Levi Hone received the under-23 leader's jersey at the Tour of Bright for his performance across the weekend and winning stage three.
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The Tour of Bright in Victoria’s High Country has a track record of exposing young talent and developing fledgling careers, and one of Echuca’s very own cycling prodigies made quite a statement on Sunday, December 7.
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Nineteen-year-old Levi Hone went into the Tour of Bright as someone with international experience, but has never quite found a stable pathway into world cycling.
So, when the young gun won the third and final stage of the tour, a climb up Mount Buffalo, as part of Team Brennan, he caught some attention.
Not only did Hone win one of the more difficult parts of the tour, he beat out some stiff competition, in the form of current World Tour rider and three-time Australian champ Luke Plapp, as well as Scottish rider Oscar Onley, who finished fourth in the Tour de France this year.
To begin the three-stage tour, Hone finished in seventh after traversing the 90.2km ride from Bright to Tawonga Gap.
He then backed it up with a short ride for stage two in Porepunkah, finishing 28th, before bringing it home strong in the 59.7km ride from Bright to Mount Buffalo.
Hone finished fourth in the general classification behind Plapp, William Cooper and Olympic gold medallist Kelland O’Brien.
He was also awarded the under-23 leader’s jersey for the event.
The Tour of Bright continues to be a hotbed for young talent, with last year’s opening stage winners, 19-year-olds Jack Ward and Talia Appleton, both entering the new season with development team contracts.
Levi Hone was all smiles following his stage three victory.
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“It is pretty cool (to win stage three), I didn't get to race last year unfortunately, so, I was pretty excited to get back this year especially with the depth in the bunch there, and you know it's just a nice place to be around there in Bright,” Hone said.
“I wasn't particularly targeting the race by any means, I’m more so looking to January to be in better nick for the Australian Championships, so, I wasn't really expecting much of a result.
“But, I managed to get up the road and get a little buffer over Plappy heading into Buffalo and then went from there.
“It's pretty exciting to win that stage and a good sign hopefully for myself headed into the new year to be at the front of the race already.”
When asked if the stage win had given him confidence heading into the new year, Hone remained humble, saying he is looking forward to a year full of opportunity.
“I don't want to get too ahead of myself, there's a lot of good guys and things will be different come January with a bit more of a target on my back, but I’m happy with what I’ve done so far,” he said.
“I try not to think too far ahead or get caught up in it, and just do what I can and take whatever opportunities arise.
“I’m mostly just focusing on the National Championships in Perth for the under-23 category and then the 2026 Pro Velo Super League with Team Brennan.
“We've got an incredible team next year, so I'm really looking forward to that competition, so many great guys to learn off.
“I've gone forth two years in a row now at the National Championships, so, I definitely want to win, but so many variables can happen on the day, I'll just make sure that I'm as ready as I can be.”
