The Phillip Island town of Rhyll played host to the riders for the final stage of the Mitchelton Tour of Gippsland, with warm, breezy conditions greeting the peloton.
The women’s race began with a steady tempo, the teams of the sprint favourites and overall contenders content to consolidate their positions within the race.
Surges from Matilda Raynolds (Inform TMX Make) and Talbot (Sydney Uni-Staminade) were neutralised, with the intermediate sprints contested in the battle for seconds on the overall and Simon Anderson sprint classification.
The final few laps were a battle of the sprint trains to position their fastest rider first in the line for the sprint.
The flat, fast finish was taken out in the end by Talbot who launched up the far side, forcing all that wanted to pass her to ride in the wind.
The Sydney Uni-Staminade rider outmuscled Amber Pate (Inform TMX Make) and Maeve Plouffe (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) to take the win.
“It took us three days to take the win but we got there in the end,” Talbot said.
“We had riders on the front stringing it out and putting me in the perfect position, I just had to protect myself on the corners and make sure no one snuck up the inside. I sprinted up the inside, which was a bit more sheltered and managed to get the win.”
Overnight race leader Howe finished in fourth to take out the Mitchelton Tour of Gippsland overall after her superb solo win the day before.
“It’s a surreal experience,” Howe said. “Every time I looked around, there was one of them there protecting me, protecting the race win and I managed to get the ‘w’ for the tour… an incredible tour.
“We have a phenomenal culture in this team. It’s what Knights of Suburbia is about as a team, and the modus operandi is that we’re not just here to roll around.”
Plouffe had been the leader overall after her opening stage win, but she ended up second overall, with Pate finishing third overall.
The Simon Anderson Consultants sprint classification was won by Plouffe, with Justine Barrow (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) taking out the Findex mountains classification, and Sophie Edwards (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) winning the Warragul Crownlea young rider classification as the top Under-23 rider in the race. Inform TMX Make won the teams classification for the race.
The overall NRS standings saw a bit of a shake-up with Plouffe moving into the overall lead of the domestic series, with the ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast rider building upon her strong showing at the Festival of Cycling in South Australia with another stage win and overall podium finish in Gippsland.
ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast also took the overall lead in the NRS team standings, with 645 points to Knights of Suburbia's 508.
