Sophie Edwards was the fastest in the bunch sprint to win a cagey second edition of the Women's Warrnambool Cycling Classic, taking it out ahead of star sprinter Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) and race favourite Matilda Raynolds.
Edwards proved her turn of speed is up with the best in Australia as she lit up Raglan Parade to take out the victory, joyous after the finish.
"I’m just shocked. I hoped it would happen today, but I didn’t really believe until I was over the line," said Edwards. "I have to thank every girl in this team, I did not touch the wind until the end of the race. The girls rode super aggressively and set up the race just how we wanted it. I’m super impressed and proud to be part of this team.
Edwards had to contend against one of Australia's greatest-ever cyclists in Chloe Hosking and the in-form Matilda Raynolds, but emerged the quickest in the gallop to the line.
“I was staying in the saddle as long as I could," said Edwards, "and seeing the girls already starting to sprint, I knew that as soon as I hopped out of the saddle and really gave it a kick I’d be able to get over the top on the line.”
Edwards continues a winning tradition at the race for the team, with now-WorldTour rider Maeve Plouffe winning the race last year with the squad. The 2023 race played out quite differently, a more negative and defensive race with a headwind along the Great Ocean Road.
“I think it was what we’d expected at the start. As a team, we’d always prefer an aggressive race, so it took a lot of patience to sit there and back ourselves in for later. We had to trust our team tactics and the way the race panned out for us.
"After the boys didn’t have the best race yesterday I think we knew it was our job to get our team on the podium."
The Women’s Warrnambool Cycling Classic was a controlled affair for the opening kilometres as the race route headed from the start in Colac down to the Great Ocean Road.
Nicole Wilson (Cycling Development Foundation) was the only rider to put in an attack, slipping clear up the road, and at one stage holding a three-minute lead before the peloton woke up with the expected wind on the Great Ocean Road, recapturing Wilson, but not before she had taken out the mountains classification thanks to some help from teammate Hannah Seeliger.
Attacks peppered the race from then on, with ARA Skip Capital, Team Bridgelane and Matilda Raynolds looking to get up the road in a move. The breeze was predominantly a headwind and didn’t help the race split up, with every attack being answered by the peloton riding them back.
ARA Skip Capital kept the pace solid when the attacks slowed down, with the peloton headed towards the finish on Raglan Parade. Rachael Wales (ARA Skip Capital) led the attacks as the race hit the climbs on the outskirts of Warrnambool with five kilometres to go, before Emily Watts (Team Bridgelane) took a flyer on the downhill with Wales then launching again to join her.
The pair only held a small lead over the peloton, with the pair shut down with just under 3 kilometres to go. Surges by individuals in the final kilometres were matched and it all came down to the final bunch sprint, with DRG Knights LIV leading it out.
Matilda Raynolds looked the winner briefly as she hit the front on the uphill run to the line, but Edwards burst from the bunch to take the win convincingly with Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) following her over the line for second, with Raynolds third.
