A team of six Great Britain under-23 riders have been selected for the 2015 Jayco Herald Sun Tour, taking place from 4-8 February 2015 in Victoria, Australia.

Olympic Academy Programme riders Gabriel Cullaigh, Scott Davies, Jake Kelly and Chris Lawless will be joined for the UCI 2.1 stage race by Olympic Podium Programme mountain biker Grant Ferguson and guest rider Josh Edmondson.

Ferguson is selected having recently completed a hat-trick of British cyclo-cross titles at under-23 level, following a fifth place finish at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Norway.

“It’s an exciting prospect taking him,” said Great Britain Cycling Team under-23 road manager Keith Lambert.

“Obviously he's a mountain biker first and foremost at the moment and that's what he's gearing up to excel at.

“But he's on board and he feels he needs some more groundwork on the road so I mentioned to him about going to Australia with us and he jumped at the chance.”

Guest Josh Edmondson will give road manager Keith Lambert further options. Edmondson signed with Team Sky after a standout performance in the 2012 Tour of Britain and competed for the squad throughout the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

For 2015, the 22-year-old from Leeds will ride with the Great Britain academy squad to further his overall athlete development.

"He's really happy with how he's going,” said Lambert of Edmondson’s pre-season preparation.

“I've known him for most of his life - I've watched him progress and I know what ability he's got. He can produce something special."

The event is the oldest stage race on the Australian calendar, seeing its 62nd edition in 2015 and includes five stages starting with a 2.1-kilometre prologue on 4 February and culminating in a 122-kilometre road stage featuring a challenging triple climb of Arthur’s Seat.

Following the race, Great Britain’s under-23 squad will return to Europe to prepare for the UCI Under 23 Nations’ Cup, which begins on 11 April with the Tour of Flanders and ends in August with the Tour de l’Avenir stage race in France.

Great Britain Cycling Team named for 2015 Jayco Herald Sun Tour

Gabriel Cullaigh
Scott Davies
Josh Edmondson
Grant Ferguson
Jake Kelly
Chris Lawless