Roseman-Gannon takes out Bay Crits after doubling up with stage 2 win

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Ruby Roseman-Gannon made it a clean sweep at the Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits, taking out the second and final stage as she beat breakaway companion Matilda Raynolds (InForm TMX MAKE) on the uphill sprint to the line.

The pair charged ahead out the front after the mid-point of the race and once the strong duo established a gap it was hard to see anyone else challenging. Roseman-Gannon's Lexus of Blackburn teammate Grace Brown was the rider who came closest to bridging, coming across the line solo in third place.

“It’s good to start off the season with a win, two from two on this bike so Liv is going well so far, and I am excited for the rest of the season,” Roseman-Gannon, who is moving into the professional ranks with Team BikeExchange-Jayco this season, told SBS.

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The Bay Crits were cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent border restrictions, but not wanting to miss another year, the organisers went ahead in 2022 even as the key international events of the Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race were pulled off the calendar. 

This, combined with a surge in COVID-19 cases across most of Australia, meant the field was smaller than normal but the competition remained intense with riders determined to make the most of the one preparation race before the Australian Road National Championships.

A switch in direction for the second and final stage of this year’s Bay Crits added some steep rises to change the dynamic of the 1.9-kilometre course. 

Just five minutes after the riders took off from the Eastern Gardens start line in Geelong, two key teams sent riders out the front, with Catalina Soto (Lexus of Blackburn) and Eloise Sandow (InForm TMX MAKE) quickly establishing a gap as the peloton seemed content to let the pair ride away. 

The rider from Chile, who is a Brunswick Cycling Club regular, and the young InForm TMX MAKE rider worked smoothly together to pull out their advantage beyond 30 seconds with surges from within the field behind keeping the gap in check. 

Half way through the race a concerted effort brought the pair back and straight away Grace Brown (Lexus of Blackburn) put the pressure on and stretched out the field. Then teammate and stage 1 winner Roseman-Gannon jumped off the front with Matilda Raynolds, creating another Lexus of Blackburn and InForm TMX MAKE pairing out the front. 

This time though it was two of the strongest riders in the race, working together and posing an obvious threat. As the two sprinters worked together out front, the field behind split, with Brown again an aggressor. She was solo at one point, then a group of three, including Alex Martin Wallace (Sunshine Coast), worked their way back onto her wheel. 

As 50 minutes of racing approached Brown, however, shook the trio again, working her way toward the lead duo and giving teammate Roseman-Gannon every reason to ease off on her turns. 

“I was hoping that move would put the pressure on and then allow her [Brown] to come across but I only heard she went solo at three laps to go,” Roseman-Gannon explained after the race. 

“I was hoping that if I eased off the pace maybe she could make it across but I think at that point the gap had expanded a bit too much.”

Raynolds was forced to lead out into the final climb and corner and despite her attempts to defeat the stage one winner, Roseman-Gannon again crossed the line with her hands in the air. 

Next over the line was a solo Brown and then Lisa Jacob (Knights of Suburbia) came in ten seconds ahead of Martin Wallace and Courtney Sherwell (Roxsolt Liv SRAM).