Starting the Australian summer without a contract, Freddy Ovett ends the early season with his best result to date and the security of the year ahead with Australian Cycling Academy.
The former runner turned cyclist had been bagging Strava KOMs over the summer but was doing so without a contract for 2018. A lifeline came via the new Continental Australian Cycling Academy, with Ovett's connections to the Sunshine Coast helping seal the deal.
On his debut with the squad, the 24-year-old was quick to repay the faith placed in him by team managers Ben Kersten and Matt Wilson with 10th place overall at the Herald Sun Tour.
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"Obviously, I am climbing well but you don't know how you are going to fair in a race of that length," Ovett told Cyclingnews of his seventh-place ride up Lake Mountain on stage 3 to set up his GC result. Eighth place on stage 4 then secured his best overall result to date.
"I was on top of my nutrition and the team was fantastic looking after me all day. I suffered to the end and was super pleased to finish in a group of climbers of that calibre. Some of the guys are world class, and it was a bit of breakthrough for me."
Collapsing off his bike once over the finish line, Ovett explained of the 20-kilometre climb the following day that "I don't think I have been deep for that long." While Ovett was making headlines and generating discussion on social media due to his Strava rides, racing is the priority, the emotion of the Sun Tour trumping Strava notifications.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/breakthrough-herald-sun-tour-for-ovett
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