Bobridge to skip Sun Tour after Worlds win

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Jack Bobridge will miss the Jayco Herald Sun Tour this month to focus on the upcoming International Cycling Union Track World Cup in Melbourne next month. Bobridge will take the time out to recover after winning last week’s UCI Under 23 Individual Time Trial Championship in Switzerland.

Australian Institute of Sport national technical director Kevin Tabotta believes the decision to rest Bobridge is in the rider’s best interest. "Since the (Beijing) Olympics, Jack's been going 100 per cent mentally and physically towards winning the under-23 title,'' Tabotta said. "So this decision just gives him a little time to take a breather and just `defrag' before he gets back into it.''

World track omnium champion Leigh Howard will take Bobridge’s place in the Jayco-AIS squad. Howard joins Luke Durbridge, Glenn O’Shea, Michael Matthews, Rohan Dennis and Adam Semple.

"The boys are not planning to win the Tour - it's more just seeing how they bounce after the worlds,'' Tabotta said. "But they're racers, especially Leigh, so we'll see how their legs are as we get going.

"If they're in a winning position, the mentality can change - there's no guarantees in road racing.''

The Jayco Herald Sun Tour starts on October 11 in Ballarat and finishes on October 17 in Melbourne.

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