Big guns to join Margaret River tour

Two big name inclusions are set to take next month’s Tour of Margaret River to new heights, according to race director Brendon Morrison.

Australia’s first Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Phil Anderson and recent mountain biking world championship eliminator winner Paul Van der Ploeg were confirmed starters for the event, which kicks off on November 8.

Morrison said Anderson would attract a legion of middle-aged cycling fans to the event.

“Phil Anderson was the first Australian rider to have a serious impact at the Tour de France and was the first Australian to wear the yellow jersey,” he said.

“It raises the profile of the event massively by having him in it.

“For my demographic, he was the person that inspired them to ride and now we’ll have the opportunity to ride alongside him.”

Anderson would also be the guest of honour at a celebration dinner in Margaret River following the race’s third stage.

It was hoped 23-year-old Van der Ploeg, who last month won the 2013 UCI MTB World Championships in South Africa in emphatic style, would draw a youthful crowd to the race.

“He’s a big character and after his win (last month) he launched his bike aside and instead of shaking hands with his opponent he ran up and gave him a big chest bump,” the race director said of the young Victorian.

“He brings some character to the event and he also has a huge social media following.”

Morrison said the event’s strong point was its focus on diversity, with a wide scope of winners’ jerseys on offer.

The open winner would don a green jersey while under-19, sprint, king of the mountain and top female jerseys would be up for grabs come the final stage from Willyabrup to Augusta on November 10.

The race was also unique in that it had an over-50s category, he said.

“It’s the only race with this category and it’ll give something for our senior riders to aim for,” Morrison said.