Stellar field to assemble for Blayney to Bathurst

WITH entries still rolling in for this Sunday’s Blayney to Bathurst, the scene looks set for another mighty battle among the top cycling teams for the prestigious long course title.

After dominating the placings in 2009, Australian continental team Drapac Porsche will be back to tackle the 2010 NAB long course event once more.

Last year Bathurst’s Dean Windsor and national champion Peter McDonald starred in a Drapac Porsche quinella, something Joe Lewis and 2009 Australian junior national road champion Michael Phelan will try to emulate in this Sunday for the Drapac Porsche team.

Lewis joined Drapac Porsche last year, his achievements including a pair of top two finishes in the Tour of Tasmania and placing third overall in the Tour of New Caledonia.

He got his first taste of racing at the international level while he was living in the Netherlands for three months in 2007 while most recently Lewis finished fourth in the Under 23 National Championships following a photo finish third.

This year he is aiming for a place in the Australian under 23 team to contest the World Championships when they are staged in Geelong.

Like Lewis, Phelan is based in Canberra and he is looking for a strong performance in Blayney to Bathurst to build on an impressive 2009 campaign.

Last year Phelan was crowned the under 19 national road champion, selected for the Australian team to compete in the UCI world junior road championships and received the 2009 ACT sportstar special achievement award.

This pair form a very strong combination, but there are a number of other teams keen to prevent back-to-back Drapac Porsche victories after strong performances last year.

Budget Forklifts, Virgin Blue and McDonough Blake are all back in 2010 with plenty of experience and speed to feature in the placings.

Third placegetter from last year, Alistair Loutit of McDonough Blake, will return with a very strong team which includes former Drapac Porsche rider Robbie Williams, Scott Cronly-Dillon, Adam Phelan and 2007 winner Glenn Stojanow.