Blake Quick is destined to stimulate the interest of UCI WorldTour teams in SA with an impressive victory in the Trek Night Riders criterium on the Adelaide street circuit.
Luke Plapp, who won a WorldTour contract on the back of his outstanding performances at the Santos Festival of Cycling in 2021, was among the first to congratulate his good friend Blake Quick.
Racing for InForm TMX Make, Quick, 21, celebrated his fourth win from five races this year among claiming the under 23 national road race.
“If you watched it, (the race) you’d know the way I won, my team, I’ve got everyone to thank especially my team,’’ Quick said.
“It’s a team full of hitters they can win this on their own, they put it out for me and that’s why we win.
“I have obviously put in a lot of work this summer and the hard work pays off, it takes a lot of time.
“It’s not an easy sport, it’s extra special when it pays off.”
Jensen Plowright’s second place was under review from race officials after they scrutinised his lead up to the finish line on Flinders Street near Victoria Square.
The Equipe Continentale Groupama-FDJ continental rider, who is on the Westpac team for the stage race in SA, was eventually awarded second place ahead of Cameron Scott in third for ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast.
However, Quick’s win was the perfect warm-up for the three-stage race which starts from Stirling before ending at Lobethal on Thursday.
The race was fast, furious and dangerous.
The peloton raced hard as dusk fell and they hoped for cooler conditions, but it remained a humid 32C
They broke the city streets 50 km/h speed limit consistently in a race where attack after attack failed to exhaust favourites.
Reigning national road champion Plapp, from INEOS Grenadiers but riding for Garmin-Australia when the stage race pedals off, kept shutting down attacks.
Carnage threatened to dismantle the criterium on lap seven when more than a handful of riders hit the tarmac on turn one of the street circuit near Victoria Square.
Another huge crash forced officials to neutralise the race when a rider crashed into the barriers before his bike flung dangerously high, towards the peloton.
The peloton was forced to a grinding halt as they cleared the tarmac on lap 16 to start the race again.
