ANDREW Lindsey can recall pulling teenagers out of school to contest the inaugural Tour of the Great South Coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The year was 2012 and Lindsey had put faith in a host of young south-west riders to spearhead the Anchor Point-South Coast team in the fledgling National Road Series event.
The mission to provide high-level opportunities to pedallers in the region started a year earlier, in 2011.
His son Dylan was showing potential on the bike. But Lindsey could see opportunities to capitalise on that were limited.
“I used to ride and back in my day, comparing the country and the city, the opportunities weren’t available to the guys in the country,” he said.
“My son Dylan was riding and there were a lot of other kids. I thought it’d be really good to see something up for the young kids in this corner of Victoria.”
Success was limited in their first year racing together, but that was to be expected.
The fact that regional teenagers were up against some of the top Australian cyclists was proof that the initiative was reaping rewards.
“The first year we were dragging kids out of secondary school to ride (the Tour of the Great South Coast),” Lindsey said.
Now, four years on from their establishment, Anchor Point-South Coast has become a major player in south-west cycling.
Their successes this year include Todd Satchell, 22, winning the Mount Gambier 100 and Casterton 50 and placing second in the Hamilton 75.
Nathan McLaren, 19, also showed his talent by finishing second in the under 19 section at the 2014 Victorian country road championships.
The pair join Allan Satchell, 25, and Dylan Lindsey, 21, in the field for the 2015 Tour of the Great South Coast next week, which starts at Mount Gambier and ends at Port Fairy.
Adelaide veteran Michael McGee, the fifth member of the team, will provide on-route coaching and advice.
Lindsey said a stage victory next week would represent a major success, although top-10 finishes was a more realistic ambition.
“Not so much the criteriums, although Todd Satchell is more than capable, but more the longer road stages would suit us,” Lindsey said.
“The second stage in Mount Gambier around Blue Lake and then the fourth stage from Heywood to Casterton, they’re two good opportunities.
“A couple of the guys are good sprinters and a couple are good climbers. If they take their opportunities and put themselves into good positions, anything can happen.”