The confidence is high for Border cycling star Jesse Featonby heading into his third Sun Tour.
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Featonby has bounced back from a horror start to his 2018 campaign, where he was involved in a major crash on the Great Ocean Road at the same event last year, to enter this year’s tour in the form of his career.
After claiming the Tour of Bright late last year, Featonby produced the ride of his life to claim his first UCI stage win at the New Zealand Cycle Classic last week – finishing second in the general classification and king of the mountain standings.
He’s looking to return to heights of his top-15 finish at the 2017 Sun Tour, with stage one starting from Phillip Island today.
“I’m probably at the same level of fitness as 2017, but I’ve been able to win a lot more races these past few months and developed more strategically,” Featonby said.
“I am our team’s general classification rider, so I target the overall win.
“It sometimes means you don’t win a stage, but just be consistent.
“Mostly it’s decided on the hills, so I’m targeting those stages to put myself in the best possible position to get a solid result.
“I’ve never ridden the climbs, but on Arthurs Seat (on day four) we race five laps, so I will know what to expect.”
A host of top riders will contest the event, including Trek-Segafredo’s Ritchie Porte, Team Sky’s Luke Rowe, winner of the Beechworth stage in 2017, 2017 winner Damian Howson with Mitchelton-Scott, as well as 2018 world championship bronze medallist Michale Woods with EF Cannondale.
Also lining up are nationals champion Michael Freiberg and winner of last week’s New Zealand Cycle Classic Aaron Gate.
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