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Jayco Bay Cycling Classic - NE
Geelong, Australia, January 2-6, 2009
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Stage 9 - January 6: Geelong - Ritchie Boulevard - Elite women, 45 minutes
Broun again
By Malcolm Sawford in Geelong
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Kirsty Broun (MB Cycles) won the final stage and the overall despite falling twice during the 45 minute finale. Broun took an emphatic sprint win, her third of the five race series. Rochelle Gilmore ended the day in second. In the overall Josie Tomic kept her second place by a close margin against Chloe Hoskins and Peta Mullens.
Broun decribed the crashes as business as usual. "Bike racing is bike racing" she said. "You can have your bingles but you just have to get up and ride your bike again. A girl fell off in front of me both times, and I just catapulted over and landed, then got up and composed myself, checked my bike and off I went."
Peta Mullens (Jayco VIS) was the main aggressor during the women's race, and spent three laps off the front of the bunch early in the race. She won the first sprint ahead of Rochelle Gilmore, a result which guaranteed Gilmore the green jersey. Then Mullens fell on the tight corner after the sprint. Immediately after she had rejoined the race, she bridged to an attack by Emma Mackie (Pitcher Partners) and the pair stayed clear until the second sprint, before Mullens pushed on alone to a 10-second lead.
Mullens wasn't too happy about the tactics. "It was kind of a negative race, and I just wanted to get off the front. GC didn't mean much to me, I was after a stage win."
It took a huge effort from Josie Tomic (Plan B) at the head of bunch to reel Mullens in. When she was finally caught just seven minutes remained, and only 14 women survived to contest the finish.
In the final laps, Broun's Canadian teammate Gina Grain neutralised every attempt to split the field, and led out the sprint perfectly for Broun to take the win ahead of Gilmore and Chloe Hoskins (Mazda).
MB Cycles manager Marcel Bengston was delighted with the way his team gelled this week, and particularly pleased with their tactics for the final stage. "We tried to keep everyone around Kirsty to keep her out of danger. Once the selection was made we still had one bullet – that was Gina Grain." Those sentiments were echoed by Broun, who described the Canadian as "my number one girl."
Gilmore shadowed the winner for the final few laps, but came up short in the final sprint. "I was in the perfect position; if I had the opportunity to do it again I would have left it later [to come off Broun's wheel], but I just didn't have the legs today."
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net
- The MB Cycles team worked hard to keep Kirsty Broun in the race lead.
- Rachel Heal and Rebecca Domange (Degani) accelerate on the back straight.
- Kirsty Broun (MB Cycles) has worn yellow since day 2.
- Canadian Gina Grain (MB Cycles) was a super-domestique for Kirsty Broun all week.
- Peta Mullens (VIS) was aggressive again, making space between herself and the bunch.
- Lauren Kitchen (NSWIS)
- Mullens and Broun pick themselves up after their crash as Rochelle Gilmore navigates around them.
- Rochelle Gilmore (NSWIS) won the sprint jersey emphatically.
- Broun (MB Cycles) seemingly ignored her crash scars and a torn jersey and bleeding elbow to perform superbly in the final race.
- Peta Mullens (VIS) won the second sprint point with another strong solo attack.
- Emma Mackie (Pitcher Partners) was away on her own for a while.
- Josie Tomic (Plan B) finished the series more quietly than she began. But still finished second overall to Broun.
- Katerine Oshea (VIS) leads the bunch with a lap to go.
- Kirsty Broun (MB Cycles) won again and sealed the series.
- MB Cycles team owner, Marcel Bengston with series winner, Kirsty Broun.
- Rochelle Gilmore (NSWIS) won the sprints competition.
- MB Cycles was the winning team with Kirsty Broun overall winner.
- Kirsty Broun and Gina Grain (MB Cycles) pose with the trophy and bouquet after the finish.
Results
1 Kirsty Broun (MB Cycles) 2 Rochelle Gilmore (NSWIS) 3 Chloe Hoskins (Mazda) 4 Josie Tomic (Plan B) 5 Emma Mackie (Pitcher Partners) 6 Isabella King (Urban Hotel) 7 Gina Grain (MB Cycles) 8 Peta Mullens (Jayco VIS) 9 Nikki Butterfield (Skilled) 10 Rebecca Domange (Degani/CBD) Sprints Sprint 1 1 Peta Mullens (Jayco VIS) 2 Rochelle Gilmore (NSWIS) 3 Kirsty Broun (MB Cycles) Sprint 2 1 Peta Mullens (Jayco VIS) 2 Emma Mackie (Pitcher Partners) 3 Lauren Kitchen (NSWIS) Final general classification 1 Kirsty Broun (MB Cycles) 52 pts 2 Josie Tomic (Plan B) 39 3 Chloe Hoskins (Mazda) 37 4 Peta Mullens (Jayco VIS) 31 5 Rochelle Gilmore (NSWIS) 30 6 Emma Mackie (Pitcher Partners) 19 7 Belinda Goss (Pitcher Partners) 18 8 Nikki Butterfield (Skilled) 15 9 Rowena Fry 12 10 Lauren Kitchen (NSWIS) 6 11 Tiffany Cromwell (Skilled) 6 12 Isabella King (Urban Hotel) 9 13 Gina Grain (MB Cycles) 4 14 Megan Dunn (NSWIS) 3 15 Davina Summers (Plan B) 2 16 Laura McCaughey (Urban Hotel) 2 17 Rebecca Locke 1 18 Amy Cure (Pitcher Partners) 1 19 Melissa Hoskins (Plan B) 1 20 Jenny Macpherson (G Force/Body Torque) 1 21 Rebecca Domange (Degani/CBD) 1 Points classification 1 Rochelle Gilmore (NSWIS) 17 pts 2 Kirsty Broun (MB Cycles) 10 3 Peta Mullens (Jayco VIS) 9 4 Lauren Kitchen (NSWIS) 6 5 Nikki Butterfield (Skilled) 5 6 Tahlia Paskin (MB Cycles) 3 7 Belinda Goss (Pitcher Partners) 3 8 Megan Dunn (NSWIS) 3 9 Emma Mackie (Pitcher Partners) 2 10 Melissa Hoskins (Plan B) 1 11 Josie Tomic (Plan B) 1 Teams classification 1 MB Cycles 56 pts 2 Plan B 42 3 NSWIS 39 4 Pitcher Partners 38 5 Mazda 37 6 Jayco VIS 31 7 Skilled 21 8 Urban Hotel 11 9 Degani/CBD 1 10 G Force/Body Torque 1
