Australian talent talks about disrupted early season, upcoming targets and potential Tour debut
He hasn’t raced much this year but Cameron Meyer is hoping that today’s crucial stage in the Presidential Tour of Turkey will go well for him and put him in position to challenge for the overall classification.
The Australian was upbeat when he spoke to VeloNation prior to the start of the race, saying that he feels his condition is good enough to perform despite that relative lack of competition.
“I think it’s possible to go well here,” he said in the video interview below. “I think it is a good race to start back with. Sarthe gave me a bit of intensity before here. Obviously it is still a bit unknown as to where I am at, but training has been going well and we will see how I go on stage three – that is going to be the hard stage.”
Meyer was considerably delayed by the massive crash which affected the finale of yesterday’s race, rolling in over three minutes back, but was not hurt. The time loss was due to the road being blocked by the number of riders who went down, and because the incident happened inside the final three kilometres he did not incur that time loss.
He is ten seconds behind the new race leader André Greipel, and level on time with the other GC contenders.
Today’s stage is almost certainly the biggest decider for the final general classification; it includes two first category ascent, including the 1820 metre high summit finish of Elmali, and the gaps will be decisive.
If Meyer can perform well there, he knows that he should be set for a high finish. He welcomes what is a hillier route this year. “It does seem a little bit lumpier,” he said, referencing today’s climb and also the new summit finish on stage six. “I think that gives more opportunities to a guy like me, rather than just having six or seven sprint stages. So it will be an interesting week, I think.”
Meyer shows his stage racing ability in the past with victory in the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under. He was also third in the 2010 Tour of Oman and last year finished tenth in the Tour of California and eleventh in Tirreno-Adriatico.
He is seen by some as a future Grand Tour contender. His own position is that he wants his career to develop gradually, step by step, and that he won’t put pressure on himself before time.
Apart from being a year older and more experienced, the 25 year old believes there is an additional reason why he could be able to step up a level this season.
“This is the first year that I haven’t ridden the track world championships or the track season. Last year I still went back to Australia for the Melbourne world championships,” he said. “So this year is the first time.
“It feels a bit different, even though I was out in the early season [he had to undergo an operation for a saddle sore – ed.’. We will see how the legs progress just by doing the road for a little bit longer this year.”
Watch the video below to hear what Meyer’s targets are this season and what his thoughts are in relation to potentially making his Tour de France debut.
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