Dual Melbourne to Warrnambool winner Joel Pearson will be chasing more glory in the south-west this week.
CYCLING squad Genesys Wealth Advisors will not be satisfied with anything but a win in this week’s Tour of the Great South Coast.
The eight-rider professional team will be among the leading contenders when the inaugural tour kicks off in Portland tomorrow.
Genesys leads the teams category of the National Road Series (NRS) ahead of the tour, the fifth event on the series calendar.
But it has failed to have a rider win the Mersey Valley Tour (Tasmania), Tour of Toowoomba (Queensland), North Western Tour (NSW) or Tour of Gippsland (Victoria).
“We won’t be satisfied unless we win,” team director Andrew Christie-Johnson said yesterday.
“We won 11 of the 12 national rounds last year. Once you’ve done that it’s very hard when you don’t win. You do feel a bit disappointed,” he said.
“At the end of the day we’ve got to set standards high. A podium will still be a good result, but ultimately we want a win.”
West Australian Anthony Giacoppo heads the Genesys contenders, which also include Tasmanian Campbell Flakemore.
Dual Melbourne to Warrnambool winner Joel Pearson, of NSW, will also be a leading contender for the Tasmanian-based team.
Christie-Johnson said Genesys had enjoyed success racing in Asia earlier this year and there were reasons for the lack of individual success on this year’s NRS.
“Since we came back from Asia we’ve had a lot of injuries and riders being sick. It’s been difficult to get our best team at one of these tours,” he said.
“The last three tours we’ve had 50 per cent of our top team there.
“Whilst the other riders are still more than capable, it has been a challenge to get our number one team.
“I was expecting to have our best eight on the team but one of our riders has been sick and had to withdraw. We’re close to 100 per cent strength this tour.”
Christie-Johnson said wind, rather than terrain, would be the biggest challenge during the Tour of the Great South Coast.
He expected rival teams Drapac, RBS Morgans-ATS and Budget Forklifts to provide the major threats.
“I’ve got three or four guys who are capable of winning the tour,” he said.
“It’s more about getting in that right position and seeing who over the first few days will become your true leader.
“It can be difficult. A lot of things can change on the road.”
The Tour of the Great South Coast is the fifth event of the 12-leg National Road Series and the second of four which make up the Victorian-based Scody Cup.