Danny Clark arrived in Launceston this afternoon (August 28) to lead the Brevtex-Haco team in the Nortas Tour of Tasmania, which begins on his 49th birthday on Wednesday, (August 30), with the first leg between Devonport and Launceston.
Clark is confident his form during this European summer, racing in open and veterans classes, has him fit enough to compete against the likes of the German and Russian national teams who are using the Nortas Tour of Tasmania as their final major event before the Olympic Games.
Having such class riders in the field creates its own challenges, said Clark. It elevates the quality of the Nortas Tour of Tasmania to a world quality event.
He said that having Olympic teams in the race should also encourage all other competitors to lift their work-rate during the five-day tour.
For Tasmanian riders it is a chance of a lifetime to measure themselves against some of the best teams in the world, added Clark.
Apart from the German and Russians riders there is also a New Zealand team and a team of international riders, which and the Australian Under 19 national team and the Jayco-Victorian Institute of Sport team among the 12 teams, that also include three teams completely made up of Tasmanian riders.
The Nortas Tour of Tasmania is the final of the three-event Skilled International Series, which started in Victoria earlier this year with the Skilled Bay Cycling Classic and the Skilled Melbourne-Sorrento Cup.
The Nortas Tour of Tasmania starts in Devonport, and over the next five days also passes through Launceston, down the East Coast, up Mount Wellington, with a criterium at Salamanca Place on the final day on Sunday, September 2.
Full coverage of racing commences on Wednesday the 30th August when updated daily reports/photos/results from Tasmania will be available onsite
