Four Day Women's Cycling Classic

The Stages

March 14, Stage 1 Criterium - Centennial Park, 30 km
March 14, Stage 2 Road Race - Centennial Park, 75 km
March 15, Stage 3 Road Race - Canberra, 120 km
March 16, Stage 4 Criterium - Canberra, 40 km

Introducing the Classic

Commencing in Sydney on Saturday 14th March in Centennial Park on part of the Olympic 2000 road course, an international field of riders will embark on a torturous 4 stage race covering 300 kilometres of varied road racing.

The event forms part of Sydney Cycling Club’s annual Sydney City Criteriums that forms part of the State Criterium Championships.

Chris White the Race Director is excited at the prospect of combining these two elite cycling events "This is the first time we have been able to secure Centennial Park for our annual day of racing. In the past we have shown off some of our many senior and junior men world champions."

"This year we have a crack field of women boasting some of the best riders in the world including Germany’s Petra Rossner - 1991 World Pursuit Champion and 1992 Olympic Champion; France’s Marion Clignet - 1996 World Pursuit Champion and current World Record Holder over 3 kilometres; our own dynamic duo Anna Wilson - 1996 Olympian and current Australian 1 hour record holder and Elizabeth Tadich - 1997 World Road Race Silver Medallist and Australian Cyclist of the Year. Add to this the rest of the Australian team, Charlotte White, NSW Champion and Queensland Champion, Juanita Feldhahn along with National Teams from Canada and South Africa and you have the best women’s field ever assembled in Australia."

"Racing starts at 8.00am, with the women racing twice during the day - 10.00am for a fast and furious Criterium and again at 12.30pm for a tough 75 kilometre Road Stage, starting at the Paddington Gates and circling a 2.9 kilometre circuit."

The race will move to Canberra on Sunday 15th March, where Canberra Cycling Club and the Australian Institute of Sport will play host to the riders as part of the annual Canberra Festival Weekend. On Sunday the riders have been asked to race over the maximum allowable women’s distance 120 kilometres along a mountainous course just out past our Prime Minister’s Yarrallumna Residence.

"This race has 10 climbs in it, four of them 3-4 kilometres in distance. This race could best be described as ‘evil’, where only the fancied hill climbers like Charlotte White, Elizabeth Tadich and perhaps Juanita Feldhahn are the likely winners. The rest will be spread out over many kilometres." Chris White commented.

The event will form part of the Australian Cycling Federation’s National Points Series as a Category 1 event as well as being a pointer to the Australian women’s chances in this years Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

This is the first time that an international standard race for women has been held in Australia. Normally our top riders have to travel overseas to find the required competition to reach world class standard, but with the Olympics fast approaching many countries are keen to come to Australia to train and race.

The event will be a great warm up for the inaugural World Cup Road Race to be held in Centennial Park on 29th March promoted by Phill Bates, organiser of the famous ‘Commonwealth Bank Cycling Classic’.

Corporate trade teams including Com Tech Communications, Netti, Captain Cook Hotel and Schweppes will take part. Other sponsors include Clovelly’s Pedal Pushers, Porter Bags and Luggage, Bell Sports and Centennial Parklands.

The race will be a team’s event as well as an individual competition. The rider completing the 4 stages with the highest number of points will be crowned the winner. Each team’s best 3 riders finishing points will decide the team’s event. During the course of the event riders will compete for the Sprint Champion, the Queen of the Mountains, Under 21 and B Grade Category. Some $5,000 in prize money will be up for grabs.

The major sponsor is the worldwide educational and natural history video channel, the Discovery Channel. Ann Love, National Marketing Manager for the Channel was keen to sponsor the event because "it tied in nicely with our Eco Challenge Sponsorship later in the year."

"The Eco Challenge is a race of out and out human endeavour, however when Chris told me what was expected of the women in his race, I realised very quickly there was a story to tell here." Ann Love pointed out.

On the Monday Canberra Holiday the Bike Shed, Canberra’s largest bicycle retailer, will host the final race, a 1-hour criterium. After this stage the winner be known.

Complete Teams List

South Africa

 1. Erica Green
 2. Anriette Schoeman
 3. Anke Erlank
 4. Ronel Van Wyk

Canada

 5. Kim Langton
 6. Sophie St. Jaques
 7. Annie Gariepy
 8. Cybil Digiustini

Jayco/Victorian institute of Sport

 9. Anna Wilson
10. Elizabeth Tadich
11. Sally Molloy
12. Geraldine Denham

Queensland Academy of Sport

13. Junita Feldhahn
14. Ellie Kennedy
15. Kim Shirley
16. Sara Carrigan

Com Tech/NSW Institute of Sport

17. Charlotte White
18. Petra Rossner (Germany)
19. Katherine Cato
20. Margaret Hemsley

Lithuania

21. Rasa Polikeviciute
22. Jolanta Polikeviciute
23. Edita Puchinskaite
24. Diana Zilute

Eastern Suburbs

25 Julie Hooper (UK)
26. Avril Swan
27. Kate Hammill
28. Kimberly Baul 

ACT Academy of Sport

29. Tracey Gaudrey
30. Kim Palmer
31. Amanda O’Conner
32. Julie Hutsebaut (Canada)

Northern Sydney/Pure Water

33. Nadia Frischknecht
34. Julee Hunt
35. Lisa Robinson
36. Belinda Probert

Team Schweppes

37. Marion Clignet (France)
38. Chantelle Roberton (NZ)
39. Amy Taylor (NZ)
40. Roberta Salvatori (NSW)

Team Netti

41. Simone Jacobs (NSW)
42. Kellie McCombie (WA)
43. Annabelle Vowels (VIC)
44. Katie Knight (VIC)