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Rosita Reijnhout (Visma – Lease a Bike) took a dramatic solo win on the 2024 ladies’s Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race.
The 19-year-old held off fast-finishing chasers Dominka Wlodarczyk (UAE Group ADQ) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) to say her first skilled win.
It was the Dane who had gone solo on the second and closing ascent of the Challambra Crescent climb, earlier than Reijnhout and Wlodarczyk joined her on the run for residence.
With the trio struggling to work collectively cohesively, the Dutch teenager set off solo. She fading within the closing 1500 metres as Wlodarczyk and Uttrup Ludwig closed in, however a closing burst of energy sealed a breakthrough win for Reijnhout.
“I can not imagine it. I am so glad. It was actually laborious,” Reijnhout mentioned after the end. “Ludwig first went and I’m going after they usually stopped pushing. I assumed ‘why can we cease as a result of there is a hole’, so I used to be by myself and I used to be simply preventing and pacing.”
Reijnhout confirmed a tactical intuition past her years together with her late assault, regardless of an preliminary hesitation.
“I did not know what to do, truly. I used to be asking on the radio what to do. I simply went with instinct.”
“I am pleased with the crew as a result of they did an awesome job,” she added.
Uttrup Ludwig had made the choice on the ultimate climb however mirrored after the end that she had gone too deep to compete when she was caught.
“I simply noticed a second and simply went for it. The issue was that I used to be absolutely crimson. Then there was the downhill and one other climb and after the second climb, the 2 ladies got here from behind and I used to be simply absolutely crimson and couldn’t pull. She had a spot and we by no means obtained her again. She did a brilliant good race and chapeau to her.”
Extra to return….
The way it unfolded
Nearly two weeks for the reason that ladies’s Tour Down Below concluded dramatically up the Previous Willunga Hill, the peloton travelled 700 kilometres southeast to tackle the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race.
The Victoria panorama was a picturesque backdrop for what was a troublesome 141-kilometre race of attrition, with a sensational conclusion.
The riders set off west out of Geelong and in the direction of the coast on a protracted lap, earlier than twice taking over the climb that has develop into synonymous with this race: the Challambra Crescent.
The breakaway fashioned early on, Gina Ricardo (Group Bridgelane) continued her attacking kind from the Tour Down Below, joined by Stephanie Hibburt (Australia Nationwide Group) and Lucie Fityus (ARA | Skip Capital). Fityus was dropped early after which bridged again over to the breakaway just a few kilometres later.
The group by no means loved a snug lead, nonetheless. The peloton raised the tempo as they approached the primary intermediate dash in Torquay. Fityus held on to take the dash, however the group have been concurrently caught with 83 kilometres to the end.
The wind picked up because the day wore on and several other adjustments of course made for a nervous peloton. FDJ-Suez and AG Insurance coverage-Soudal saved the tempo excessive on the strategy again in the direction of Geelong.
With 40 kilometres to go and the tempo reducing because the riders traversed west right into a headwind, Stine Dale (Group Coop-Repsol) and Alli Anderson (ARA | Skip Capital) launched a transfer. The bunch instantly backed off, not desirous to burn matches into the wind with Challambra approaching. The hole ballooned over a minute.
Because the peloton hit the primary lap of the circuit, the tempo elevated. There was a crash for Neve Bradbury (Canyon//SRAM), one of many outdoors favourites for the race, it appeared a troublesome chase for her to get again on.
Dale and Anderson have been caught on the strategy to the foot of the primary climb of the day. Liv AlUla Jayco took on the pacesetting on the primary of two ascents of Challambra by Georgia Baker. The peloton instantly felt the impact, with riders being dropped by the dozen. Solely 15 riders have been current on the entrance of the race excessive of the climb, the likes of Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez), Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Well being) and Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal) making their presence felt.
The climbers hadn’t but managed to rid themselves of the sooner riders. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Group ADQ) have been among the many riders to fret about. Then the group tripled on the descent because the tempo dropped, Bradbury remarkably amongst these chasing again on.
Simply earlier than the primary crossing of the end line, Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Well being) put in certainly one of her characteristically diesel-powered strikes.
The Frenchwoman was swept up simply earlier than Challambra as AG Insurance coverage-Soudal led the peloton onto the climb in help of Gigante. Ally Wollaston ripped the peloton to items simply earlier than the climb, Gigante in her wheel. The Tour Down Below champion attacked midway into the ascent however was unable to divorce herself from the remainder of the favourites.
Uttrup Ludwig launched on the steepest level on the climb, going solo excessive. Ella Wyllie (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Marion Bunel (St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93) have been initially collectively in pursuit with a bigger group simply behind.
The chasers got here collectively on the speedy descent again into the centre of Geelong earlier than Wlodarczyk and Reijnhout broke clear to affix the Dane with 5 kilometres to go.
Gigante tried to bridge the hole, however teenager Reijnhout attacked Uttrup Ludwig and Wlodarczyk and instantly took a big benefit.
Reijnhout started to fade within the finale, Uttrup Ludwig and Wlodarczyk about to latch on to steal the victory away. Nevertheless, Reijnhout accelerated once more and held on to take the victory in a nail-biting end.
Outcomes
Outcomes powered by FirstCycling
