THERE'S been some trash talk exchanged at training, but last year's Tour de Riverina pacesetters Brad Wild and Will Silver expect experienced head Peter Treloar to be the man to beat at this Sunday's The Rock Classic.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The first race of the six-leg Tour de Riverina series is run by Tolland Cycling Club and has attracted a strong field with former champion Treloar going in as the favourite over the 75km course.
Wild and Silver finished level atop the overall pointscore last year, but 42-year-old Wild claimed his first Tour de Riverina crown on countback after winning the Geoff Dixon Memorial at Albury.
"It's always tough being the first race of the year. You find out where you're at after the first 5km, because it's pretty flat and fast," Wild said.
"It's a totally new season basically and everyone's riding really well, it's going to be tough."
Tolland riders filled the first four places in last year's overall standings, but Silver expects a spirited challenge from Griffith.
"Brad and I are pretty close and we're training partners, there's been a bit of chat but individual accolades really are secondary to the club's interests," Silver said.
"Griffith Cycling Club are doing some good things and we expect them to be right up there as well.
"Stage one of the tour is always an important one for guys who want to be at the top end of the general classification. You want to seal some points early in the first couple of races, and set yourself up for later in the year.
"We feel as though it's one of the feature races in the series. It's always been very close and I don't think it will be any different on Sunday."
Sign-on begins at 9am at The Rock Bowling Club, with the race to get underway at 10am.
READ MORE
