Will Clarke wins Jayco Herald Sun Tour opener

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On a warm evening along Melbourne’s Southbank, Will Clarke (Drapac) claimed victory in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour prologue to pull on the first leader’s jersey of the race. Having placed third last year, Clarke posted the fastest time at the half-way check and crossed the line still holding the fastest time of 2:35.53 minutes.

Clarke disposed Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) from the hot seat who in turn had knocked Clarke's teammate Brenton Jones off the porch.

"I’ve been thinking about it for 12-months so I’ve had some time to go over it and think about where I could make up a bit of ground so, as always in a short prologue, it’s always close and just under a second to Caleb. It’s just about driving it as hard as you can the whole time," Clarke told reporters after the race.

The adjustment to the course, which saw 400 metres trimmed and a new start from last year where he almost crashed, proved beneficial to Clarke who took his fourth professional win.

"The starts a bit different so I went over it four of five times just to get it in my mind how to take the corners. It’s a bit different at race pace but you still get an idea of how to take it," Clarke said.

As race leader, Clarke explained how he sees' the team tackling the forthcoming stages, counting himself out for a bid at overall victory.

"I'm probably not the GC rider for Drapac but we have some strong climbers and BJ [Jones] can sprint so hopefully I can help him out on the sprint stages and maybe I can look for a breakaway for myself," Clarke said

Identifying Ewan as a threat, Clarke added "I knew Caleb would be right up there. It’s only a two-and-a half minute effort and he’s one of the up and coming sprinters so to ride a good prologue you normally have to be a good combination of fast and not bad at time trialling."

For Ewan, it's another second place but the 20-year-old is prime position to take over the race lead with tomorrow's stage set to finish in a bunch sprint in which he should feature at the pointy end.

"I knew a short prologue like this could suit me and it turned out it did," said Ewan, who will wear the best young rider jersey.  "When we are the only WorldTour team here, we are expected to do well and win overall so it's always going to be hard, especially with six guys. It will be tough but I think we can handle it."

"Tyler Farrar and Matt Goss are always going to be quick and they are guys who ride the Tour de France," Ewan said of who sees as his sprint rivals. "Steele von Hoff is going really well also and Brenton showed he has good form so there are a few good sprinters here and it’s going to be pretty tough."

Early pace setters

As the first rider out of the start gate it was no surprise that Rob Power (U23 Australia) went straight into the hot seat with a time of 2:47.38 minutes but he didn't make it onto the podium as the second starter of the day, Chris Lawless (Great Britain) immediately disposed with a time that was five seconds quicker.

Damien Howson (Orica-GreenEdge) then knocked off Lawless by one second. Nine riders came through without challenging the time but it was the tenth, Joe Cooper (Avanti) that succeeded in unsettling him by three seconds.

It was one Kiwi unsettling another though as Sam Bewley (Orica-GreenEdge) then came through one second faster with a time of 2:37.19 minutes. Jones recovered from a slow start that saw him seventh at the half-way point to post a new quickest time of 2:36.85 minutes and it was then a case of keeping up with Jones if riders still held aspirations for victory.

Neil van der Ploeg (Avanti) came through the half-way check with the fastest time but faded in the finale to temporarily occupy third place.

Ewan became the third Orica-GreenEdge to occupy the hot seat as he turned the fifth fastest time at half-way to the quickest on the finish line with a 2:36.42 minutes but it was Clarke making amends for last year and claiming Drapac's second win of the season after Wouter Wippert's Tour Down Under success.

Defending champion Simon Clarke finished in seventh, ahead of his main GC rivals as GreenEdge placed four riders in the top ten while Avanti had three.

Tomorrow's stage of the race starts in Mount Macedon and finishes in Bendigo 152km later.

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