Launceston Cycling Classic expands in 2012

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The Stan Siejka Launceston Cycling Classic has returned for 2012, celebrating the 11th edition of the highly-popular criterium held around the city streets of Launceston, Tasmania. This year’s race will be held in conjunction with a Saturday kermesse organised by the Launceston Cycling Club on the weekend starting 8 December.

The event has moved to a Sunday evening time slot to accommodate the additional Saturday kermesse around Deloraine and Westbury with many of the country’s top National Road Series teams set to attend the weekend of racing.

Last year’s winner Luke Ockerby from the Budget Forklifts team will return to the race with the hope of taking another win in the event he won last year under atrocious conditions.

"It’s a fantastic event and it will be my job to get teammate Luke Ockerby up to the front the help him get back to back wins, the whole team is looking forward to it," said Budget Forklifts’ Peter Loft.

The team will be challenged by local squad and current NRS team classification leaders Genesys Wealth Advisers while Team Polygon also vying for the win. Search2retain will also be in the mix along with a number of others. This year's race will focus on the strength of the domestic scene and will miss a number of the European-based professionals who have attended previous editions. That is unlikely however, to affect the more than 10,000 spectators who are expected to line the course on the Sunday evening.

There is a full program of events scheduled for the weekend with a number of support races including the returning of the Female Elite race beginning at 5pm, two hours before the Stan Siejka Launceston Cycling Classic.