Shelverton claims silver at Road Nats

After narrowly missing out on the criterium podium, Jonas Shelverton played a big role in helping a teammate to victory on his way to junior road race silver at the Road Nationals.

ARA Skip Capital teammates Jonas Shelverton (left) and Alex Hewes after filling the quinella in the junior men's road race at the Road Nationals in Perth.

Narrowly missing the criterium podium was all the motivation Tasmanian Jonas Shelverton needed to claim silver in the junior men’s road race at the Road Nationals in Perth.

Still stinging from must missing a medal the day before, the 17-year-old also played a huge role in helping ARA Skip Capital teammate Alex Hewes win the 109km, eight lap race.

Shelverton was part of an early breakaway which allowed him to work in tandem with Hewes and eventually secure the quinella for their team.

The pair were part of a nine-rider group at the end of the race, and they matched a burst from bronze medallist Fletcher Medway before coming out on top.

“I was a bit disappointed after the fourth (in the criterium). It’s still a good result, but the goal was to get on a podium in one of the events,” Shelverton said.

“It defnitely gave me some motivation and it was nice to be able to be in the mix, which gave me confidence for the road race.

“I was hoping for a top three in the road race, it’s what I thought my best result could be, and I’ve been training hard for this event for a while.

Hobart's Jonas Shelverton. Picture: Jon Tuxworth

“It’s pretty rewarding to come away with a silver medal and have my teammate as well.”

Shelverton said the tactics with Hewes helped conserve energy and was happy a teammate could stand atop the podium.

“The team said we can race more as individuals, just don’t work against each other in the race,” Shelverton said.

“We can just help each other by chasing back moves together, and managing the workload between us so we can get to the finish the most fresh.

“I got in the break early, which meant my team was represented and no one in the peleton had to chase. Once Alex came across we could work together and not spend as much time on the front as an individual, and use that time to rest and recover for the finish.

“It’s always a bit interesting. At the end of the day, it’s important to make sure you’re doing the right thing by yourself and the team, and doing the basic principles of teamwork.

Shelverton also claimed the overall tour title at the Tour of Gippsland last year, claiming a stage victory in the process.

Hewes gave credit to Shelverton for working with him to pull off the win after the race.

“I’m absolutely over the moon. It’s a bit of dream to be out there, to win such a prestigious race,” Hewes told AusCycling.

“I missed the early breakaway, then there were a few attacks here and there. The peloton was chasing pretty hard to close them down, though.

“Then around four laps in, I decided it’s time to bridge across. I had to go three or four times because I got shot down a few times but I eventually got away with a couple others.

“Thanks to Jonas, my teammate, I was able to stop the attacks and win the sprint from the top.”

The men’s and women’s elite road races were due to be held on Sunday.