Simon Gerrans shines in Haut Var

By Jean-François Quénet

Finishing second behind Filippo Pozzato sounds like a pretty good result for Simon Gerrans but the Victorian actually made it clear after the Tour du Haut Var that he wasn't happy with the result. "I'm really disappointed," he commented. "With a couple of hundred metres to go, I got blocked and I had to re-start sprinting. Then I threw my bike to the line but too early. I was up there by myself. Pozzato had teammates with him, Tinkoff was well represented also. I had to do a fair bit coming to the finish. The legs are there, the form isn't far away, that's all I can say."

In his third year as a professional, Gerrans is becoming a highly feared rider, not only in Australia, where he has won the Tour Down Under and twice the Sun Tour. He's also a protected rider at Ag2r Prévoyance, for which he aims for a third participation in the Tour de France. He recently launched his personal website, simongerrans.com, where he inaugurated a competition for the registered members. Fans have until the end of February to take part in the first draw for an Ag2r Prévoyance personal jersey.