Carla Ryan won her second 2009 Australian Championship title in the road race, after already taking out the gold in the time trial. Unlike her close one second margin of victory in the race against the clock, Ryan sailed across the line in the road race solo, 40 seconds ahead of Ruth Corset and Nikki Butterfield (nee Egyed). Ryan launched her decisive attack on the final climb up Mt Buninyong on the tenth and final lap of the 102 kilometre-race in which 69 riders started and 30 finished.
"To be honest, I had been a bit nervous today and didn't know what to expect," said Ryan. "Today I felt really strong and the other girls were tiring and I had to make my move and back myself, really."
Ryan is a former long distance runner who began cycling in 2005 through a Queensland Academy of Sport Talent ID program and this year will ride as a professional with the Cervélo Test Team, with she joined mid-season in 2008.
South Australia's Jack Bobridge collected his second gold medal of the week by adding a road race victory today to his time trial win at the Australian Open Road Championships in Buninyong. Bobridge (Team AIS) sprinted clear of his three breakaway companions to claim the win in a time of 3:12:48. Bobridge's teammate and time trial bronze medallist, Michael Matthews, and Victoria's Mark O'Brien (Drapac-Porsche) tied in a dead heat for second place while Tasmanian Nathan Earle (Praties) was fourth. Bobridge's win came in dramatic fashion after he recovered from a fall midway through the 122.4km U23 men's road race (12 laps).
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I have been waiting for this," said Bobridge. "To come out and get two on the road shows that I've still got the ability to ride the road as well as the track."
For Bobridge the win caps off a phenomenal six months that saw him debut at the Olympic Games in his first year out of the junior ranks. In Beijing he was a member of the pursuit team that finished fourth. In November he lined up for the Oceania Track Championships for a win in the individual pursuit. At the Track World Cup in Melbourne later the same month he claimed gold medals in both the individual and team pursuit event and has now added a road double to his already impressive resume.
Holt scores double double
New Zealand's Melissa Holt took home a repeat double win, equalling her feat in the 2008 road championships, when she won the elite women's road race in Te Awamutu Saturday. Holt followed up her victory in yesterday's time trial but out-sprinting a small but select field to claim the women's road title over 120kms circuit.
"I am naturally stoked," Holt said after her win today. "I don't know where the sprinting legs came from today. My Waikato team really worked hard for me today and did a great job."
Holt won in 3:36.26, outsprinting Nelson's Karen Fulton and Christchurch's Tracy Clark in the sprint into Te Awamutu after four laps of a circuit near Kihikihi.
