After having to sit down out the all vital Australian January racing block injured Lucinda Stewart (ARA Skip Capital) made a shocking return, claiming a solo victory on the 160 kilometre Lochard Power Warrnambool Ladies’s Biking Basic.
The 19-year-old Stewart launched from a gaggle of 4 that had been out the entrance for properly over 100km of the Nationwide Highway Collection Occasion, holding the chase of her former break companions at bay by way of the ultimate six kilometres to assert victory on the Raglan Parade line.
“I’m simply in absolute disbelief,” Stewart mentioned in an interview broadcast on the livestream by SBS. “I didn’t have an excessive amount of confidence going into this race, I’ve sat out all of January with a damaged collarbone.”
The workforce, nevertheless did trust in Stewart, who had come fourth within the race final 12 months as her teammate Sophie Edwards claimed the win. On paper she seemed the quickest of that lead group however drawing inspiration from Saturday’s solo Melbourne to Warrnambool winner Mark O’Brien, and seeing how a lot the riders round her had been hurting, Stewart determined at six kilometres to go to ship an “all or nothing” effort.
“I’m kind of extra of a sprinter however I didn’t actually need to wait to the tip for a dash so I simply dug the heels in and gave it all the things and held on,” mentioned Stewart.
Josie Pepper (Butterfields Racing) got here second, relentless in her pursuit and crossing six seconds again, whereas Amanda Poulsen (BridgeLane), an additional 4 seconds behind, swept up the ultimate spot on the rostrum.
Sophia Sammons (Biking Growth Basis) was fourth, with the 18-year-old in her first Nationwide Highway Collection race the primary of the break riders to be shed within the ultimate ten kilometres, however solely after an extended and valiant effort preventing painful leg cramps. Lauren Thomas (Lochard Power Composite Crew) got here fifth after having jumped out of the peloton at 20km to go, whereas Keely Bennett (BridgeLane) led the primary bunch from the break up peloton over the road, 3:33 after Stewart had claimed the victory.
The way it unfolded
The Victorian occasion, in its third version as a standalone girls’s race, set out from Colac to observe the identical route as the ultimate 160km of Saturday’s Melbourne to Warrnambool – reaching the coast at Port Campbell after which heading as much as the Raglan Parade end line within the coastal hub of Warrnambool.
The 2023 winner Sophie Edwards (ARA Skip Capital) was on the beginning line, bolting over from the Monitor Nations Cup in Adelaide, then there was additionally Matilda Raynolds (BridgeLane), who gained the occasion in 2021 and 2020 when it was run as a girls’s class inside the 267km Melbourne to Warrnambool. Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) was additionally amongst those that had been all the time going to be carefully watched, as even with no teammates round her the sturdy WorldTour rider was not going to flee intense scrutiny.
It was a cool starting however temperatures had been rising for the ladies’s race, the utmost for Warrnambool close to 30°C – heat however fortuitously properly under the close to 40°C temperatures anticipated additional to the east. The primary factors on supply for the Queen of the Mountains classification got here at 8km into the racing, with Josie Pepper (Butterfields Racing) leaping out of the peloton to assert them after which additionally leaping into the break of 4 that was established beneath 50km into the race.
That group of Lucinda Stewart (ARA Skip Capital), Sophia Sammons (Biking Growth Basis), Amanda Poulsen (BridgeLane) and Pepper rapidly established the hole, with particular person rider Marion Mundt additionally trying to bridge, however getting caught within the center.
At 95km to go the lead group of 4 had a 3.20 benefit and this crept as much as round four-and-a-half minutes by 80km to go, with Pepper profiting from her place out the entrance of the race to brush up the remainder of the highest factors within the Queen of the Mountain classification as properly. Poulsen, alternatively, dominated the intermediate sprints to assert that jersey.
At round 60km to go it was clear the stress was on within the peloton behind, with it starting to stretch and drop riders because it hit the coast. The hole to the entrance riders began to drop rapidly too, shedding nearly a minute inside 10km, however then the break dug in its toes to gradual the tightening, significantly with some chaotic moments behind.
At 42.5km the winds and tempo meant splits galore had been occuring inside the peloton and Brown was pleased to maintain pushing the tempo on the entrance and whittle down the energy of the groups round her. Although, then at 39 km to go there was an enormous crash within the lead break up of the peloton on the skinny rural roads, with greater than a dozen riders coming down proper behind the entrance layer. Most bought up rapidly and continued on, however not all.
Within the meantime the break was holding agency with a spot of a couple of two-and-a-half minutes however at 35km to go it seemed just like the lead 4 would drop to a few. The 18-year-old Sammons fell again as she fought intense leg cramps however regardless of crying out with the ache she determinedly battled on and latched on to the entrance three as soon as once more and held agency until the ultimate phases.
Inside 20km Lauren Thomas (Lochard Power Composite workforce) launched out of the peloton to attempt to bridge to the entrance group however there was no dragging it close by and it quickly turned clear that the race could be determined from among the many lead 4. The impetus within the diminished peloton wasn’t there both, with the 2 strongest groups of the race, ARA Skip Capital and BridgeLane with riders out the entrance, and few eager to assist a powerful rider like Brown – who was consistently close to the entrance – drag the hole again inside launching distance for the highly effective time trialist.
At 6km to go, Stewart launched from the break, which had been beginning to play video games given it was clear the win was at stake. The ARA Skip Capital rider rapidly bought the hole when she delivered a strong surge, although Pepper and Poulsen bought collectively to attempt to drag her again in whereas the cramping Sammons lastly needed to relent. At round 2km to go Pepper then struck out alone to proceed the pursuit and whereas she pulled the hole to inside seconds Stewart in the end held agency.
Outcomes
Outcomes powered by FirstCycling
