Peter Kennaugh took the overall lead in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour on Thursday (4th February), winning stage one ahead of fellow Team Sky rider Chris Froome.

The first road stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour around Healesville saw a breakaway group of six for early and build up a lead of four minutes, before the peloton started to reel them in. With Will Clarke the race leader, ordering his teammates to do the chasing.

With seeds reaching nine KM/PH on some of the descents it proved to be a dangerous stage. A near miss in the breakaway for Nicolas Katsonis, but no lucky escape for Lucas Hamilton who is not out of the race.

Once the breakaway was caught and the peloton hit the final climb Team Sky blew the race to pieces as Chris Froome launched his first attack of the season.

Froome was soon joined by his teammate and the British national champion Peter Kennaugh. The two worked well together to hold of the chasers with Kennaugh taking the win and the yellow jersey.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Peter Kennaugh, Winner of stage one:

"Today was quite, back to work, back to business. We had a strategy and we stuck to it and it worked. Yeah, I've got to take my hat off to 'Froomey' because there are a lot of guys in his position who, wouldn't give the, wouldn't help their team-mates out like that and.... yeah, it was just an awesome day for the team all round I guess. It's nice to come to these kind of races and be able to race like this and, makes a nice change."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Froome, Second on stage two:

"I guess a really nice feeling also being able to give something back to, Peter Kennaugh. I mean, the number of times he's emptied himself for me out on the road and he's been part of both of my Tour de France victories. It's nice to be able to do something for him now."

Stage two is a 144 KM trek from Yarra Glen to Moe.