Watch: Chris Froome and Peter Kennaugh destroy the field at the Herald Sun Tour

Team Sky duo win by 17 seconds over the chasing field behind on stage one of the 2016 Herald Sun Tour

Kennaugh and Froome worked as a duo to distance themselves from the rest of the peloton over the hilly circuit.

(Image credit: Graham Watson)

It's not often that you see a Tour de France contender flex their muscles so early in the racing season, but that's exactly what Chris Froome did as he guided Sky teammate Peter Kennaugh to the stage win and race lead at the Herald Sun Tour.

Froome put in his attack on the final categorised climb of stage one 30km from the finish with Kennaugh in tow, just after the day's break had been reeled in, with the British pair then quickly putting time into the peloton behind.

>>> Chris Froome happy playing super-domestique to ‘repay’ Peter Kennaugh

“We had had a good plan for today’s stage, which worked out perfectly. It was to make it hard going into that last climb for Froomey to have a go and I then I was just to follow wheels and judge the situation, and if I felt like I could jump across to him then do that,” Kennaugh said after the race.

The result leaves the Manxman in charge of the GC with seven seconds over Froome by virtue of the opening prologue on Wednesday, with Dion Smith of British team One Pro Cycling the next best placed rider in third, 23 seconds back.

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Richard Windsor

Follow on Twitter: @richwindy


Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.


An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).