CYCLING

Avanti shines as Bevin takes second on final stage and GC in Korea

By Aaron S Lee

Aussie Caleb Ewan narrowly escapes Kiwi Patrick Bevin at Tour de Korea, as Avanti Racing storms to the top of the team standings.



SEOUL—In the end, only four seconds separated New Zealand’s Patrick Bevin (Avanti Racing Team) with Australian Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) on the final general classification standings of the 2015 Tour de Korea (UCI 2.1) after the 65-kilometre final stage in Seoul on Sunday.

The 24-year-old North Island native, who won stage 5 and finished third on stage 6, had registered five second-place finishes over the eight-day stage race. But according to Bevin, this one was the hardest to take.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, and probably the most disappointing second place on in a stage I’ve gotten all race,” Bevin told NZ Bike at the finish. “When you come up against a team with the might of Orica-GreenEdge and take them so close it’s good but obviously disappointing to come in second because no one remembers second place.”

The reigning Oceania road race champion entered the day eight seconds down on the 20-year-old Ewan, who had already claimed four stages during the week, including Saturday’s stage 6 in Daejeon.

Ewan claimed the second intermediate bonus point but the race still came down to the finish where Bevin took second behind German Tino Thömel (RTS-Santic Racing Team) and just ahead of Dutchman Wouter Wippert (Drapac Pro Cycling), who had already claimed two stages and wore the yellow leaders jersey earlier in the week. Ewan finished fifth behind Italian Nicolas Marini (Nippo-Vini Fantini).

“There was a slight backfire on the intermediate sprints to get a couple of seconds back,” admitted Bevin. “But at the end off the day, it doesn’t really matter because if I had won the stage I would have won the race.”

All week, the race had a ‘David vs Goliath’ feel as the New Zealand-registered Continental squad did battle against the two higher-classified and cashed-up Australian squads – Drapac (Pro Continental) and Orica-GreenEdge (WorldTour). But Bevin claims neither him nor his team was ever intimidated.

“Every race we’ve been to we’ve been a factor this year,” he stated. “We are here to race and to win, and we don’t care about being Continental against WorldTour – it’s irrelevant. Once the flag drops it’s guys on bikes and it doesn’t matter how big your pay check is or how flashy your team bus is – it doesn’t matter.”

Prior to signing with Avanti late last year, Bevin served a stint with the national track team and raced the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Prior to that, he spent four years with the US-based Bissell Pro Cycling team (CT).

With a string of success that dates back to a stage win and another second on GC at the Herald Sun Tour in February, Bevin could be another one of the team’s alumnus to take the next step to WorldTour – following in the footsteps of Richie Porte (Team Sky), Nathan Earle (Team Sky), Nathan Haas (Cannondale-Garmin), Campbell Flakemore (BMC), Jack Haig (Orica-GreenEdge), Steele von Hoff (formerly Garmin-Sharp, now NFTO) and Will Clarke (formerly Team Argos-Shimano, now Drapac).

“I’m sure there are two or three teams interested from the WorldTour and why wouldn’t they be,” said Orica-GreenEdge team manager Shayne Bannan. “He’s pretty impressive this week, as well as the Sun Tour earlier this year.

“Hopefully, he is one that we will see in the WorldTour next year.”

GreenEdge sports director David McPartland agrees with Bannan.

“I’ve been impressed with him all week,” McPartland told NZ Bike. “To be sprinting with Caleb and beating him one-on-one on stage 5 is very impressive. It’s only a matter of time that he gets picked up by on of the big teams as he deserves to be riding WorldTour.”

However for Bevin, the WorldTour is the furthest from his mind – at least today.

“I’d like another shot tomorrow – maybe a nice short road bike time trial,” said Bevin. “We’d have another crack any day, but that’s bike racing and they deserve to win.

“But it would have been nice to have taken the jersey off them in the last metre on the last day, but I’m sure we’ll come back and race again.”

Aaron S. Lee is a cycling and triathlon columnist for Eurosport and a guest contributor to NZ Bike Magazine.  Image credit: Daebong Kim