Georgia Baker claimed the Trek Night Riders women’s criterium as her team repaid the Tasmanian's superb work ethic during the Santos Festival of Cycling twilight race.
As Ruby Roseman-Gannon, the reigning Australian criterium champion was favoured to complete the women’s double at the Santos Festival of Cycling in 33C heat, she was part of a strong lead-out train to give Baker an intelligent victory on the Adelaide street circuit.
Tasmanian Baker, 27, is in her first season with BikeExchange-Jayco’s women’s WorldTour team.
“I’m so happy to have a win I haven’t had a win in such a while,’’ Baker said after her team’s clean sweep at the Festival of Cycling.
“Credit to my team, we had the perfect lead-out and we had some really good rehearsal days at the Santos Festival of Cycling, it was great to be able to nail it here and get another win for the team.
“Coming off COVID, I wasn’t sure how I would be on the bike, but it was a real pleasure to lead Ruby out over the last three days (in the stage race).
“I head overseas next week and head into the (spring) classics.”
SA favourite, ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast's Maeve Plouffe finished third after winning stage two of the road race on Monday.
Josie Talbot, from Sydney Uni Staminade, was runner up with Roseman-Gannon finishing fourth.
More than 24 hours after winning overall honours at the Festival of Cycling’s three-stage race at Lobethal, Roseman-Gannon, 22, was at the front of the peloton impressing her BikeExchange-Jayco team for signing her on a professional contract last year.
Rosman-Gannon was keeping a close eye on the threat of Georgie Howe from Knights of Suburbia as the game plan turned to protect Baker – a 2016 Brazil Games Olympian.
Baker also finished fourth overall in the Festival of Cycling’s stage race.
However, crashes marred the women’s criterium with Emily Watts, winner of stage one of the Festival of Cycling on Sunday, one of the casualties.
She got back on the bike for Knights of Suburbia to re-join the front of the peloton after claiming the overall Cervelo young rider’s jersey outright for the stage race.
Lauretta Hanson, from the Trek-Segafredo WorldTour team and riding for Westpac in SA, won the first intermediate sprint after a perfect attack ahead of BikeExchange-Jayco guest rider Amber Pate before the peloton again settled.
Team STEPFWD SOOMOM’S Belinda Bailey claimed the second intermediate sprint.
