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Norris back on the tarmac for Jayco Herald Sun Tour
One of Australia’s best mountain bike riders, Lachlan Norris will be swapping the mud for the peloton when he competes in the 59th edition of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour next week.
The Arthur’s Seat stage could suit me, so hopefully I can have a crack at that and see what happens.
Norris, 24, has had a busy few months in both forms of the sport. In August he made his debut with HTC-Highroad in the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge, then flew straight from the United States to Champery, Switzerland to represent Australia at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
Norris was then immediately back on the tarmac, joining the Australian road team for stage races in Italy, France and Belgium as they prepared for their own world championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Now back on home turf, Norris is looking forward to rejoining a strong Drapac Professional Cycling team at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.
“I think it’s really important for me personally,” Norris said. “The team, Drapac, have been really supportive of me all year and I really want to pay them back and just have a really good race at home in front of the home crowd.
“It would be really good to have a good ride and to thank them for a great year and support from all of the riders and the staff.”
Along with Norris, 2007 Australian road race champion Darren Lapthorne and 2010 Melbourne to Warrnambool winner Rhys Pollock will be the key protected riders for Drapac and will look to support from the experienced Stuart Shaw. Adam Phelan and Tom Palmer will be looking to get into breakaways and target stage victories.
Despite a field sporting three WorldTour teams, Norris, who finished fifth at this year’s Australian road championships, has his sights set on an overall victory.
“I guess I’m not your typical climber but I probably lend myself to climbing a bit more but I’m always keen for a breakaway,” Norris said. “The Arthur’s Seat stage could suit me, so hopefully I can have a crack at that and see what happens.
“I’ll be having a go at GC, but if it’s windy it will be important not to lose time. I think between us, the team has got quite a few strong guys like Darren Lapthorne and Adam Phelan who can all be riding for GC, so we’ve got a few cards we can play.”
The Jayco Herald Sun Tour runs from Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th October.
Drapac for the 2011 Jayco Herald Sun Tour:
Lachlan Norris (VIC, 24), Darren Lapthorne (VIC, 28), Thomas Palmer (ACT, 21), Adam Phelan (ACT, 19), Rhys Pollock (NSW, 31), Stuart Shaw (ACT, 33).
