News

Visa problems hit Skilled Tour of Tasmania

By Rod Morris

The Skilled Tour of Tasmania has lost one of its international teams because of visa problems.

The race will now feature 15 teams of five riders.

Tour director John Trevorrow – a former winner of the Tour of Tasmania and three time champion of the Herald Sun Tour – said yesterday that the Giant-Taiwan team had been forced to withdraw from the tour.

"Team personnel have been working around the clock trying to fix the visa problem," Trevorrow said. "We (race organisers) have also been doing as much as humanly possible, but there is a lot of red tape to get around."

The Giant-Taiwan team was to have included Japanese riders Kyoshi Miura and Akira Kakinuma, Mongolian Jamaran Ulzii Orshikh, Sergey Derevyanov from Kazahkistan and Taiwan's Kuei Shiang Peng. Several team members had only recently competed in the Tour of Langkwai.

Trevorrow said at such late notice, it was highly unlikely he would be able to find a replacement team for the Giant-Taiwan unit.

Meanwhile the Tour of Tasmania has also undergone a number of other rider changes.

Sean Finning has replaced fellow Victorian Brad Norton in the Jayco-VIS team and Cameron Carlysle has replaced Jeorden Murray in the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club team.

The Tasmanian Institute of Sport's No. 2 team is also a rider short at present with Trevorrow working overtime to find a replacement for invited Queenslander Ben Day, who withdrew on Tuesday.

The TIS No. 2 team will include Hobart's Stephen Rossendell, Launceston's Matt Rice and newly crowned State Madison champions, Matthew Conn and Mark Jamieson.

For the complete, amended start list, click here.