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The 2023 version of the Tour de France will present many a possibility for Australian riders to impress on the world stage, and to evaluate from current World Tour occasions, there will likely be no scarcity of Aussies placing their palms up on the Tour.
Jai Hindley’s (BORA-Hansgrohe) history-making victory on the 2022 Giro d’Italia little question impressed some spectacular Aussie performances at this 12 months’s race, with Michael Matthews (Group Jayco AlUla) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin–Deceuninck) each coming away with early stage wins and Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech) coming agonisingly near victory on Stage 6.
The recently-concluded Criterium du Dauphine noticed one other spectacular feat by no means beforehand achieved on the WorldTour, with three Australians inserting inside the highest 5 of the final classification. Ben O’Connor’s (AG2R Citroën Group) podium end was nearly matched by Hindley and Jack Haig (Bahrain-Victorious), who completed shut behind in fourth and fifth respectively.
Whereas the trio of Hindley, O’Connor and Clarke are anticipated to experience the Tour, and Matthews a chance after coming off the Giro, the likes of Groves and Haig are set to sit down out after competing in Italy final month.
Hindley will get one other shot at victory in a Grand Tour, this time in France, with the 27-year-old anticipated to enter because the lead rider for German outfit BORA-Hansgrohe. Hindley’s current outcomes embody a Fifteenth-placed end on the week-long Tirreno-Adriatico in March, earlier than ending eighth on the Volta a Catalunya later that month.
He was 3:16 off the tempo of a flying Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on the Dauphine, however the Perth-born rider ought to go into the French Tour stuffed with confidence in his bid to observe within the footsteps of Cadel Evans from 2011 and safe the yellow jersey.
Fellow West Australian O’Connor can be no stranger to pushing for the highest of the GC standings at Grand Excursions, with a fourth-placed end on the 2021 version of Le Tour highlighted by his memorable victory on Stage 9.
The 27-year-old additionally completed final 12 months’s Criterium du Dauphine in an similar third place, with current outcomes together with a 14th-placed end on the Volta a Catalunya and ending two locations above compatriot Hindley at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Sprinter Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny) is out for revenge in France after he didn’t safe a Grand Tour stage victory final season for the primary time since 2018. The ‘pocket rocket’ has additionally not gained a stage on the Tour de France since 2020, whereas an inconsistent earlier 18 months on the bike has since seen a change in fortunes after lately taking out the Merksteijn Fences Basic in Belgium.
Clarke and Nick Schultz are each anticipated to be among the many ranks for Israel-Premier Tech as a part of a stage-hunting staff. Though Clarke was compelled to desert the Giro on Stage 16 over every week after his Stage 6 heartbreak, the 36-year-old began the 12 months off strongly, being bested solely by Luke Plapp (INEOS Grenadiers) on the Nationwide Street Championships in January and ending third on the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Street Race.
Schultz has proven promise in his debut season for the Israeli outfit after departing Group Jayco AlUla final 12 months, along with his strongest displaying a Thirteenth-placed end on the five-day Vuelta a Andalucía in February.
Luke Durbridge and Chris Harper (Group Jayco AlUla) will possible each characteristic for the Aussie outfit in help of Briton Adam Yates. 4-time nationwide champion Durbridge is probably finest remembered for his two stage victories on the Giro d’Italia, profitable time-trials at each the 2014 and 2015 editions of the race.
Harper has additionally proven some spectacular type of late, ending sixteenth general on the Criterium du Dauphine and twentieth at Paris-Good. The 28-year-old’s profession highlights embody a stage victory ultimately 12 months’s Vuelta a Espana and an general victory within the now-defunct Tour de Savoie Mont-Blanc race in 2019.
Matthew Dinham and Sam Welsford (Group DSM) are set to spherical out the host of Aussie expertise that includes on the race, with the previous prone to race in his first Grand Tour in his debut season for the Dutch outfit. Welsford began his 2023 season with a bang, profitable the ultimate two levels of the seven-day Vuelta a San Juan race and prevailing within the Grand Prix Criquielion traditional in March.