Avanti IsoWhey Sports to lock horns with cycling giants Team Sky, Orica-GreenEDGE and Trek-Segafredo

DOMESTIC powerhouse Avanti IsoWhey Sports will again lock horns with some of the world’s biggest cycling teams in Australia’s oldest stage race.

Three of the Avanti IsoWhey Sports team show off with a wheely at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic at Portalington , Victoria, Australia, Sunday, January, 2016. Con Chronis

DOMESTIC powerhouse Avanti IsoWhey Sports will again lock horns with some of the world’s biggest cycling teams in Australia’s oldest stage race.

Avanti will be on the start line for next month’s Herald Sun Tour, joining WorldTour squads Team Sky, Orica-GreenEDGE and Trek-Segafredo.

But the plucky outfit, formerly known as Praties and Genesys Wealth Advisors, will be confident of continuing its excellent run of results at the February 3-7 race.

Last year, New Zealand pair Joe Cooper and Patrick Bevin stood either side of winner Cameron Meyer on the podium, while Jack Haig took third in 2014 and Aaron Donnelly was runner-up in 2013. On the final stage of 2011, Nathan Haas was sensationally piloted up Arthurs Seat to secure overall honours.

This year, in-form Victorian Patrick Lane, so impressive with his third-place finish in a brutal national championships, will form part of another strong Avanti unit which also includes Patrick Shaw, Neil van der Ploeg and Cooper.

Sports director Andrew Christie-Johnson said his team was targeting another podium result.

“We have had great success in this race previously and we will be chasing the podium and stage wins again this year. The race is one of our major goals of the year and we have selected a very strong squad who will hopefully mix it up with the best,” Christie-Johnson said.

“Our riders rarely get the chance to line-up at a race with the likes of Tour de France winner Chris Froome. It will be exciting for them to ride alongside Chris and hopefully go head-to-head with him in some of the stages.”

Shaw, who won on the tough Portarlington circuit of this year’s Bay Cycling Classic, is this week making his WorldTour debut at the Tour Down Under after his form became impossible to ignore.

Ivanti IsoWhey sports rider Patrick Shaw during the Bay Classic. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“I’m really looking forward to my ninth participation in this great race; the Jayco Herald Sun Tour,” Shaw said.

“We have ambitions to feature as a team in every stage and also on the GC (general classification). We know there will be great riders as there always is in the race, but we will fight like we have before and come 100 per cent prepared for the tour.”

van der Ploeg said the race was special.

“It has enormous prestige and history. Tell an old roadie you’ve done X number of Sun Tours and you’ll get a nod of respect,” he said.

“It’s an important event and an honour to be part of. I can’t wait for that prologue to start.”