CDF Racing Takes on the Tour of Tahiti

Five CDF riders took on eight stages of racing in Tahiti, taking stage wins, podiums and classification results across a demanding week of international competition.

The young squad featured four Under-19 riders alongside experienced team captain Brendon Green, giving the group an opportunity to race together in challenging conditions against international opposition.

Extreme heat and humidity added another dimension to the racing, but the team adapted across the week and produced some of its strongest performances as the tour progressed.

Eight stages in Tahiti

The Tour of Tahiti gave Brendon Green, Cooper Dunlop, Nicholas Dixon-Grover, Theo Grant and Aidan Beard eight consecutive stages in a racing environment very different from what the younger riders normally experience in Australia.

Managing the heat, humidity, recovery and repeated race days became as important as the racing itself. Across the tour, the riders were required to keep adapting while working together as a team and taking their opportunities when they came.

That persistence produced results across individual stages, classifications and the overall team competition.

Results from the week

Taking the opportunities

Team captain Brendon Green delivered one of the highlights of the tour with victory on Stage 4, before adding another podium in the individual time trial.

Cooper Dunlop put together a consistent week across the stages, including second place on Stage 6, and finished the tour in the green sprinter’s jersey.

Nicholas Dixon-Grover was also regularly in the mix. His fourth place on Stage 3 was one of the team’s strongest stage results, while he sat second in the U23 classification during the tour.

Theo Grant and Aidan Beard also put in huge efforts across the eight stages, contributing to a team performance that saw CDF move into third in the team classification during the week.

More than the results

For a squad containing four Under-19 riders, the value of the tour extended beyond the individual results.

Backing up day after day in extreme heat and humidity required the riders to manage preparation, hydration, recovery and fatigue while continuing to perform their roles within the team.

The challenges throughout the week gave the riders another opportunity to develop their race craft and experience international racing while learning how to operate together across a multi-stage tour.

Congratulations to Brendon, Cooper, Nic, Theo and Aidan on a strong week of racing and for representing CDF in Tahiti.