ANGUS and Lachlan Morton saddle up for the Jayco Herald Sun tour today as they hope to take advantage of a hometown training block before the American season gets underway.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Mortons will race for the KordaMentha Australian National Team in the four-day event in Victoria before heading over to the US for the season proper. The tour begins today with an individual time trial in the heart of Melbourne. Stage one is 146 kilometres from Mount Macedon to Bendigo, and features some of the toughest climbs of the tour.
There are a couple of sprint sections, and king of the mountain classification points will also be up for grabs.
The Mortons should be well prepared for the hills. North Brother Mountain has been a feature of their training.
They were excited to be back home and working hard.
“We know the roads here,” Angus said.
“It’s the ideal spot to get ready for the season.”
They hope the national team spots hold them in good stead for the start of the season, when they race with the Jelly Belly Maxxis team.
“Instead of being over in the cold of the US, we can spend another month here training,” Angus said.
“Hopefully it puts us ahead of the curve in the Northern Hemisphere.”
Comboyne and the Pacific Highway have been the other go-to training places as the lads prepare for another big season.
The Mortons are products of the Port Macquarie Cycling Club, and have been back to the Burrawan Forest headquarters to have a few races while in town again.
“It’s good to see a few good local youngsters coming through,” Lachlan said.
Angus is making his comeback to the sport this season, after retiring in 2010 to study media.
Lachlan is continuing to make waves in the sport after announcing himself to the cycling world in 2010 with a seventh at the Tour of Utah.
Another career highlight so far was a fifth in the general classification at the USA Pro Challenge.
Along with America, the season takes competitors to Canada and Asia.
