Injured cyclist Karl Evans holds focus on tour

NEWLY crowned SA time-trial champion Karl Evans hopes to overcome bruised ribs to start the inaugural Jarvis Subaru Adelaide Tour next week.

Karl Evans

NEWLY crowned SA time-trial champion Karl Evans hopes to overcome bruised ribs from last week's Tour of Toowoomba to start the inaugural Jarvis Subaru Adelaide Tour next week.

The 26-year-old Queenslander, who moved to Adelaide two years ago to alleviate his dust allergies, fell during stage two of last week's National Road Series round.

He managed to finish the tour, which was won by Tasmanian Nathan Earle, and has been training in Adelaide this week ahead of the event on May 24-26.

It will be the first time Adelaide has hosted a round of Cycling Australia's national road series, which has produced the likes of current WorldTour riders Richie Porte and Nathan Haas.

Evans has been riding competitively for five years after finishing a degree in optometry.

He now rides for Team Budget Forklifts, which hopes to turn the tables on super-team Huon-Genesys during the Adelaide Tour.

The 105km road race on stage two includes dirt sections through the Adelaide Hills which have the potential to decide the winner.

"We've got a good team coming to Adelaide," Evans said.

"I'm a hill climber so it's a bit too flat for me but I'll be working for our leaders Jack Anderson and Shaun McCarthy.

"I've had a look at the course for the road race and it will be good having the dirt sections.

"We don't get to race on dirt much, not in any other NRS races, so it's something a bit different."

The men's field for the Adelaide Tour includes 15 teams and eight individuals and the women's field consists of 12 teams and nine individuals.

The race starts with a team time trial from Cudlee Creek to Newton on the Friday, a road race which starts and finishes in Woodside on the Saturday and kermesse in Newton on the Sunday.