All-star line up for Jayco Bay Cycling Classic women’s field

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Following the announcement that the GreenEdge men will make their debut at the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic, the GreenEdge-AIS women's outfit will also be in action at the four-race series which starts this Sunday January 1, in Geelong, Australia.

The five-strong line up will be all Australian, including 2011 national time trial champion and stage winner at the Giro Donne Shara Gillow, 2011 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic stage winner Tiffany Cromwell, Tour de Feminin stage winners Amanda Spratt and Melissa Hoskins and NSW Grand Prix stage winner, Jessie MacLean.

Also, as previously reported, Rochelle Gilmore has confirmed she will be on the start line at Eastern Beach for the BikeExchange Dream Team having had a challenging recovery process from a crash at the Giro Donne. A victory in 2012 would give Gilmore her third consecutive and fourth overall win at the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic to step ahead of Anna Wilson (1996, 1998, 1999) as the event's most successful female rider.

"I am pleased to have been back on the bike for just over three weeks without any pain, injuries, illnesses or setbacks. It was a strong, solid and progressive three week training block," Gilmore said.

"It wasn't until I had learnt to walk and ride again that I could reflect and understand how serious my injuries from the crashes were.

"There must be some truth in the saying 'what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger' as I've managed to produce my best ever power outputs during this training block.

"My preparation is structured around the European season starting on the 1st of February so I might not be at my best for the 1st of January.

"But the motivation stimulated by our team environment, the racing and competition will nearly always bring the best out of me."

2008 world and Olympic champion Nicole Cooke will be return for the BikeExchange Dream Team having raced in Australia at the Noosa GP in October. Kirsty Broun, who won the event in 1999 and most recently took out the NSW Grand Prix Series also returns for the team along with Peta Mullens and Miffy Galloway.