Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Bronzini still holds the yellow jersey in the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic – the Bay Crits – after taking second place in the second stage in Geelong, Victoria’s Eastern Park. The former two-time World champion was narrowly beaten to the line by an early jump from Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt) on the uphill finishing straight, with Annette Edmondson (Orica-AIS) taking third.
“The lap was a little bit harder today, but it was more similar to a road race, so I felt good during the race, and I think that the girls worked a lot better than yesterday because the feeling was really good between us,” said Bronzini.
“There wasn’t anything wrong, or a mistake today, but in the final when I tried to follow Nettie Edmondson at the finish I found myself in the middle of a little bunch and I had no space to come out when Chloe Hosking began her sprint,” explained Bronzini.
“But I feel good, and I feel good about the team too, so tomorrow I feel sure that we can do everything well,” she added.
Bronzini’s second place was enough for the Italian to hold on to the overall leader’s yellow jersey that she took after her stage one victory. With the circuits of the final two stages set to get tougher, the Italian is hoping to become the first ever non-Australian to win the overall Bay Crits title, but also wants to help her teammates secure the race’s other prizes.
“I would like to keep this with me until the finish,” Bronzini smiled. “We want to keep the jersey until the finish, but we also look forward to the green with Peta Mullens. So maybe we’ll work a little with her to get the points for the green, and we hope that it’s possible for her to keep the jersey for the finish.”
The race saw another aggressive performance from Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Mullens, who took first place in the first intermediate sprint, ahead of teammate Charlotte Becker, then second place in the second sprint. The 25-year-old Victorian now sits in second place in the classification, along with Bronzini, just one point off the lead.
“The race was pretty sedate until the first sprint,” explained Mullens. “Then Wiggle Honda got on the front and did an awesome lead out and I won the sprint and Lotte was second.
“Valentina Scandolara [Orica-AIS] and Tiff Cromwell [Specialized-Securitor] launched over the top of us and a pretty strong group of seven got away, with pretty much one person from every team represented, including myself for Wiggle Honda.
“That came back and there was a flurry of attacks for the rest of the race, but I got second in the second sprint,” Mullens added.
“The final sprint really started with two laps to go when Dhb Dream Team’s Jessica Mundy hit the front, but Chloe Hosking took a flyer from further back in the bunch with 250 metres to go,” Mullens continued.
“It was a pretty interesting finish, but not high speed like yesterday was, but that was the nature of the course I think.”
Along with Bronzini’s yellow jersey, Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling also still holds the lead in the team classification, with confidence high ahead of the hillier Portarlington circuit on stage three.
“I’ve done it before and I like it, it’s a better lap for me,” said Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Linda Villumsen. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Result stage 2
1. Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt)
2. Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling)
3. Annette Edmondson (Orica-AIS)
General Classification after two stages
1. Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling)
2. Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt)
3. Annette Edmondson (Orica-AIS)
