Will Clarke shaved over half-a-second off his Jayco Herald Sun Tour winning time last year as he powered to the win and first race leader’s jersey of the race. The Drapac rider’s average speed of 49.1km/h saw him cover the 2.1km course along Melbourne’s Southbank in 2:37.27 minutes. Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) was the last man to start the course and would come the closest to Clarke just as he did 12-months prior under far sunnier skies.
"Pretty much same result as last year just beating Caleb by about a second. It was a nervous wait for me actually, starting 40-45 minutes before him ... and sitting up there,” Clarke said after the podium ceremony where he collected the first leader’s jersey of the race. “I thought he’s [Ewan] good in the corners, he’s very fast so this course suits him as well.
“I am just stronger than last year I think so I think that’s what allowed me to go a little bit quicker," Clarke added of the difference between his 2015 and 2016 winning rides. "I guess I’d down Tour Down Under the previous years before this and maybe in ways it can help to have a race in your legs but I guess I was able to do more specific prologue work before this also which could have helped.
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Clarke lost the leader's jersey after stage 1 last year but the 30-year-old is looking for an extended stay in the jersey this time round.
“It would be nice to hang onto the jersey for a day or two, he have to wait and see how the race plays out. It’s such a short prologue so the time gaps aren’t huge, its not like I am 10-20 seconds up on anyone," Clarke said. "Whoever basically wins tomorrow has a good chance of pulling on the leaders jersey. We’ll wait and see how the race is going, maybe put some guys up the road to defend our interest that way."
While Clarke repeated his win, Ewan repeated his second place. The Orica-GreenEdge sprinter explained he gave it his all but having won seven races in January, his tone was of disappointment with his first second place of the season.
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