Wollaston, Schmid win at Cadel’s race

AN ESTIMATED 120,000 spectators watched the world’s best male and female cyclists push it to the limit across the Geelong region during this year’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (CEGORR).

The five-day festival of cycling included not only elite point-to-point and circuit races but also mass participation rides in the GeelongPort Family Ride and TAC People’s Ride.

On the women’s side of the event, Kiwi young gun Ally Wollaston (FDJ – Suez) capped off an incredible festival on Saturday, becoming the first cyclist to win both the Surf Coast Classic and CEGORR events in the same week.

Wollaston won the Elite Women’s Race in a bunch sprint similar to her win in the Surf Coast Classic on Wednesday last week, again showing off her sprinting prowess and narrowly edging out Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) and Noemi Ruegg (EF Education – Oatly).

“We were riding pretty easy to be honest in between the laps and I knew it would be all out on the [Challambra] climb,” she said.

“I knew I had to move up right in the last run up to the climb and I did that, and I actually felt super strong today so to make it over a second time was a really happy surprise today.”

On Sunday, Swiss rider Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) broke away for a solo victory ahead of Aaron Gate (XDS Astana Team) and Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) in extremely hot conditions in the Men’s Elite Race.

Schmid crossed the finish line first as Team Jayco AlUla fought hard and played their cards well, notching their first win as a team in the race’s 10-year history.

“I think in the last climb I saw everybody was on the limit,” he said.

“I still had quite good legs on the climb.

“With Chris [Harper] in front, he did an amazing ride today. He also was a big part of this win because I could just sit back and then when we caught him on the last climb, I knew now was the moment and I’d see if I could get a gap, and it worked out.”