Tom Roe (Budget Forklifts) wins stage 2 of the Tour de Perth into Kalamunda(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Tim Roe also looked strong(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Tim Roe (BudgetFoklifts) is out to build on a successful start to the Subaru National Road Series (NRS) at the Jarvis Subaru Adelaide Tour which begins on Thursday. Roe, who spent several season with BMC, made a triumphant return to the NRS at the opening race of 2014, the Tour de Perth, by soloing to victory on stage two and finishing second overall behind Joe Cooper (Avanti).
"I was really happy to start the NRS off with a win," said Roe. "It was really satisfying and my team's reaction was incredible, they all worked really hard."
The 24-year-old has had no time to celebrate his good performance with only a four-day break between the Perth and Adelaide races.
The Adelaide Tour opens with a 85km road race from Angaston to Campbelltown which features an ascent of the infamous 'corkscrew' climb before a rapid descent to the finish line. The climb featured in the Tour Down Under this year and it was Cadel Evans (BMC) who blew the race apart then showed his descending abilities to claim the stage win.
"It's going to be cool to be able to compete in my home race. It's not really a pure climbers tour or a pure sprinters tour, it's just an all-round course, but I think the first stage will be the decisive one with the climb up corkscrew.
"Local knowledge is always a good thing, but it's a matter of who has the legs on the climb. Corkscrew is one of Adelaide’s well renowned climbs, I spend so much time training on it so it will be really nice to race up there."
Roe is looking to get back to racing and pinning and number on his back without placing any expectations on his results: "I did ride at the top level of cycling for a couple of years but I don't feel I have anything to prove, I'm just going out there and riding the best I can and showing to myself how I can race.
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"My body is really good, it took a while to get on top of [my back injury] and now, to be riding without pain is a nice feeling."
The other stages of the race are set to test the 'all round' riders with a lumpy 156km road race, including two short dirt sections to be traversed three times. The final two stages will suit the sprinters with a 62km CBD criterium (stage three) and a 82km kermesse (stage four).
Joining Roe are his Budget Forklifts teammates; Brodie Talbot, Jesse Kerrison, Josh Prete, Tommy Nankervis, Sam Witmitz and Daniel Barry and Myron Simpson.
