Ballarat, Victoria - Nathan O'Neill of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis must have been in a hurry to win his record eighth Australian National Time Trial Championship. The time trial specialist from Queensland blistered the 39 km course on his Cannondale Slice TT bike in a record time of 49:35 (47.19/km/hr). Health Net Presented by Maxxis teammate Rory Sutherland finished second, 1:11 back. Victorian David Pell finished third, 2:03 back.
Commenting on his record winning time, O'Neill told Cycling News, "I think the conditions helped a bit today. A little cooler and the wind direction was a little more favorable."
Favorable conditions or not, O'Neill still had to pedal faster than everyone else to win, and as usual, he put on a powerful display. "I hardly felt the pedals today," he said shortly afterward. The pedals felt him, though. A quick look at the power meter at the end showed an average of 412 watts, 12 more than he averaged en route to the 2006 Commonwealth Games TT gold medal.
A number of other riders on the course got to witness O'Neill's power firsthand, as he caught and passed his minute man just seven kilometers into the competition, and then ticked off several more on his way to the jersey.
Sutherland, starting seven minutes ahead of O'Neill, wasn't one of them. "I know what Nathan is capable of," he told Cycling News, "If I had had a really bad day I would've seen him, but I felt pretty good today."
The young rider from Canberra, who turns 25 in early February, faced his first serious test after a long layoff from racing and proved that he was coming back well. "It feels really good to be back." he said. "You don't realize until you aren't riding. To be able to race again, straight back into it, makes it even better."
Sutherland will have only a short break until an even stiffer test. He, O'Neill and teammate Karl Menzies will start the Australian Road Race Championships on Sunday against a strong field on a very selective circuit.
Results
1. Nathan O'Neill (Health Net Presented by Maxxis)
2. Rory Sutherland (Health Net Presented by Maxxis)
3. David Pell (Victoria)
