The latest in a long line of Australians in the Axeon program, Michael Rice is anxious to follow in their paths to success as well.
He punched his ticket for a roster spot in 2016 by winning a stage at Tour de Beauce in Canada - a race that saw Axeon riders capture two of the six stages as well as the overall.
"I remember really targeting that stage from Day 1," Rice said. "The profile of the finish suited me. It was technical and fast as we veered off onto the finishing stretch - which went across a bridge before the finish line. I led out the sprint from 200 meters out and nobody came around me."
While Rice continues to enjoy racing in the U.S., where he says there is always good hype around the sport and quality fields, in 2018 he is setting his sights on winning a race in Europe.
Sacramento, California - Mikkel Bjerg’s efforts in the all day breakaway earned him the Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider Jersey on the 7th and final stage at the Amgen Tour of California. In the final sprint for points and one last chance at a podium spot, Michael Rice sprinted with...
Elk Grove, California - The Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team continued its California dream on stage 5 of the Amgen Tour of California with two riders finishing in the top 10. Sean Bennett, fresh off his 2nd place finish on stage 3, finished in 6th place and Ivo Oliveira followed two spots later...
Morgan Hill, California - Hagens Berman Axeon’s Mikkel Bjerg battled a strong field to earn a top 10 finish on stage 4’s individual time trial at the Amgen Tour of California.
The 19-year-old Dane set off on the 34.7 kilometer course with high hopes, initially setting the fastest time of the...
Salinas, California - The Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team made its presence felt on Tuesday’s stage 3 at the Tour of California. Sean Bennett dueled with eventual stage-winner Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo) in a penultimate move that earned him a 2nd place finish and place on the podium. Ian...