Tour de Korea
Arguably the biggest Asian UCI race on the pro-circuit, the 2.1 Tour of Korea was definitely one of the best races I’ve been apart of.
With a 160-page race handbook (the biggest
I’ve ever seen before), the detail in every feature of the tour was impressive.
Our objective was to target stage wins, so
we had eight days to give it our best shot and secure some results.
Prior to departing Australia, I had already
told myself, that I wouldn’t be coming back home if I didn’t achieve a win or
two.
It must have encouraged some extra motivation
however, as I enjoyed two podiums in 2nd place on stages 1 & 3, two
victories on stages 4 & 8, plus three days in the blue sprint jersey and one day in the yellow leaders jersey!
Stage 3, Race Video:
Stage 4, Race Video:
Stage 8, Race Video:
Aaron Lee wrote some great articles on the
racing in Korea, here are some links to his awesome work:
On top of those results, teammate Gav
Manion enjoyed a day in the breakaway and finished in 3rd place on
what was the ‘queen stage’ of the tour. Brad Evans found himself in the
breakaway on stage 7 and in a uncommon event when the finish line camera wasn’t
working, a decision was made by the UCI, to award a ‘tie’ between One Pro
Cycling’s Kristian House and Brad who both lunged for the line together, not
allowing commissaries to officially award either rider victory.
Graeme Brown was a pivotal part in the
lead-out, delivering me perfectly on both occasions to take victory. He passed
on some tips and advice during the stages, just little things that helped me to
achieve this week, so I’m enjoying working with Brownie and learning from his
past experience. Nathan Earle was riding well to support our team’s plans each
day, covering moves and riding the front for our lead-outs. It was great to
race with Nearle, he knows from his experience how to race smart as well, so it
was nice to know you’re well supported by your teammates!
Overall, Gavin finished 7th on
the individual GC and we placed third in the teams classification. I finished
with the most points in the sprint classification, securing my first UCI
professional sprint classification jersey and with three stage wins and three podium
finishes, we were all smiles post race! Job well done.
With 1,229km’s covered over the eight days,
we travelled a lot around South Korea, passing through many small cities and
experiencing a range of hotels.
Cyclists look for two things when arriving
in a hotel on tour, the bed and the wifi. For most of the week, we had
reasonable quality for both, but it was mixed feelings when staying at the
Police Academy with straw (drinking) pillows, firm bed and a speaker, which
sounded at 7am each morning! The funny thing was, the best wifi we had all week
was in this accommodation.
My roommate Tim Roe was racing his first
race back since injury sidelined him for a few months. It was great to see him
back racing and working hard to support our team’s goals each day. We both liked to go for en evening walk
after dinner and on some afternoons and/or mornings before the stage, we both
enjoyed a brew at the nearest café. Starbucks was first priority but we found
many places that produced a reasonable coffee.
There is so much work behind the scenes to
professional cycling, small things that go unnoticed by the media and public
eye and we couldn’t have been so successful this week without a team of support
staff. From our sports director Keith, to soigneur’s Daryosh & Toby, my
little bro JJ as mechanic and our Korean translator Yuna, they all had a job to
do and it was nice to see them enjoy our successes. And those rice cakes we used as extra race food, they were delicious!
My highlights of the tour were extensive,
but wearing the yellow leaders jersey for a stage and the blue sprint jersey were
both memorable moments, not only for me but the whole team.
I was proud of the boys commitment and terrific teamwork to achieve the great results we came away with, everyone fulfilling their role to perfection. I enjoyed me week's racing thoroughly.
My bro Jarryd does a great job on the tools, making sure our bikes are ready to go each day, so it was awesome to have him alongside me on tour. We broke a number of wheels and ruined a few parts here and there in crashes, but after putting in the hard yards, replacing our bar tape on our bikes mid-tour, he got it done for us.
I won a few flowers whilst I was over there, so seeing our Korean translator or some of the race/ and hotel organisation staff smile when I gave them my flowers was satisfying. I still had a few bunches on our way home from the race, but despite trying we couldn't persuade the airport staff to reduce our excess baggage costs, it was a good idea though, haha.
Staying at the olympic village, it was cool to see where the athletes stayed and admire the olympic rings and burning olympic flame.
On the final night, we had to find out what Korean BBQ is all about, so our team dinner was a traditional one, featuring some amazing foods. The popular 'Kimchi' was a hit amongst most of us, accompanying the BBQ pork quite nicely. A nice food experience after a solid week of hotel buffet.
I was proud of the boys commitment and terrific teamwork to achieve the great results we came away with, everyone fulfilling their role to perfection. I enjoyed me week's racing thoroughly.
My bro Jarryd does a great job on the tools, making sure our bikes are ready to go each day, so it was awesome to have him alongside me on tour. We broke a number of wheels and ruined a few parts here and there in crashes, but after putting in the hard yards, replacing our bar tape on our bikes mid-tour, he got it done for us.
I won a few flowers whilst I was over there, so seeing our Korean translator or some of the race/ and hotel organisation staff smile when I gave them my flowers was satisfying. I still had a few bunches on our way home from the race, but despite trying we couldn't persuade the airport staff to reduce our excess baggage costs, it was a good idea though, haha.
Staying at the olympic village, it was cool to see where the athletes stayed and admire the olympic rings and burning olympic flame.
On the final night, we had to find out what Korean BBQ is all about, so our team dinner was a traditional one, featuring some amazing foods. The popular 'Kimchi' was a hit amongst most of us, accompanying the BBQ pork quite nicely. A nice food experience after a solid week of hotel buffet.
The Tour of Korea concludes the first half
of my season, heading back home to Australia for a short mid-season break
before returning to Europe in early August for the second half of the season.
In this time I will be running a junior
skills clinic with the Cycling Australia Lets Ride program, aiming to teach
kids the basic skills for riding whilst encouraging safe and fun cycling
environments.
To find out more about Let’s Ride and what
I’m involved with, follow the link below:
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