HERALD SUN TOUR – REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS
February 19th, 2020
The dust has settled on Aevolo’s inaugural trip to the southern hemisphere for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour (Feb 5-9) and, despite it being the first race of the year, the team came away with Charles-Étienne Chrétien claiming a strong 12th place on GC, Tyler Stites and Scott McGill finishing in the top 10 on the final day and an overall boost in confidence for what’s to come this year for the Under-23 development squad.
Cade Bickmore – “Racing with the new guys was good, they got on with the rest of us really well. Despite not having a team camp before the race, and a few of us not yet knowing each other before we arrived, we had a really good team dynamic going all week.
“For me, it was good to see the legs going well in the first two days, getting in the break with Scott on day two. Unfortunately, I had a little bit of a stomach issue before Stage 3 and had a rough day, but seeing the legs there when I was on was pretty motivating.
“Australia was really good to us, and the best part was getting out of the cold for a little bit to get a taste of what’s to come this season.”
Tyler Stites – “I think we had a solid week. It was the first time in Australia for most of us and Aevolo’s first race outside of the Americas. I liked the aggressive racing and warm weather. I also enjoyed looking for kangaroos during the transfers, although I only saw one. We have a lot of new guys this year, but we were able to quickly get to know each other and race as a team. I am excited to meet up with the rest of the team in a couple weeks at team camp!”
Scott McGill - “Being the first race of the season the form was a little bit of an unknown for everyone so coming into the race we tried to make the most of it and be on the front foot every day. We were able to have lots of representation in the breakaways as well as secure 12th on GC with Charles.
“Having it be the first race of the season with the new guys was great we were able to work well together from the get go. To cap off the week on the final day with two top 10s was a great way to finish the first race of the season.”
Next on the schedule for Aevolo is team camp, February 21-29 in Oxnard, California.
Photos: Henry Yates