There was more than a tinge of Britishness to proceedings at the men’s Tour Down Under in Australia in January. There were two stage winners from Great Britain, including the overall winner, Stevie Williams. In total, there were 12 Brits at the race, ranging from 36-year-old Ben Swift to 19-year-old Josh Tarling. Among those, there were two riders making their WorldTour debut: Oliver Knight of Cofidis and EF Education First-EasyPost’s Jack Rootkin-Gray.
“It’s been in Australia. “I don’t think anyone really told me what to expect when you first get into it. On the first day it was super hot. I was maybe a bit demoralised coming out of the first day but then, actually, it was fine. You get stuck into it. I felt in my place. There’s a lot to learn each day with a completely new way of racing. I’m also getting used to not being daunted by the jerseys that you’re racing with. Even though I had quite limited expectations, I knew it would be a big step up. I felt a bit out of place, or maybe caught a bit off-guard.”
