Two days on from her victory in the time trial, Georgia Williams completed the double on Sunday by winning the elite road race at the New Zealand national championships.
It was, in fact, a double double, as the Team BikeExchange rider pulled off the same feat in 2018.
Williams attacked early and spent most of the day in a two-up breakaway with Kate McCarthy (Cabjaks-Castelli), a full-time police officer, before picking her off in the sprint for the line.
Sharlotte Lucas (DNA Pro Cycling) claimed the final podium spot after a long solo chase.
"I’m so happy, I did have a bit of pressure on my shoulders, but I just had to race smart, I knew I had the legs, so I’m happy to pull it off," Williams said.
"It is great for my team for me to win both jerseys and it’s a real honour to take them on to the WorldTour again."
Williams wasted no time in stamping her WorldTour-level authority on the race, attacking on the first ascent of French Pass, just 7km into the 43km circuit that would be covered three times.
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McCarthy went with her and the pair spent the best part of 120km at the head of the race. They took a 35-second lead onto the second lap and increased it to 55 seconds by the bell. Although Lucas managed to claw back some ground on the final lap, the pair hit the finish in Cambridge for a two-up sprint, where Williams used her experience to come off McCarthy's wheel.
"It was sort of in the back of my mind that I wanted to go early, just because if I waited too long then the sprinters might have been able to hang on," Williams said. "But I was a little bit surprised and thought maybe it’s too early. But I knew Kate was super strong, so I knew we would be ok.
"I watched her [McCarthy] race last year and it was so impressive, so when I saw her there, I was like ‘oh my gosh, perfect’, and she was awesome out there, I couldn’t have done it without her today.
"I thought I could get her [in the sprint], I wasn't 100 per cent sure, but I sort of forced her to lead the last 800 metres, so I was confident enough."
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