Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Jayco Bay Cycling Classic vital for Sutton’s calendar

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Parent Category: Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Category: News Cycling Pro Road & Mtb 2011

Published on Tuesday, 20 December 2011 13:14

Written by Editor

2011 Vuelta a España stage winner Chris Sutton does not even blink an eye at the thought of beginning his racing year on January 1 at the 2012 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic.

It is the timing, in fact, that makes it most appealing.

Sutton, who will ride for Urban Hotels, says the four-race criterium series is vital preparation for an important start to the 2012 season.

"I always put them in my calendar now," Sutton said.

"I used to race the Bay Crits when I was really young but then skipped them for a few years."

"I have come back to them because the older I’ve got, the more I’ve realised that doing the Bay Crits, for me, helps a lot in the lead up to the nationals and Tour Down Under."

Despite his goals for later in the month, it will be far from a training run for Sutton who will be looking for his second overall victory.

"I won it in 2010 so obviously for me I would love to win the series again," Sutton said.

"It’s pretty hard to win with so many skilful and talented bike riders so for sure if I can win one or two of the races I would be happy with that but I would love nothing more than to win the overall again."

The 27-year-old will be joined in the Urban Hotels line up by Melbourne-based Dutch rider Koen de Kort, Belgian Bert de Backer, Tasmanian Bernie Sulzberger, fellow New South Welshman Richard Lang.

Urban Hotels – 2012 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic

Bert de Backer (Belgium, 27)

Koen de Kort (Netherlands, 29)

Richard Lang (NSW, 22)

Bernie Sulzberger (TAS, 28)

Chris Sutton (NSW, 27)

Following the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic Sutton will head straight to Ballarat for the national championships – a championship he says has a new edge to it in 2012.

"The national championships is a hard one," Sutton said "The Buninyong course is very tough and demanding."

"I have always pretty much finished in the top ten there but it’s a really challenging circuit and its going to be that little bit harder this year because you have about 17 GreenEDGE riders and obviously for Team Sky there is only myself, Ritchie Porte, Matt Hayman and Michael Rogers."

"It is going to be a very interesting race to watch."

The Jayco Bay Cycling Classic, the world’s fastest criterium series, will kick off the 2012 cycling calendar from Sunday 1 to Wednesday 4 of January and is the perfect opportunity for riders to polish up before the national championships in Ballarat and the Tour Down Under.

In its seventh consecutive year, Amy’s Ride, a fun ride promoting mutual awareness and understanding between cyclists and motorists, will feature on Monday before stage two at the Geelong Eastern Park race. Thousands of cycling fans will band together with sporting stars and celebrities to raise money for the Amy Gillett Foundation.

In a first for the event, riders will be separated into waves with each team participating in the 2012 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic - including GreenEDGE - randomly allocated a wave to ride with.

2012 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic

Date:

Sunday, 1 January to Wednesday, 4 January

Stages:

Stage 1 - Sunday, 1 January: Ritchie Boulevard, Geelong Eastern Beach

4:00pm Support individual, 5:00pm Support teams, 6:00pm Elite women,

7:00pm Elite men

Stage 2 - Monday, 2 January: Geelong Eastern Park

8:30am: Amy’s Ride, 11:15am U17 boys & girls, 12:00pm Support individual, 12:50pm Support teams, 1:40pm Elite women, 2:30pm Elite men

Stage 3 - Tuesday, 3 January: Portarlington

12:00pm Support individual, 12:50pm Support teams, 1:40pm Elite women,

2:30pm Elite men

Stage 4 – Wednesday, 4 January: Williamstown

12:00pm Support individual, 12:50pm Support teams, 1:40pm Elite women,

2:30pm Elite men

Who:

Elite national and international athletes – men and women

2,500+ recreational cyclists participating in Amy’s Ride

Press release