Men's League Contenders Hiding In The Shadows With The Best Still to Come
Which U23 riders have shown their form in round 1?
Conor Leahy (Team Brennan_) has shown the up and comers how it’s done down in Adelaide, winning the opening stage time trial and defending the lead beautifully to take out the first tour of the season. The Olympic gold medallist stormed home on the revised time trial course and never looked back, taking the Let’s Go Motorhomes Men’s League jersey into round 2.
With the ProVelo Super League providing the road to the World Tour for the U19 and U23 riders in particular, we like to keep a close eye on who might be next to make the step up. Currently sitting 7th and 8th on the League standings after round 1, Levi Hone (Team Brennan_) and Julian Baudry (VIS p/b K.O.M.P) appear to be setting themselves up for success.
Hone is an excellent climber and we expect to see him feature in the tough, hilly races like the Tour of Tasmania and Q-Tour. It was his time trial performance though, on the flat circuit around Victoria Park where he placed 6th, that stood out to me. It was an incredible ride by a climbing specialist, and shows he has the engine to compete on a wide range of courses this season. This is arguably the most important asset for a rider looking to finish the season high up the standings.
Former U23 Road Champion Julian Baudry also showed his class in round 1 with a podium in the time trial. The bonus seconds on offer worked against Baudry, known for his strength in the TT and classics style races, moving him down from 3rd to 7th on GC by the end of the tour. I expect to see this change in the coming rounds as he clearly has the tools needed to compete in this domain, and alongside his strength in all other areas, he’ll only get sharper as the season goes on.
You can catch all the action of the 2026 ProVelo Super League season in-person, or enjoy expanded broadcast coverage live and on demand on SBS in Australia, Sky New Zealand in NZ with all broadcast stages live stream to the rest of the world on www.provelosuperleague.com and Facebook.
Angus Calder - Cycling Analyst
