Great teamwork from Wiggle Down Under riders secured overall victory in the Sprints Jersey classification for local rider Annette Edmondson in the fourth and final stage of the Santos Women’s Tour around downtown Adelaide’s Victoria Park. The one hour and ten minute criterium finished in a bunch sprint, with Melissa Hoskins (Orica-AIS) taking her second stage victory, ahead of Wiggle Down Under’s two-time former Road World Champion Giorgia Bronzini, with race leader, Hoskins’ teammate Valentina Scandolara taking third.
“The first target of the race was to secure the Jersey and we were really happy to get that,” Edmondson explained. “Once that was done we wanted to win the stage with Giorgia, so we’re a little bit disappointed.
“It was quite windy,” she continued. “The Orica-GreenEdge girls were on the front for the first 15 laps, just but luckily the Wiggle-Honda girls were prepared for that. We were up in a good position, out of the way. The first half of the race was really intense, because because all the Sprint and Mountain points were in the first half. After the halfway point everyone seemed to relax a little bit as they got ready for the final few laps.
“It was a pretty tough race out there!”
Wiggle Down Under’s Chloe Hosking and Bronzini took the first two places at the first Sprint, beating Hoskins to the line at the end of lap five, to protect Edmondson’s lead. The Adelaidean herself then took first place at the end of lap nine – having also taken the “Intermediate Climb” at the end of the previous lap – to take her total to an unassailable 22 points.
“It was a little bit confusing,” Edmondson laughed. “We had the Queen of the Mountain riders going for the sprints too, but luckily I managed to stay up the front for the next lap too, just in case and the girls helped me secure the points.”
Wiggle Down Under’s former Swedish champion Emilia Fahlin then took the third and final Intermediate Sprint to preserve Edmondson’s ten-point lead in the classification before the peloton began to shape up for the stage finish.
“Chloe and Emilia were on the front loads,” Edmondson said. “Luckily the jersey was pretty much secure by then and I really wanted to help out Giorgia as much as possible, but they did a lot of work to cover moves. I managed to stay out of the wind as much as possible and was able to focus on the job at hand.”
Although Bronzini narrowly missed out on her second stage victory in as many days, victory in the Sprints Jersey classification meant that local rider Edmondson was presented to the Adelaide crowd for a third day on one of the biggest day’s of the Australian racing season.
“This is a special race for me so it’s nice to have had the confidence of my teammates,” she smiled. “Especially in the crit the other day. Considering I was so fresh to the team, in my first race to have that confidence and trust, and that they were happy to work for me, meant a whole lot.
“Especially in front of a home crowd; that meant a whole lot to me.”
Result
1. Melissa Hoskins (Orica-AIS)
2. Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Down Under)
3. Valentina Scandolara (Orica-AIS)
