On the first road stage of the 2016 Jayco Herald Sun Tour, Peter Kennaugh and Chris Froome blew the race to pieces on the category 1 Mt St Leonard climb, maintaining their lead on the 20km descent into Healesville to assume first and second on the stage with the British national champion moving into the leader’s yellow jersey.
Race leader Will Clarke (Drapac) was distanced on the climb and with 10-bonus seconds for the winner, Kennaugh now leads Froome by seven seconds with Dion Smith, third on today's stage at 17 seconds, sitting 23 seconds back in third place on GC.
A six-man breakaway, Kristian House (ONE Pro Cycling), Giacomo Berlato (Nippo Vini Fantini), Nick Katsonis (State of Matter / MAAP), Alistair Slater (Condor JLT), Craig Evers (Data#3 Cisco Racing Team p/b Scody) and Ben Hill Attaque Team Gusto), was reeled in on the early slopes of the 8.3km climb with Team Sky setting the tempo before Froome launched his attack that only Kennaugh could follow.
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“Yeah, awesome. Obviously much better than expected,” said Kennaugh who won last Sunday’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race with a late attack. “Obviously the race last week gave me a lot of confidence going into today and we had a good plan for today’s stage which worked out perfectly.
“It was to make it hard going into the last climb for Froomey to have a go and I was just to follow wheels and sort of judge the situation and if I felt I could come across to him, do that. Massive thanks to the team and especially Froomey, because once I got across to him I basically sat on his wheel the whole way up the climb.”
Froome was first atop the climb, earning himself the king of the mountains jersey, followed by Kennaugh with a chase group led Ben Dyball (KordaMentha – Australia) at 19 seconds. Jack Haig (Orica-GreenEdge), Joe Cooper (AvantiIsowhey), Nathan Earle (Drapac), Chris Hamilton (KordaMentha – Australia), Damien Howson (Orica-GreenEdge), Jai Hindley (Attaque Team Gusto) and Micahel Storer (KordaMentha – Australia) were reported on race radio as the riders next on the road with the peloton split to pieces up the climb.
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