The Tour Down Under wasn’t run as a UCI-categorised event for the second year running due to COVID-related travel restrictions preventing international teams from travelling to Australia. That meant that the race returned to it’s National Road Series roots, the event was first run back in 2015 as part of the premier domestic series and won by Valentina Scandolara.
A field hot off of racing at the Australian Road National Championships lined up in South Australia to tackle a series of three undulating stages that would ultimately all end in bunch sprint finishes. The race avoided the famous Willunga Hill summit, which Sarah Gigante had won on in style a year prior.
That proved to be a perfect recipe for Roseman-Gannon to take the overall victory, with the neo-professional rider racing for every bonus second available at the intermediate sprints, being one of the most prominent riders when dangerous attacks looked likely to form, and also backed it up at the finishes, where she didn’t finish lower than second across the three stages.
That consistency was ultimately rewarded with a final stage win, with a superb leadout by BikeExchange Jayco gapping most of the field and Roseman-Gannon finishing off the good work ahead of Nicole Frain (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) with final leadout rider Georgia Baker (BikeExchange Jayco) third.
“Everyone in my team is so good and I feel like I should be riding for them, rather than them riding for me,” said an ecstatic Roseman-Gannon after the race finish in Lobethal. “I always wanted to win the stage and we did it, it was a dream job.”
Roseman-Gannon was the favourite heading into the race, and her strategy of pursuing intermediate sprints looked to leave her a bit below her best in the finales, as she finished second to up and coming talents in Emily Watts (Knights of Suburbia) and Maeve Plouffe (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) on the opening two stages.
“I think we got better as the week went on,” said Roseman-Gannon, “it’s hard taking all the glory, but it was the team which got me this one.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I guess I care so much, but as soon as the race starts, I’m in the zone and I don’t think much, it just happens.”
Newly-crowned Australian National Road Race champion rain was consistent throughout the days of racing, vaulting up to second on the final day, 18 seconds in arrears of Roseman-Gannon, with a race of controlled aggression as she jumped out of the peloton early to pick up valuable bonus seconds. Plouffe rounded out the podium with Ruth Corset (Velofit Australia) winning the Queen of the Mountains, with Roseman-Gannon the sprints jersey winner, Watts the young rider victor and Roxsolt Liv SRAM the top team.
