2017'S WINNER ON…

It’s an end of season race, so you’ve got a lot of guys who are going well but are maybe not mentally up for it. And then you’ve got guys who are still chasing a contract so they’re pushing pretty hard. It’s a real mix and that makes it hard racing because lots of people have nothing to lose. There’s a lot of attacking further out from the finish. Last year, I was going well and feeling good on the bike but was pretty relaxed as well. I wasn’t really expecting to come away with the win.

Last year, it was also the second of two one-day races over the weekend and most of the peloton rode both. I found racing the day before really helpful to blow the cobwebs off.

Last year, the race was hard all day. The peloton split in half early on and then rolled back together. The finish circuit had a bit of crosswind before the final climb, which made the effort a bit longer and made positioning really important. Taking a win into the off-season is always good for the head. It puts the mind at ease before you take four weeks off the bike and gain a few kilograms.