Orica-GreenEdge is hoping to end the 2013 WorldTour season on a high at the Tour of Beijing, as it aims for stage victories and overall success in the Chinese capital. The Australian team will have Cameron Meyer as sole general classification leader, after Dutchman Pieter Weening has been forced withdraw following a crash in il Lombardia.
“We’re looking to get some good results to finish off the season,” said directeur sportif Matt White. “We’d like someone with a high overall placing. We’ll look to Cam for that. We’re also on the hunt for stage wins with Michael Matthews.”
While Meyer is looking at the general classification, the team will also hope to score results on the individual stages, particularly with double Vuelta a España stage winner Michael Matthews.
“I think we will see two bunch sprints this year on stage one and five,” said Meyer. “Anything can happen on stages two and three with the hills along the way. Stage four is the hardest, and it’s the first time this race has had a mountain top finish. This is where I think the race will be won, but I think all the racing will be fast and aggressive.
“We have some high hopes and big goals for the team this year at Tour of Beijing,” he added. “We have a strong squad. I hope to do something in the overall standings. I think Michael Matthews has a chance at some stage victories, and we also have some riders for the breakaway.”
Usually given a free role to take part in early breakaways, Canadian Christian Meier will also be one of the team’s key workers as it looks for results on all types of stages.
“I will be in Beijing to support our leaders the best that I can,” said Meier. “We have a strong team for the sprints as well as the overall. I’ll ride on the front on the sprint days and do my best to support Cam in the mountains.”
Orica-GreenEdge began the 2013 season with victory in the Australian road and time trial championships, through Luke Durbridge, then took the Queen stage of the Santos Tour Down Under with Simon Gerrans. As the team heads south to prepare for 2014, it hopes to end the season as it began.
“We start the season in Australia, and we end the season in China – which is the next closest WorldTour race to home,” said White. “Cycling is the new thing to the Asian continent at this level. The same thing could have been said about Australia 10-15 years ago when the Tour Down Under first arrived. Look how cycling in Australia has changed since then.
“Tour Down Under has been a big part of the change in Australian cycling along with the results achieved by riders from Australia,” White added. “The Tour of Beijing could be something similar for Asian cycling.”
Orica-GreenEdge team for the Tour of Beijing
Cameron Meyer, Christian Meier, Luke Durbridge, Michael Hepburn, Michael Matthews, Mitch Docker, Jens Mouris, Wesley Sulzberger