Real Aussie Kids riders, Tom Palmer and Lachlan Morton are off to Japan in early November to compete in the Tour de Okinawa. The riders have been invited to participate in the tour through the Drapac Porsche Cycling Team. Tom, who returned from the Junior World Cycling Championships in South Africa, with a swag of medals around his neck is currently sitting his Year 12 final exams which finish days before he is set to fly out with team mate, Lachlan Morton, who has recently return from Colorado as the USA Road Champion (15-16yrs), to commence his Yr 12 studies in Port Macquarie.
The RAK riders have been invited to compete in the ‘International Junior Race’ category, whilst their senior counterparts from Drapac Porsche will contest the ‘Men’s Champions Road Race’, the longest one day Road race in Japan at 200kms.
Drapac Porsche and Real Aussie Kids formed an association earlier this year where Drapac Porsche sponsored RAK as administrators of their Junior Development Program under the guidance of Coach Graham Seers. “This is a wonderful opportunity for these young riders to accompany a professional level team, compete as one of the team, and be mentored by such experienced athletes”, said Seers. “It is also fabulous that countries like Japan are offering International Junior races and subsidizing the costs of riders to attend”, he said.
The Tour starts on the 8th November, and will be run around the mountainous northern section of the island of Okinawa, which lays half way between Japan and Taiwan. The Champions Men Race will be 200km long while the International Junior race will be 130kms.