A day out for sprinting elite as cycling teams series kicks off

THE sprinters are in for a day out when the 2013 Bowden Elite Teams Series begins with a lightning-fast kermesse in North Adelaide on Sunday.

ISC/Oxygen Building Group team cyclists, from left, Lucien Keene, Mark Chadwick and Fred Bonail. Picture: Sarah Reed.

THE sprinters are in for a day out when the 2013 Bowden Elite Teams Series begins with a lightning-fast kermesse in North Adelaide on Sunday.

SA's new-look cycling series returns in a shortened format but with some of the same popular rounds including the "Hell of the North" off-road race on the Yorke Peninsula and Norton Summit time trial.

After dominating the series in recent years with Harry Carpenter and George Tansley winning two of the past three titles, SASI has formed a new squad to promote some of its developing riders.

Its seasoned stars who race the National Road Series with Euride Racing SA Elite have also been scattered among other teams to make for more competitive racing.

Still, Euride Racing will take a formiddable three-pronged sprint attack into tomorrow's opening round led by Tansley, Russell Gill and Scott Sunderland who won a Norwood Cycling Club criterium at Victoria Park last weekend.

"We certainly have a lot of talent in our team," Euride manager Fraser Northey said.

"Generally we'll lead out the fastest guy on the day and we'll look at things like current form and past performances.

"I guess everyone in the team is capable of winning, it's just a matter of who's going the best and up for the challenge."

They'll face strong competition from Bike Station/Watermark which includes London Olympians Alex Edmondson and Glenn O'Shea and fellow national team pursuit squad member Luke Davison.

Edmondson will however miss Sunday's round one due to a clash with the Tour of Tasmania.

Tomorrow's hour-long race starts and finishes at the Bowden Information Centre on Park Terrace. The peloton will take in War Memorial Drive past the North Adelaide Golf Course, climb Montefiore Hill and pass through Wellington Square.

ISC/Oxygen Building Group captain Mark Chadwick said his team was bracing for another level of competition this season.

"Every year for the last three or so the SASI guys have been doing the NRS series and have gone from being a team that's trying to win stages to a team that's destroying the field," he said.

"They're on another level now and I think the riders are spread among other teams to give them more opportunities to race harder and all try to get a result."

The series runs from Sunday, October 6, to Sunday, December 15, and includes races at Wallaroo, Victoria Square, McLaren Vale, Menglers Hill and Norton Summit.

Cycling SA has built a website for the series: bowdeneliteteamseries.com.au.

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