I Have To Thank Luke Rowe - Kennaugh

Last updated : 31 January 2016 By CNS Sport

British Champion Peter Kennaugh thanked his Team Sky team mate Luke Rowe after riding away to win the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Geelong, Australia.

Kennaugh said to his team's press office after their victory: "I have to thank Luke Rowe really. The whole race he was telling me to stay calm. I went up the road with a lap to go but straight away he said 'Sit up, it's not going to work', and he kept me calm throughout the race.

"When I went he said 'Just hit it, don't look back'. I did that and I know people go on about power all the time these days - I'm not one who likes numbers - but I've been doing a lot of work on that and I tried to pace myself all the way to the finish.

"I had the legs, although I felt terrible for the first half of the race, but they came round.

"I didn't look back once - I'm quite an emotional rider and the littlest thing, if I'd have seen them close to me, might have been all it took for me to crack, so it was head down until I was on the finish straight.

"That's what I did and… it worked."