Anthony Giacoppo – 2012 Aus Criterium Championships (image courtesy jxpphotography) With last year?s pair of SCODY Cup stars progressing to the international stage, the spotlight for the 2012 series is well-and-truly up for grabs. According to Genesys boss Andrew Christie-Johnson, West Australian Anthony Giacoppo is the rider who can help the team maintain its stranglehold on Caribou?s seven National Road Series events, starting with next week?s Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland. Last year it was Genesys gun Nathan Haas who claimed Gippsland honours, kick-starting a dominant season for the team, which incredibly clinched every Caribou event on the 2011 calendar, including Steele Von Hoff taking out the SCODY Cup. But with Von Hoff and Haas advancing to international outfits Chipotle-First Solar Development and Garmin-Barracuda respectively, the podium for this year?s series is seemingly wide open. Tasmania-based Christie-Johnson has faith that Genesys can again produce results in what he predicts will be one of the best SCODY Cup series in the 17-year history of the event. “I think we?ve got a pretty solid team,” he said. “It?s a lot similar to last year except we?re missing our two stars. “We?ve got a few guys that I believe will step up. “Anthony Giacoppo, he?ll be our major challenger.” Giacoppo, who has said previously he wants to gain an international contract, finished off last year in brilliant style with a victory in the Shipwreck Coast Classic. He then launched 2012 with a tremendous win in the Australian Criterium Championship at Buninyong. Joining the 26-year-old in the Genesys team for Gippsland will be Jai Crawford, Jonathan Lovelock, Joel Pearson, Kane Walker, Alex Carver, Campbell Flakemore and 2010 SCODY Cup champion Patrick Shaw. “Pat Shaw won the Tour of the Murray River last year and he?s done all these races before,” Christie-Johnson said. “He?s showing some good form at the moment so he should be up there.” Genesys is part of a quality Tour of Gippsland field which is headlined by a capable Drapac Professional Cycling line-up, featuring prolific riders such as former national champion Darren Lapthorne and comeback cyclist Will Walker. “I think it?s going to be one of the best series,” Christie-Johnson said. “Drapac are looking like they?re the team to beat and Budget (Forklifts) has won the first three races of the year.” The Genesys boss welcomed the challengers, believing the depth of the field would benefit all competitors. “You?re always riding to win but you like to see development of cyclists and see them take the next step,” he said. “The stronger the teams, the stronger the races.” Genesys is in the midst of a training camp. Last week the team tested the courses for the inaugural Budget Forklifts Tour of the Great South Coast, to be held August 15-19, while this week, the team is navigating the Apple Isle in preparation for the SCODY Cup finale, the Caterpillar Underground Mining Tour of Tasmania (October 2-7). “Overall there are some very challenging courses,” Christie-Johnson said. The Tour of the Murray (September 2-9) is the other leg of the SCODY Cup, which is based on an accumulative points system and has $130,000 up for grabs. The Cup was launched in Melbourne today by Events Tasmania director Paul Sproule, a former VFL/AFL star with Essendon and Richmond. The Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland starts Wednesday, August 1 with a waterfront criterium at San Remo. It will be followed by a stage on the world-famous Phillip Island Grand Prix motorcycle circuit, which will take on hosting duties for the first time. The tour wraps up on Sunday, August 5 with a grand finale criterium at Paynesville on the Gippsland Lakes. It is backed by Tourism Victoria and supported by four municipal councils ? Bass Coast, Latrobe, Wellington and East Gippsland. All of the four SCODY cup races are part of Cycling Australia?s Subaru National Road Series.
