Cantwell to “Get Aggressive” for V Australia

The management of Australian-based team Fly V Australia Presented bySuccessful Living Foundation has called on sprinter Jono Cantwell to“get aggressive and believe in himself” ahead of the fledgling outfit’sdebut at the Tour of California this weekend.

Touted as asprinting prodigy and “the next Robbie McEwen” during his time at theAustralian Institute of Sport, Cantwell’s on-again off-again cyclingcareer finally gained traction last year with U.S. team Jittery Joes,when he won the yellow jersey of the Superweek series – despite notwinning a stage.

The Gold Coast native, who turned 27 lastSunday, will have the toughest of all first-up outings with his newteam as he prepares to take on the sport’s marquee sprinters includingColumbia’s Mark Cavendish, Quickstep’s Tom Boonen, Cervelo Test Team’sThor Hushovd and Rabobank’s Oscar Freire.

“We haven’t seen thebest of Jon by a long way, he’s a much better rider than what we’veseen,” team Managing Director Chris White said.

“We’ll do our best to position him well in the bunch kicks, but he needs to back himself.”

Havingobserved the progress of the fast-riding, fast-talking Gold Coaster formuch of his career, White said the team would work closely withCantwell on his fitness and, in particular, sprint positioning.

Cantwellwas famously pipped at the post by McEwen in the 2004 edition ofAustralia’s Noosa Criterium, when he raised his fist to the heavensonly to see the (then) Lotto sprinter duck underneath him and claim thephoto finish.

“Jon is really quick, but I’ve seen him hanging back too far in sprints,” White said.

“We’re working with him to get him to believe in himself a little more.”

Fly V Australia has enjoyed a near-perfect preparation for the Tour of California.

Racingin snowy conditions at San Diego’s Boulevard Race last weekend, teamleader Ben Day scored a first-up victory while team-mates David Kemp,Charles Dionne and Bernie Sulzberger all managed to place in thetop-five. The event also marked the return to racing for disgraced Tourde France cyclist Floyd Landis, who finished sixteenth.

Day,Kemp, Dionne and Sulzberger will all feature in Fly V Australia’s Tourof California line-up alongside Cantwell, Scott Davis, MichaelGrabinger and Phil Zajicek.

“We’re going to hunt for a jersey,” White said.

“Phil Zajicek says he’s up for the king of the mountains and Ben’s very capable against the clock and rides the G.C. well.

“He’s finished top-ten here before.”

Entryto the Tour of California represents a major coup for theAustralian-registered UCI Pro Continental team that is backed byflamboyant British businessman Sir Richard Branson.

Itcoincides with Virgin commencing flights between Australia and the U.S.West Coast under the “V-Australia” brand and the signing of Fly VAustralia as a Tour of California event sponsor.

While theteam does have Pro Tour ambitions, White, a chartered accountant byprofession, affirmed it would be a stage- by- stage, carefully managedprocess.

“ I think this is about credibility, we’re at the Tour of California, this isn’t a concept, this is reality,” White said.

“Australiancycling is good enough and deserves its own pro team and we want to beAustralia’s first real pro team that’s competitive.”

The eight-stage Tour of California commences on Sunday (Australian time) with a prologue time trial in Sacramento.