News

American to race in Skilled Tour of Tasmania

By Rod Morris

Giant American rider Mike Tillman, who impressed at the Christmas Carnivals has a won a berth in this month's Skilled Tour of Tasmania.

Tillman (33) will race in the Tasmanian Institute of Sport's No. 2 team, which will include Hobart's Stephen Rossendell, Launceston's Matt Rice and newly crowned Tasmanian Madison champions, Mark Jamieson and Matthew Conn.

Tillman has replaced invited Queensland rider Ben Day, who was a late withdrawal earlier this week.

Tour of Tasmania director John Trevorrow said "Tillman is a big strong fellow, who now handles a bike either on the track or the road."

Tillman has competed in the last two Tasmanian Christmas Carnivals series and in the 2001-2002 carnivals finished 39th on the Sports Carnivals Assocation of Tasmania's Order of Merit.

Although winless throughout the series, Tillman did score a strong second in the Latrobe A Grade Scratch behind Robert Wilson on Boxing Day.

Tillman originally hails from Yorba Linda in California, although he now resides in Santa Monica, California.

His credentials include several American National track championships and representing his country at the 1999 and 2001 World Track Championships.

He has been in Australia for several months now and competed in the Skilled Bay Criterium series and last weekend's NSW State Track Championships at the Dunc Gray Velodrome.

This weekend, Tillman will race at Melbourne's Vodafone Velodrome in the time honoured Austral Wheelrace.

The Skilled Tour of Tasmania will start in Hobart on Wednesday and will travel more than 520km around the State before finishing in Launceston on March 2.