Luke Durbridge fastest in opening prologue
Jayco-AIS teammate Michael Hepburn edged out by less than a second
Luke Durbridge (Team Jayco-AIS) overcame compatriot Michael Hepburn (Team Jayco-AIS) by a few tenths of a second to take the opening prologue of the Royal Smilde Olympia's Tour. Third place Sander Oostlander rounded out the top three a further six seconds back on the two Australians.
Durbridge blasted around the 4.7km course in a race winning time of 5:53; an average speed of 47.9 km/h. The Australian was surprised with the result .
"To be honest I thought Michael [Hepburn] would be faster," he said.
"But obviously I'm really happy with the result. The course was great with two wins so far here this year [Track Worlds], I do like Holland," said Durbridge.
The course was a challenging one; a myriad of technical corners through the Hoofddorp park and once over the steep but short 'Spotter's Hill' meant that a punchy rider was likley to come out on top.
A number of riders came unstuck including local favourite Jenning Huizenga, but Durbridge proved to be completely in control and put in a classy ride to finish on top.
Jayco-AIS sports director Matthew White who rode the race back in 1994, said the result comes as reward for the determination of the riders and added,
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"The boys are fired up to win. It will be difficult because it will be a tough week but we're off to a good start."
The Royal Smilde Olympia's Tour continues tomorrow with a 150.8km stage to Noordwijk.
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Luke Durbridge (Aus) Team Jayco AIS | 0:05:53 |
2 | Michael Hepburn (Aus) Team Jayco AIS | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Sander Oostlander (Ned) Cycling Team De Rijke | 0:00:06 |
4 | Johan Lindgren (Swe) Team Cykelcity | 0:00:07 |
5 | Christoph Pfingsten (Ger) Cycling Team De Rijke | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Rabobank CT | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Moreno Hofland (Ned) Rabobank CT | 0:00:09 |
8 | Peter Koning (Ned) Rucanor-Line Cycling Team | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Luke Rowe (GBr) National Team Great Britain | 0:00:11 |
10 | Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Team Cykelcity | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
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