Fast finishers win Cadel’s race

FAST finishes were a feature of both Geelong events in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, with Jay McCarthy and Chloe Hosking pedalling hard at the right time to secure the wins.

Saturday’s race saw Hosking (Alé-Cipollini) win the Deakin University Elite Women’s Race.

A favourite to win after taking out stage 4 of the Tour Down Under, Hosking said it was the first race she had targeted and won.

“I was really nervous I’d get jumped from behind, but I tried to channel Caleb Ewan and put my head down low.

“I worked really hard over the off season, and it’s a nice stepping stone to show I am going in the right direction.”

In Sunday’s race, McCarthy (BORA-hansgrohe) became the first Australian to win the UCI World Tour Elite Men’s Race.

“I’ve been poking my head out of the hotel window all week looking at the finish line thinking about this… it worked perfectly for us,” he said.

The hot and humid conditions, which reached 41 degrees out on the 164km course, suited McCarthy.

“It’s more humid than normal down here,” he said. “We get humidity and heat in Queensland and the two together worked well for me.”