Herald Sun Tour
| Herald Sun Tour | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Established | 1952 |
| Held | October |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Victoria |
| Type | Stage race |
| Data | |
| Editions | 53 |
| First Winner | Keith Rowley, 
|
| Most Recent | Simon Gerrans,
|
| Most Wins | Barry Waddell, , (5)
|
The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six day event and it is held annually in October.
History
The first general classification winner was Keith Rowley, a Maffra sheep farmer, in a time of 42hr 57min 55sec. The first King of the Mountain and Sprint champion was J.McDonough from Coburg.
The race attracts professional cyclists from around the world, particularly since the mid 1980s, with notable Australian cyclists to win the General classification being Baden Cooke in 2002, Neil Stephens in 1986, and Russell Mockridge in 1957.
The 2004 race was conducted from October 14 to 24, 2004 and involved 85 cyclists in seventeen teams of five. Thirteen stages were completed with a total distance of 1110.7km, 119 intermediate sprints and 37 hill climbs, including the two category one climbs of Mount Baw Baw and in the Otway Ranges. Swedish rider Jonas Ljungblad won the General classification in the time of 26hr 39min 55sec. Karl Menzies won the sprint classification and Phillip Thuaux won the Mountains classification.
