{"id":21071,"date":"2017-02-02T07:39:25","date_gmt":"2017-02-02T07:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=21071"},"modified":"2017-02-02T07:39:25","modified_gmt":"2017-02-02T07:39:25","slug":"australian-1st-after-day-1-of-herald-sun-tour-froome-6th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/australian-1st-after-day-1-of-herald-sun-tour-froome-6th.html","title":{"rendered":"Australian 1st after Day 1 of Herald Sun Tour, Froome 6th"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Australian 1st after Day 1 of Herald Sun Tour, Froome 6th<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Australian 1st after Day 1 of Herald Sun Tour, Froome 6th:-<\/strong> Australian cyclist Damien Howson took the overall lead in the Herald Sun Tour after winning the grueling opening Falls Creek stage on Thursday, leaving three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome in sixth place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Howson leads Orica-Scott teammate Esteban Chaves and Froome by more than a minute. It was the first professional win for Howson, the 2013 under-23 world time-trial champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The stage had been billed as a duel between Froome and Chaves, the two best climbers in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Howson and Froome’s Team Sky teammate Kenny Ellisonde broke clear of the main group midway up the 29-kilometer climb to the finish at Falls Creek that highlighted the 174-kilometer opening stage from Wangaratta.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once they caught leader Steve Lampier of Britain, the pair continued building a lead. Howson then attacked inside the last three kilometers and won by 32 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lampier’s Australian teammate Jai Hindley also had a strong opening day, catching and then passing Ellisonde for second place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ellisonde finished third at 47 seconds, while Australian Michael Storer was fourth and Chaves was fifth over the line at a minute and 10 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Froome was a second further back in sixth spot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Howson leads Hindley overall by 38 seconds and Ellisonde is third at 53 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tour concludes Sunday with a hilly last stage at Kinglake north of Melbourne.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Team Sky are one of the world’s strongest teams so I guarantee they are going to throw everything they have (at us),” Howson said. “There’s still a lot of tough stages to come, but I also have a very strong team behind me.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/cycling\/2017\/02\/02\/australian-1st-after-day-1-of-herald-sun-tour-froome-6th\/97387104\/<\/span><\/div>\n

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