Having revelled in the successes and wins of his teammates in his crafted role of a domestique, Damien Howson now knows the sweet taste of personal success.
The Orica-Scott rider proved his multi-faceted characteristics in defending the Herald Sun Tour yellow jersey he took on Thursday through to Sunday as he claimed overall success. The success was made all the sweeter by the fact that three-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome (Team Sky) finished down in sixth place.
The final stage circuit in Kinglake was Howson's final test in the leader's jersey, and the 24-year-old, who had never led a professional race before this week, passed the test with aplomb. In doing so, Orica-Scott claimed a third GC victory at Australia's oldest stage race in four years.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It comes with a lot of honour," he said of joining a collection of winners that includes the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Froome, Robbie McEwen and Simon Gerrans. "There are a lot of prestigious names on that list so just looking at the trophy there on the presentation. I am really happy to join that list of guys. To get my first win only a couple of days ago and to continue all the way through and keep the yellow jersey on the final day, it's my first overall win ever. It is also nice to break into new territory for myself."
Midway through his second season as a neo-pro with Orica, Howson decided his future in the pro peloton rested on him becoming a specialist. The former U23 time trial world champion has since crafted out his niche as a domestique and key wingman to Esteban Chaves in the high mountains.
Third overall at last year's race, Howson started the 2017 edition as a domestique for the team with Chaves and Gerrans as the two leaders. He also spent the Tour Down Under last month as a workhorse on both flat and hilly stages. A stage 1 victory atop the 29km Falls Creek at the Herald Sun Tour was a coming of age for Howson, but there were still three days of racing to come before the job was done.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2kjKAbu
No comments:
Post a Comment