotto Jumbo while Samuel Hill (Nero Bianchi), who sits between Drizners and Freienstein in the NRS standings on 585 points, is also rumoured to be on the move next season.
Rio Olympian Scott Bowden will also wear BridgeLane colours headlining a Tasmanian contingent also including Oliver Martin, Zach Johnson, Zack Gilmore, Josh Wilson and former world athletics champs representative Josh Harris.
Having already locked up the women's NRS, Emily Herfoss is skipping the Tassie tour handing race favouritism to her Roxsolt Attaquer teammate and reigning tour champion Justine Barrow.
Matilda Raynolds (Specialized) and Jenelle Crooks (Sydney Uni-Staminade) loom as her main rivals with TIS teammates Nicole Frain, Lauren Perry, Amelia Langham and Catelyn Turner plus Kathryn Woolston (Veris) leading the home-state charge.
FAST FACTS
- Tuesday 1pm: Men pro, Launceston (0.55km)
- Wednesday 10.30am: Men S1, George Town-Grindelwald (115.9km)
- Thursday 10am: Men S2, Longford-Poatina (71.5km); 1.45pm Women S1
- Friday 10.30am: Men S3, Ulverstone-Riana (70.5km); 1.45pm Women S2
- Saturday 9.30am: Women S3, Devonport Crit (36km); 11.30am Men S4 (54km)
Men's field
Team BridgeLane
1 Dylan SUNDERLAND NSW
2 Jason LEA VIC
3 Nicholas WHITE VIC
4 Ayden TOOVEY NSW
5 Tyler LINDORFF WA *
6 Scott BOWDEN TAS
7 Chris HARPER SA
InForm TM
11 Jarrad DRIZNERS SA *
12 Raphael FREIENSTEIN VIC
13 Rudy PORTER VIC *
14 Carter TURNBULL VIC *
15 David WILLIAMS VIC *
16 Mark O'BRIEN VIC
17 Nathan ELLIOTT VIC
21 Ryan THOMAS QLD
22 Jensen PLOWRIGHT VIC *
23 Oliver MARTIN TAS
24 Zachary JOHNSON TAS *
Oliver's Real Food
31 Conor MURTAGH VIC
32 Brendon DAVIDS RSA
33 William HODGES NSW
34 Angus LYONS VIC
35 Callum PEARCE SA
36 Campbell JONES NSW *
37 Sebastian PRESLEY VIC
38 Aiden SINCLAIRE
Gpm Stulz
41 Rylee FIELD NSW
42 Cameron ROBERTS NSW
43 Benjamin SPENCELEY NSW *
44 Edward WHITE NSW
45 Aaron WATTS NSW
46 Cameron IVORY NSW
47 Thomas GREEN NSW
Futuro-Maxxis Pro
51 Carter BETTLES QLD
52 Brendon BRAUER QLD
53 Rhys ROBOTHAM QLD *
54 Lachlan SINCLAIR QLD *
55 Elliot SCHULTZ QLD *
56 Thomas COATES QLD
Van D'am Racing
61 Tristan SAUNDERS SA *
62 Iven BENNETT TAS
63 Ethan EGGLESTONE SA
64 Blake AGNOLETTO VIC *
65 Daniel SIWEK SA *
66 David RANDALL VIC
67 Lachlan MARSHALL VIC
Pro Racing Sunshine Coast
71 Taj JONES QLD *
72 Zack GILMORE TAS *
73 Alastair MACKELLAR QLD *
74 Sebastian BARRETT WA *
75 Michael POTTER NSW
76 Ashley MACKAY WA
77 Alistair DONOHOE VIC
Veris Racing
81 Juan-Pierre VAN DER MERWE WA *
82 Byron WOODS VIC *
83 Brett STAPLETON WA
84 Brendon GREEN VIC
85 Chase COSTELLO-MANNING VIC *
86 Jordan DAWSON WA *
Phoenix Cycling Collective
91 Kelsey BOREHAM ACT
92 Dylan HOPKINS ACT *
93 Nathan BOOTH ACT
94 Adam NELSON ACT
Velofit Australia
101 Josh HARRIS TAS
102 Joshua WILSON TAS
103 Xavier COOPER WA *
104 Jacob LANGHAM TAS
105 Oli STENNING
106 Kaine CANNAN TAS
Individual riders
131 Jordan SCHMIDT WA
132 Jack SCHOUTEN TAS *
133 Liam JOHNSTON TAS *
134 Jack AITKEN VIC
135 Samuel HILL NSW
136 Robert MATTHEWS NSW *
137 Dalton STRETTON TAS *
138 Riley COWLING TAS *
139 James MORIARTY QLD *
140 Daniel DI DOMENICO TAS *
141 Dylan LINDSEY VIC
142 Robert PARKER NSW *
143 Matthew BYRNE TAS
144 Ben BRADLEY TAS
145 William HOLMES TAS
146 Zac BARNHILL TAS *
Women's field
Roxsolt Attaquer
1 Justine BARROW VIC
2 Sarah GIGANTE VIC *
3 Peta MULLENS VIC
4 Bree WILSON QLD
5 Emma CHILTON VIC *
6 Neve BRADBURY VIC *
Specialized
11 Matilda RAYNOLDS VIC
12 Jaime GUNNING QLD *
13 Taryn HEATHER VIC
14 Kate PERRY VIC
15 Ashlee JONES VIC *
16 Ella BLOOR NSW
Sydney Uni-Staminade
21 Jenelle CROOKS QLD
22 Georgia WHITEHOUSE NSW
23 Gina RICARDO NSW
24 Anna BOOTH NSW
25 Victoria WHITELAW ACT
StLukesHealth TIS
41 Nicole FRAIN TAS
42 Lauren PERRY TAS
43 Amalia LANGHAM TAS *
44 Catelyn TURNER TAS *
Gusto StepFWD
51 Veronica LEBEDEV QLD
52 Bre VINE ACT
53 Alana FORSTER ACT
54 Pia SMITH QLD
55 Elizabeth STANARD NSW *
Veris Racing
61 Kathryn WOOLSTON TAS
62 Sofia ERHARD GER
63 Nicole MITSIGEORGIS SA
64 Kirsty DEACON VIC *
Individual riders
71 Ella FALZARANO NSW *
72 Madeleine LAMBOOY QLD
73 Molly PATCH GBR
* young rider classification