A weird Australian NC really with the top team Bennelong not at the start! Favourites though would have been other riders anyway on this flat course. In especially Podium Ambition having clear podium ambitions with the duo Ewan/Nelson. Their biggest competition is Indosat with Goss while the others look weaker clearly and only having outside chances.
The race itself then also begun as expected. Some amateurs started an early morning break but weren`t allowed a big gap and got caught with 5-10km to go.
This was the moment when Simon Clarke decided to attack! Still a potential podium sprinter he knows that he is slow in comparison to some of the others and so he is starting a rare sprinter attac with just under 5km to go.
The others aren`t well organized. Too few strong helpers and here the absence of Bennelong becomes obvious.
The top sprinters are all in the first rows but no one wants to go into the wind first and the support is small.
Podium Ambition clearly failed here as Ewan is in the mix but Nelson, who would be needed to chase and lead him out is in the later rows not showing interest to cooperate with his team mate.
Just a bit more than 1km and they would need a fast sprint now to catch Clarke.
Drapac goes this way while Ewan and Goss might have given up by now not being happy about their support today.
So the one brave sprinter takes the glory. Simon Clarke with a stunning win and actually his best chance to get a decent contract for 2019 as he is passing the age line turning 33 now.
The TT is between reigning champion Durbridge as top favourite once more and Howson/Olman as contenders. The others simply lack the speed over such distance to beat this trio.
Olman first on the road always did beat the recently best time but with Howson just behind him, he never was long on the hot seat.
And neither was Howson as Durbridge gained a couple of seconds on every segment.
This obviously means, that Durbridge is able to defend the TT title and will continue to wear the jersey in the upcoming season with Howson and Olman being on the podium with him with Ford being best of the rest.
