In Anaheim, California on Friday, Port Macquarie Cycle club member, Lachlan Morton won the United States 15 and 16 years men’s Road Cycling Championship. The NSW Rider living in Colorado finished first ahead of Daniel Tisdell, Team Specialized Racing and Anders Newbury, Hot Tubes Cycling. The Championship was held on a 8 kilometre course that presented two climbs each lap and a technical section through the Orange County high School. The hot and humid weather, with temperatures above 90 degrees, took its toll on the field of eighty riders.
The sixteen year old Aussie, who only decided a week ahead of the Championship to enter the road race, Morton went into the race with a strategy to go with an early break to see who the players where in the 80 plus strong field of pre-qualified riders in the event. Two kilometres into the 56kilometer race he found himself in a break of three riders. Working together the break moved to a thirty second lead. As the Peleton began to react riders attacked get across to what was looking like a sustainable brake away. The gap to the break moved from 30 to 8 seconds on numerous occasions as riders crossed on two occasions to the break group and several riders were dropped. With five kilometres to go on what was an extremely hot and windy circuit a group of three riders crossed to the three riders in the break. The Peleton now down to thirty riders made a determined effort to close the gap down as the 5280 development team drove the pace. The Young Aussie rider attacked the break away group with just 3km to go forcing his fellow escapes to chase and hold the Peleton at just six seconds with two kilometres to go.
With one kilometre to go the yellow jersey of the RAK rider appeared again at the front of the break, lifting the tempo in the climb to the finish. As the Peleton closed the breakaway positioned for the sprint, at the 150 mark, the Aussie Kid showed he had been saving the best of his legs for last as he rode off the front to take out the sprint and with it The US National Title.
Lachlan Morton has been training and racing in Colorado since June, following the race he paid tribute to his team and his coach, Graham Seers. “The RAK program brings young riders to the US every year….the racing is fantastic and the experience in the mountains is something we don’t get back Home.. Tuesday night I raced at the local crit in Niwot and I find myself lining up next to Tom Danielson, two days later I am privileged enough to be in California racing against the best juniors in the US”…regarding the US juniors, Morton said.. “I have not done many junior events in the US, however the racing today was fantastic and the standard is incredible…these guys never give up….basically there was only thirty riders left in contention at the end and any of them looked capable of winning” he said.
The young Aussie was thankful to the race mechanics for getting him to the start line…”I flatted five minutes before the race, I went to the Shimano spares guys and they built me a new wheel and tyre so that I could start the race”.
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