Alex Edmondson might be Australian, but his heart lies in the cobbles of Flanders. The 23-year-old has long dreamed of writing his name alongside the heroes of the pavé, and he will take his first steps towards achieving that goal after being named in Orica-Scott’s Tour of Flanders line-up.
Edmondson showed his credentials as a cobbled Classics rider when he won the Tour of Flanders’ under-23 race, but his start on Sunday will be an experience on an entirely different level from what he’s ever done before.
“For me, it has always been a dream to be able to ride the likes of Flanders and Roubaix,” Edmondson told Cyclingnews the day before the team was announced. “If I get the call up for Flanders, then it’s about trying to get the experience and sponge off the guys, and one day it has always been a dream of mine to say that I’ve won one of those monuments. Either classic I would be absolutely rapt. You’ve got to be realistic. It’s a big step. I might have won the under-23s, but the elite race is a whole other ball game.
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“I think that where I’ve come from with all the injuries over the summer, I’m just taking every day as it comes. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and doing the best that I can and being able to give back to such a wonderful team that has supported me through the injuries.”
Orica-Scott is not among the top favourites for Sunday’s race, but they do go in with options in the form of Jens Keukeleire and Luke Durbridge, who have been on flying form so far during this Classics campaign. The team is looking to complete the set of Monuments after winning Paris-Roubaix and Il Lombardia last season, added to the Milan-San Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege victories that they already have.
For a young rider such as Edmondson, it is an opportunity to ride alongside riders that he once looked up to and a chance to glean as much information as possible from them is one that he’s not going to give up.
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