Women's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race: Ally Wollaston takes back-to-back win from small group sprint

No one could match Ally Wollaston’s acceleration on Saturday as she launched her sprint in the closing metres to take the win at the women's Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race for a second year in a row.

On the run-in, Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) was the first to lift the pace for the 12-rider lead group, working for a teammate, but the FDJ United-SUEZ rider with number one on her back quickly came to the front and powered to the line to to take the victory.

Josie Nelson (Picnic–PostNL) finished second, with Mireia Benito (AG Insurance–Soudal) taking third to complete the podium in Geelong, which has never before had a repeat rider standing on the top step.

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Although Wollaston struggled on the climb up Challambra Crescent and had to chase back twice onto the reduced peloton, first on the second time up and then again as attacks flew in the final kilometres, she remained surrounded by teammates, and was ready for the final dash to the line.

“Amazing. I said to the girls, 'I am not feeling fantastic' at the first time [up Challambra Crescent]. I really struggled, and you can see my fight wasn't on both times, actually. So I owe it to my teammates today, if they weren't there, there's no way I would have gone back,” Wollaston said.

The peloton split on the tough climb, with a select group of 12 riders forging clear to contest the finish. The move included UAE Team ADQ teammates Dominika Włodarczyk and García, the Liv AlUla Jayco duo of Australian champion Mackenzie Coupland and Ella Wylie, the Visma–Lease a Bike pair of Sarah Van Dam and Rosita Reijnhout, Women’s Tour Down Under overall winner Noemi Rüegg (EF Education–Oatly), Nelson, Benito, and Wollaston alongside FDJ–SUEZ teammates Amber Kraak and Lauren Dickson.

Numerous attacks followed over the final nine kilometres, but none stuck, setting up a sprint finish.

How it unfolded

It was a warm, but not overly hot start on the foreshore with temperatures heading to a maximum of 26°C in Geelong on Saturday and there was even the odd drop of rain as riders waited on the start line, the surrounds thronging with riders who had just completed the People's Ride out on the same course.

Four previous champions, including last year’s winner Ally Wollaston (FDJ–SUEZ), 2024 winner Rosita Reijnhout (Visma–Lease a Bike), and Lidl-Trek duo Loes Adegeest (2023) and Amanda Spratt (2016), lined up in the 76-rider field, where some teams were not able to field the full complement of six riders due to illness and injuries, with both Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto and UNO-X Mobility down to four .

It didn't take long before the race got underway for the break to launch, with Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health) launching solo and quickly building a gap, already at over three minutes by 130km to go and then it was around five-and-a-half minutes by 120km to go. The peloton was looking relaxed and content to let a lone rider fly although the lone rider "was hoping for some company."

Still, even solo, Stiasny committed completely and built up a maximum lead of almost eight minutes after 49 kilometres of racing, but her advantage began to shrink when the peloton reacted to a change of wind, with gusts of 24 km/h prompting FDJ–United, Visma–Lease a Bike and Picnic–PostNL to move to the front to protect their leaders. Though the wind gusts did not bring echelons, the gap had fallen to around four minutes as the peloton cruised by Bell’s Beach with 84km to go.

With 55 kilometres to go, as Stiasny’s lead had decreased to 2:23, FDJ United- SUEZ, the team of defending champion Wollaston, stepped away from the front of the peloton after doing a lot of the tempo work.

Soon after, AG Insurance-Soudal hit the front, trying to take advantage of the win to surprise some riders, and split the field, but the crosswinds were not strong enough to do any damage, except they did raise the tension and cut the gap down to under two minutes.

As they raced towards the start of the finishing circuit with the Challambra Crescent climb, teams started to jostle for position as Visma-Lease a Bike. Fenix-Premier Tech, FDJ United-SUEZ, UAE Team ADQ, and EF Education-Oatly all massed at the front, while lone break rider Stiasny's lead fell under the one-minute mark inside of 39 kilometres to go. Sensing that their teammate would be reeled in soon, Human Powered Health also made their way to the front, along with Liv AlUla Jayco.

The washing machine was in full effect as the peloton re-absorbed Stiasny one kilometre later on the fast descent into Geelong, with Uno-X Mobility on the front, keeping a high pace on a strung-out peloton. Five riders, including Olivia Baril (Movistar), Lotte Claes (Fenix-Premier Tech) and Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) went down in a crash in the peloton with 32 kilometres to go.

Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) took the front at the bottom of the Challambra Crescent climb, which averages 8.7% and ramps up to 11% in the final section, and launched her teammate Mavi García with world champion Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly) quickly marking her move. The high tempo and steep climb split the group, with 15 riders pulling away as Garcia led them over the top, but a chase was able to close down the 24-second gap on the fast descent.

French champion Marie Le Net took the front to string out the reduced peloton and shut down further attacks after Henrietta Christie (EF Education-Oatly) and Marta Lach (SD Worx-Protime) each tried to escape.

Sarah Van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike) went down in the peloton with 21.6km to go, and after putting her chain back on, quickly remounted to chase back and reconnected as the field passed the finish line to start the final circuit.

With 16 kilometres to go, a chase group consisting of riders dropped on the climb, caught back onto the back of the peloton led by Le Net.

Once again, Visma, UAE and EF battled for position on the lead up to the second and final time up Challambra Crescent. Vallieres made the first big attack which was quickly covered by García and Dickson, the same three that were at the front, the first time up the steep climb. Wollaston was dropped and was forced to chase solo to close the gap.

García attacked multiple times, but each move was covered as Wollaston reconnected with the group with seven kilometres to go. Attacks continued at the front, first by Ella Wylie (Liv AlUla Jayco), then by Reijnhout. The latter attack, by the 2024 winner, caused a major reaction with Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ), Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco), and Nelson quickly latching on, causing a split in the lead group.

Wollaston’s teammate Amber Kraak led the chase, and the group rejoined with 4.3 kilometres to go. Another attack by Garcia was reeled in as the group sped towards the finish line with raindrops starting to fall onto the road.

García was the first to wind things up, as riders battled for Wollaston's wheel, but when Wollaston opened up her sprint, she surged forward to the win.

Results

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