British sprinter Dan McLay has taken EF Education First’s opening win of 2019 at the Herald Sun Tour.
The 27-year-old said “it’s about time he won something” as he takes the leaders jersey of the Australian stage race.
McLay was the first in the peloton to open his sprint and was able to hold off Team Sky’s Kristoffer Halvorsen and Wouter Wippert (EvoPro Racing).
Speaking after the stage, McLay said: “I was up for it today. I didn’t get much personally out of the Tour Down Under, so I had the bit between my teeth coming here.
“I was ready for it. It’s really great to get a win under the belt so early.
“It’s good for my confidence going forward. It’s about time I won something.”
>>> Richie Porte: ‘Winning the Tour de France is not the only reason Trek signed me’
McLay adds the victory to his tally of six other pro wins, which include the Tour de l’Europétropole and Trofeo Palma in 2017.
EF Education First team boss Jonathan Vaughters said: “The first win just means that we’re starting to emerge from a few years of chaos.
“It takes a while to build a team.
“Now that we have a solid foundation under us, we can start to build.”
The opening stage of the Herald Sun Tour was a 97.9km pan-flat run that ended in a bunch sprint.
Canadian Michael Woods is leading EF’s general classification hopes in Australia, keeping himself out of trouble during stage one.
>>> Chris Froome takes time trial bike off-road in latest Strava ride
Team sports director Tom Southam said: “Mike Woods Kept himself out of trouble and in front of the time gap, so we’re in good shape in that regard looking toward tomorrow.
“I think the win will be the biggest thing tomorrow. The climb, obviously, will be really important, but we can’t think about the climb too much until we’ve done the first part of the day right.
“I think it will be a situation where it will be beneficial to be the team with the responsibility.”
The Herald Sun Tour runs over five stages, finishing on February 3.
-
-
Specialized bikes renews contract with Deceuninck - Quick-Step long term
The hugely successful men’s WorldTour squad will continue on Specialized bikes until 2027
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Mark Cavendish is not going for Eddy Merckx's record at the Tour de France, according to his trainer
The Manxman was a surprise pick for the Belgian squad as Sam Bennett was not fit enough to race
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Stefan Bissegger takes breakaway success on stage four of Tour de Suisse 2021 as Van der Poel keeps yellow
The break looked to be coming back before the peloton completely sat up on the final climb
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Alberto Bettiol pays tribute to Mottarone cable car victims after Giro d'Italia stage win
The former Tour of Flanders winner also paid tribute to his agent who passed away last year
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Five talking points from stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia 2021
It was an easy day for the GC riders as the break took the day - here are the stand out moments on the longest stage of the race
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Alberto Bettiol storms to remarkable solo victory on stage 18 of Giro d'Italia 2021
The Italian chased down Rémi Cavagna, riding him off the wheel and riding to the line alone
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Rapha unveils its fastest ever skinsuit for the Giro d’Italia
British brand says a two-year project and a unique approach to fabric testing and evaluation has produced a new range of cutting edge race garments to be used by EF Education-Nippo in the Giro
By Simon Smythe •
-
EF Education-Nippo and Rapha reveal special edition ‘Euphoria’ kit for Giro d'Italia
This year's Giro switch-out kit that's designed not to clash with the maglia rosa doesn't feature any ducks... so far
By Simon Smythe •
-
'We’re a weird mix of but we form a team' - Hugh Carthy extends contract with EF Education-Nippo
Hugh Carthy has extended his contract with EF Education-Nippo by two years after he has put in several fantastic displays while riding for the squad
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Stefan Bissegger smashes Paris-Nice 2021 time trial on stage three to take overall lead
Stefan Bissegger dominated the 2021 Paris-Nice time trial on stage three, beating former world champions and Grand Tour winners.
By Alex Ballinger •
