The longest women's one-day race in the world at 160 kilometres, 22-year-old Plouffe had the legs to beat Josie Talbot (Sydney-Uni Staminade) and Matilda Raynolds (InForm TMX Make) in the sprint to the line after Australian Road Race Champion Nicole Frain (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) unsuccessfully tried to launch an early attack in the last kilometre.
“That was incredible, that was so much fun," Plouffe said after the race.
"I don’t think that I’ve done a race that hard before. It was on from the start, then there was a little lull and then girls really put it to me on those little climbs… they weren’t too long, but they were definitely going hard. I had a lot of nervous energy towards the end with the break there.
“It was a bit of a dream break, we had four or five of the strongest riders in the whole peloton in that breakaway, everyone with different strengths. Everyone had a crack at that finale there, which I thought was really cool.”
“I was really looking forward to being part of this first Warrnambool, every woman out there wanted to be part of that history and animate the race, I think everyone put their nose in the wind at some point to make a move and attack, but clearly my teammates were the ones the brought the most back and they were the ones that worked the hardest out there.”
Two-time Olympian Tracy Gaudry fired the starting gun as the riders set off to make history from Colac Velodrome, with the peloton staying together and maintaining a steady pace through the hilly opening kilometres.
Riders tried to break away but were quickly pulled back by the group as the race snaked its way on to the Great Ocean Road with Inform TMX Make active at the front trying to put Raynolds in a good position to eventually go up the road.
The decisive move of the race happened with 50 kilometres to go, as a group pulled away from the bunch containing Plouffe, Talbot, Raynolds, Frain, Tour of Gippsland winner Georgie Howe (Knights of Suburbia), Anya Louw (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) and Megan Armitage (Westpac).
Splits in the peloton behind meant the break was able to build a gap and build one they did, stretching out a lead of a minute and a half as the race moved inside the last 25 kilometres.
Raynolds attacked after the pace steadied, launching off the front with her companions all able to follow except for Louw, who was already visibly fatigued and couldn't keep up.
That meant the winner would come from the group of six hopefuls who now had over 2 minutes on the trailing peloton as they entered the final kilometre, everyone playing cat and mouse with each other and no rider wanting to incite the action.
Frain was the one to take the initiative, launching off the back of the group in an effort to catch her rivals by surprise, but was pulled in before the final 100 metres as Plouffe went clear of the rest on the Raglan Parade incline to claim a memorable victory.
Watch the full replay of the women's race below.
