CATCH THE EYE

THE red-hot form of Sam Bennett and Amanda Spratt has captured the eye of Cadel Evans, who has declared them his picks for his road race.

A stacked field of challengers will push Irish rider Bennett, with last year’s top two finishers Caleb Ewan and Elia Viviani set to duke it out with the Deceuninck Quick-Step cyclist.

Evans has kept an eye on Bennett – who won Tuesday’s first leg of the Santos Tour Down Under – and backed him in to perform at the Great Ocean Road Race on February 2. Ewan franked his own form by winning yesterday’s stage in Adelaide.

“I follow him with interest, I don’t know him personally but I follow as a fan and I’m also looking at it with a pro-rider’s eyes on how he’s moving and how his team

Evans said.

“Caleb’s Lotto team needs to be a bit better organised, Viviani’s just found a new team and they seem to function quite well for a new team.

“My initial thinking was it’s going to be an Elia and Caleb showdown like last year, but I think Sam Bennett has proven that that might not be the case.

“The men’s race I look at it a little bit between being a race is working,” organiser and as a little bit of a fan. I’ve got some guys I want to see do well.”

Despite a shock loss at the final stage of the Tour Down Under relegating her to a third overall, Spratt has had a strong start to the year having picked up the national road title.

Evans said the MitcheltonScott racer loomed as his favourite in the race, which will be held on February 1.

But the extra scrutiny attached to it now it is a UCI World Tour race means there will be plenty of challengers.

“Most of all for the women’s race because we move to the World Tour we are going to have a much deeper field than we did in the past, so I think it’s going to change the whole dynamics of the race,” Evans said.

“Whether someone has the chance to go away solo like (last year’s winner) Arlenis (Sierra) did in 2019, I don't know if that is going to be possible now because we have much greater depth in the teams.

“Amanda Spratt is looking really well, she was performing well in South Australia at the Tour so at the moment she is my pick.”