JoeArmstrong13 wrote:
Would it be possible for Fred Whitton to ride?

tsmoha wrote:And thanks, Ian! The problem for South America is, that there's also some Asian nations yet waiting for a chance here. And I don't want to go too global. But you never know

Risa - Ergon

Risa has made itself a Bay Classic's specialist, taking out 5 of 10 rounds in the past two years here. Chris Sutton's 3 victories in 2013 were legendary and the team kept going strong with 2 more wins by Nathan Haas and Michael Matthews last year. Will the new squad deliver on the same level?

Nathan Haas is still with the team and will aim for the hilly circuit in Portarlington, where he took line honours in 2014. The Aussie is amongst the strongest puncheurs and given his experience here, he's a real threat for sure.

Mitch Docker will be at the start for the first time. The experienced sprinter follows on Michael Matthew as Risa's main sprinter and will hope to make a first impression for his new team here. Definitely someone, who's capable of sprinting for line honours, so Risa certainly has another promising setup to offer.

cycleYorkshire s/b ASDA

The British PCT team may aiming high for the Bay Crits: lining up with two Aussies, a Kiwi and one of the most promising sprinters, cycleYorkshire got the opportunity to ride in it's own colors here.

Matt Rowe finished the Bay as 7th overall last year (6th, 7th, 7th in the flat crits), but will aim for more this time. He surely got the speed to become the second Brit to take line honours at the Bay (after Michael Cuming's breakaway win in Geelong last year).

Local hero Rohan Dennis joined the team after Lotto's disbanding and adds the experience of two Bay-appearances (though scoreless in both). The Aussie worked hard in the off-season and may be one of those, who can go for a notable result in the hilly criterium through Portarlington.

Sauber Petronas

Sauber Petronas is taking over the "sponsorship" for the annually invited Malaysian selection. The team brings a well experienced Bay-squad with a pretty impressive sprint lineup, which can be a real force for the three flat crits.

Awang struggled two years ago, but had a promising start into the Bay last season: a narrow runner-up behind breakaway winner Michael Cuming. He did not add further points/Top-10s, but given his speed, him and also Manan make for promising duo at least. It may just be a question of time, when we will see the first Malaysian on the very top of a podium at the Bay Classics.

Japan National Team

The Japan National Team looks quite different to last year's selection: the team will start with four Bay debutants and Yusuke Hatanaka (with his second appearance). It's an interesting squad nevertheless:

Itami/Kazushige should make for a solid duo in the sprints. Itami will follow on Arashiro as Japan's most competitive sprinter and he's awaiting a year of valuable experience in Meiji's first year in ProTour.

Hatanaka and Uchima will build a strong force for the hilly criterium in Portarlington. Hatanaka finished as 2nd behind Nathan Haas on this circuit last year and we should expect him to be in the mix this time again.

tsmoha wrote:
Thanks for the love, Bjartne You did notice your team's preview on page#3

Bjartne wrote:


Yes, and I did comment too

valverde321 wrote:
Its nice to see a lot of Meiji riders here, as well as former riders and riders on loan at Meiji this year.

Irish National Team

The Irish National Team is back at the Bay and is looking back to two years with pretty different showings: a rather quiet first appearance was followed by some great results last year.

It's been one of those special stories with Sam Bennett as well: a disappointing 2013 campaign (where he heavily struggled at the Bay, too) in the bags, the sprinter came back more competitive for the 2014 season. His victory here in Williamstown would kick off something like a breakthrough year for him and he's aiming to at least repeat the overall podium here.

Phil Lavery may be a threat for the hilly crit, too. The young gun, who will spend the season as a loanee with Metinvest, offers a nice package of skills and some aggressive racing as well.

British National Team

The British team opened last yea's Bay Classic with a bang, when Michael Cuming survived the early break to go for line honours in a thrilling finish against the best sprinters. Matt Rowe added further Top-10's, but both won't be at the start this year. It's actually a team full of Bay debutants!

It's an exciting lineup nevertheless: Ian Bibby (11th in the PCT's individual rankings last season) will make his Bay debut. We're proud to welcome such a big name here and of course he should be aiming high for (at least) the hilly criterium in Portarlington.

Promising talents like Harrison, Yates and Edmondson will add some spice as well. While Harrison probably won't be amongst the top-favorites for the flat crits, Edmondson/Yates will make this team to one of the strongest forces when the road goes up here.

Chinese National Team

For the first time in it's now third year, the Bay Cycling Classic proudly welcomes a Chinese National Team to take part at this pre-season event. We're looking forward to a long lasting "love story" for all parties involved.

Three former Oz Cycling professionals (Chen, Jiang, Jiao) should be motivated to come back racing in Australia. Chen will challenge for the flat crits, while Jiao should be amongst the favorites for the hilly parcours in Portarlington. He's supported by Meiji's climbing superstar Ji. A thrilling team for sure.

African Wildlife Safaris

One of Australia's most promising domestic teams will sponsor one of Australia's most promising talents: Caleb Ewan will ride his second Bay Classic and got the chance to enter this year's edition as the main sprinter.

The young gun will be one of the most interesting riders to watch here and it may become an important experience for himself, too. The rather tricky flat parcours through Geelong's Eastern Park (round two) may actually suit his skills quite well, so despite lacking the top speed yet, he can do something.

Matthew Lloyd will be one of the favorites for both the overall and the hilly crit through Portarlington. The veteran was impressive last year, where he scored points in flat criteriums, just missing the chance to attack the overall by finishing 3rd and not first in Portarlington.