Caleb Ewan will find a familiar face in Matej Mohoric when they line up in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited
SLOVAKIAN cyclist Matej Mohoric will have to contend with a familiar foe seeking revenge when he lines up in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour next week.
Mohoric, 19, pipped rising Australian star Caleb Ewan for the gold medal in the under-23 road race at the world championships last year, and is regarded in Europe as just as promising as Ewan is here.
With Ewan riding for the under-23 AIS National Team, the two young guns will have five opportunities to square off again in what should be an intriguing subplot to Australia's oldest stage race.
Mohoric will be riding for Cannondale, an Italian team sponsored by an American bicycle manufacturer, which will be one of three World Tour outfits - along with Australia's Orica-GreenEDGE and USA-based Garmin-Sharp - to take advantage of the race's recently upgraded status to get more early-season mileage in their legs.
Originally known as Liquigas when it was founded in 1999, Cannondale is an interesting presence on the WorldTour scene. Most of its riders are Italian but nine other nations are represented, with veteran Tasmanian Cameron Wurf, 30, the sole Australian.
Its gun rider is Slovakian Peter Sagan, who won the green jersey at last year's Tour de France.
Sagan did not come to Australia for either the Tour Down Under or this race, but the team comes to Melbourne with its international flavour intact - the six riders are from six countries.
Canadian Guillaume Boivan, 24, a dual winner of the Tour of Quebec and a bronze medallist in the under-23 road race at the world championships in Geelong 2010, has been identified as the most likely stage winner.
Boivan, Mohoric and Wurf are joined by New Zealander George Bennett, 23, Italian Alberto Bettiol, 20, and Austrian Matthais Krizek, 25.
They will all be relying on Wurf to supply local knowledge.
"This will be my fourth Herald Sun Tour and I have always loved coming back to race in and around Melbourne," he said.
"It's a race where you need to be alert because with the varying terrain and weather, the race situation can change in the blink of an eye and you don't want to get caught out."
ron.reed@news.com.au
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