Sophia Sammons (Team Redcat) and Levi Hone (Team Brennan) have moved into the overall lead of the ProVelo Super League after winning the Tour of Tasmania.
The pair both claimed their maiden general classification victories in the PSL after consistent performances across four thrilling stages on the Apple Isle.
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Sammons showed her resilience to bounce back after being involved in a nasty crash that saw Stage 3 cancelled, to take the GC win.
After her Team Redcat teammate Ruby Taylor took out the opening stage prologue, Sammons stamped her authority on the race, clinching Stage 2 with a dominant solo victory on the challenging 107km course which included two ascents of the infamous Gunns Plains climb.
With Stage 3 cancelled after an unfortunate crash that took out much of the peloton, including Sammons, it was unclear if the U23 national time trial champion would be able to finish the tour.
Determined to line up for the final stage, and having bene given medical clearance Sammons lined up for criterium.
While Taylor stormed to her second victory of the tour outsprint pre-race favourite Keely Bennett (Butterfields Ziptrack Racing), Sammons rode a calm and measured race to finish in the main field, sealing her maiden GC win.
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After leading with Conor Leahy after round 1, Team Brennan once again showed their dominance at the PSL with Levi Hone taking the leader’s jersey after Tour of Tasmania.
Tasmania’s Cam Ivory kicked off the Tour with his fifth prologue victory, before Team Brennan’s Oliver Bleddyn made his mark on Stage 2, launching a decisive attack with 11km to go to take the stage win.
Western Australia’s Connor Wright, 17, took it to Bleddyn and Team Brennan on Stage 3, outsprinting the Olympic champion to claim victory on the mountain-top finish.
The battle for the overall GC came down the final stage, a thrilling criterium through the streets of Launceston.
Tasmania’s Reuben Page-Brown (VIS p/b K.O.M.P) sprinted to his first ProVelo Super League win.
With the time bonus for 3rd on the stage and the advantage over the main field, Echuca's Hone stepped into the race lead at the last possible moment, winning his first PSL overall title ahead of his teammate, Bleddyn.
Hone steps into the jersey and with an immensely strong team around him he may prove tough to beat. Just behind in second is Falcons Pedal Mafia’s Connor Wright, but his main competition may come from teammate Oliver Bleddyn, who is showing some serious climbing form, appearing the strongest in the field all weekend.
See the full results here.
The next stop of the ProVelo Super League is the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Festival this weekend, having been postponed previously due to bushfires.
Watch ProVelo Super League here.