Steele Van Hoff aiming for return to Tour Down Under

SPRINTER Steele Von Hoff is hoping a strong national championship showing will help him return to the Tour Dow Under.

Tour Down Under Stage 4 - Glenelg to Mount Barker. Steele Von Hoff wins the stage leaving carnage on the road behind him. Photo Sarah Reed

SPRINTER Steele Von Hoff hopes a three-peat in Wednesday’s criterium and a bold showing in Sunday’s road race at the national championships will stamp his ticket to return to the Tour Down Under.

The 28-year-old has switched teams from NFTO to One Pro Cycling in the off-season but remains a rung below the WorldTour meaning he must fight for a wildcard spot with Team UniSA-Australia for the TDU in Adelaide later this month.

Von Hoff rode the WorldTour with Garmin in 2013-2014 and last year proved he’s still got it by upstaging the peloton to win Stage 4 of the TDU with UniSA.

It followed his back-to-back victory in the criterium to open the national titles in Ballarat when he held off Orica-AIS star Caleb Ewan and emerging sprinter Scott Sunderland who will again pose major threats tonight.

“Three would be nice because no one had ever won two but as usual the road race (on Sunday) is the most prestigious race you can win in Australia and if I could try to get that jersey and take it to Europe in the One pro colours would be fantastic,” Von Hoff said.

“Caleb will be there (at the front on Wednesday night) and the Avanti boys are always strong in the crit and Neil Van Der Ploeg is riding really well so it will be fantastic to race against them.”

Von Hoff warmed up for the national championships by racing the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic in Geelong last week which followed a three-week training camp with his new team which is owned by former England Test cricketer Matt Prior.

After a disappointing 2015 season in which he was promised starts in European races with NFTO only for the team to be denied an invite, Von Hoff is embracing a fresh start.

“I had the best start to a year that I’ve ever had but throughout the year my race schedule kept changing and diminishing and I didn’t end up racing outside the UK for the season,” he said.

“We’ve done a lot of teamwork (at One) and bonding so the atmosphere is set for a really good year.

Van Hoff has recently switched teams.

“I’m hopeful of getting a start at the TDU but it just depends on my nationals form and how I go in the road race.

“Of course if you get on the podium that is pretty much guaranteeing it so that’s the goal, then our team is racing the Cadel Evans race and Herald Sun Tour so it’s racing as usual.”

The 2016 Cycling Australia Road Nationals begin with the men’s and women’s criteriums in Ballarat tonight and continue with time trials tomorrow and road races on the weekend.

Kimberley Wells will be among the favourites for the women’s criterium where she will be aiming for her third title to go with her 2013 and 2015 triumphs.

Wells showed her early-season speed with a win in the Bay Criterium series on the weekend.

Originally published as Steele Van Hoff aiming for return to Tour Down Under