Australia’s Geelong has put on a spectacular day for the elite women’s road race after days of wind, rain and generally cool, overcast conditions. The 123 elite women starting today’s race should face temperatures up to 22 degrees Celsius, while a breeze of 20km/h should start to blow in from sea towards the end of the day’s action.
There are several strong teams lining up in today’s field but perhaps none more so than the Australian women. Not only is the team set to battle on home soil for the rainbow jersey but it’s also riding on a high after yesterday’s victory in the U23 event by teammate Michael Matthews.
They’re not the only team that’s tasted success this week, however, and the Great Britain squad also has the riders to do the job today including Nicole Cooke and time trial winner Emma Pooley. The United States of America is also fielding a strong roster and has already claimed a gold and bronze medal this week, but the traditional cycling nations like Italy and the Netherlands will also be keen to prove they can dominate the sport on either side of the equator.
