Rhodes caps off incredible comeback

By Mal Sawford in Geelong

Dreams can come true, and a large and supportive crowd witnessed something special in Geelong tonight, as Alexis Rhodes soloed to an emotional win on Round 3 of the 2006 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic. With the stage doubling as the Australian Criterium Championships, Rhodes has earned the right to once again wear the Australian Champion's Jersey, only six months since she was fighting for her life in a hospital bed in Germany, and on the eve of Amy's Ride, the official launch of the Amy Gillet-Safe Cycling Foundation.

A surprisingly composed Rhodes told the large media contingent, "It's been awesome. Those last five laps, I didn't want to celebrate too early, but I was nearly in tears. It's really amazing! I mean I had a lot of help today, not only from my team mates at Pitcher Partners, but also the support of Lou (Yaxley) and Katie (Nichols) and Lorian (Graham) and all the girls, it's been amazing. And of course my biggest supporter, Amy, I'm sure she'd be pretty stoked today. It's pretty emotional, I had all my family here and my boyfriend, it's a great afternoon."

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Feature: AIS riders on road to recovery