Kaden Groves wins stage, Jai Hindley takes out Herald Sun tour
Mitchelton-Scott sprinter Kaden Groves won his third stage but it was West Australian climber Jai Hindley who took overall honours.
He flew in by chopper and then Kaden Groves flew away on the bike to win the final stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Groves and his Mitchelton-Scott teammates had their long transfer from Mt Buller made easier by team owner Gerry Ryan, who called in the air support.
And the emerging sprinter returned the favour, powering clear to win the 89.1km circuit race in front of teammate Dion Smithand Dutchman Moreno Hofland in a sizzling 1hr58mins.
“I was very thankful to Gerry. It was certainly a first experience for a lot of the guys and it made the trip from Buller easy,” Groves said.
In a frenetic finale, Groves held third wheel on the last of 22 climbs up the Anderson Street hill and took second position into the last corner before saluting across the line.
“The finish was hard enough for me, it really suited me and it was hard enough to drop some of the other fast guys and I’mhappy to get the win,” he said.
“There were many accelerations. I wasn’t sure I’d have the legs to get over (the hill), but everyone was hurting and the finish was a cross headwind.
“Me taking the barrier, everyone had to come over in the wind so it would have been really hard to come across.”
It capped a superb week for the 21-year-old, who won two stages and was second in another in his three sprint opportunities.
“The guys were perfect in keeping me fresh in every stage and delivering me to the finish as smoothly as possible,” Groves said.
West Australian climber Jai Hindley, from Team Sunweb, secured the win of his life, by taking out the overall title.
Hindley won both mountain stages – Falls Creek and Mount Buller – and was a picture of poise during the final stage
Hindley finished 17 seconds ahead of young surprise packet Sebastian Berwick (St George) and 36 seconds in front of 2017 champ Damien Howson (Mitchelton-Scott).
“It’s the biggest win of my career. I’m pretty ecstatic,” Hindley said.
“It’s a super relief to finish the tour off today and get the win and repay all the boys for all their hard work all week.”
Herald Sun
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