Caleb Ewan and Gracie Elvin win Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic openers

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Overwhelmingly outnumbered but certainly not outclassed, two-time Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic overall winner Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) handily won the first day of the Australian summer of racing on Friday. The 21-year-old launched his sprint with a half-lap remaining on the 750-metre course and comfortably held off his challengers to the line.

“It’s a massive relief,” said Ewan. “I didn’t know what my form was going to be like, especially in a short race like this. I haven’t done an hour-long race since this time last year. It was nice coming here and winning again.”

Avanti IsoWhey Sports used their strength in numbers to repeatedly send riders up the road in an attempt to wear down Ewan’s two-man team. Jack Haig, in his debut for Australia’s WorldTour team, was a frequent figure on the front, shutting down each and every threat.

“It was always going to be small team today,” said Ewan. “It was always going to be hard. When Alex [Edmondson’s] bike broke, it turned out to be just me and Jack, which was going to make it even harder.”

“Jack was so impressive today,” Ewan added. “Without him, I couldn’t have won.”

A crash in the second half of the race split the peloton, with a group of 14 making the front-group selection. As the laps ticked down, a handful of riders were able to rejoin the field, and 19 riders contested the sprint.

With three laps remaining, Robbie Hucker (Avanti IsoWhey Sports), who was in the race’s longest-standing breakaway during the first half of the race, went on the attack again. Hucker rejoined the reduced field before the start of the penultimate lap, and Pat Lane (Avanti IsoWhey Sports) led across the finish. The field reshuffled before the bell lap with Drapac’s Bernie Sulzberger leading Shaw to the front.

“I’ve been sprinting a lot in training, so I knew my sprint was going alright,” said Ewan. “I was a bit further back than I wanted to be with one lap to go, so I hit out early, but I’ve hit out from over a lap to go here before, so I knew I was capable of doing that. That’s what I did, and it worked out ok.”

Ewan heads into the second stage of the four-day series with a two-point lead over Jones on the general classification. Shaw sits third overall, four points down.

“It wasn’t a massive goal to come here and win anything,” said Ewan. “It’s more to build me up for Nationals and Tour Down Under. I’ve got so much racing on this summer that I don’t really want to peak here. Obviously I’d like to win as much as I can, but there’s not pressure for me to do what I did last year.”

Gracie Elvin wins Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic opener

Two-time former Australian road champion Gracie Elvin took a surprise victory on day one of the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic on Friday. Elvin edged out teammate Lizzie Williams and reigning Australian National Criterium Champion Kimberley Wells (High5 Dream Team) in a bunch sprint following 45 minutes of racing around the hot dog circuit on Richie Boulevard.

“I wasn’t expecting it actually,” said Elvin. “I’ve just done a whole lot of volume. I haven’t done a ton of intensity. I was hoping today to wind up the legs for Nationals. I was actually riding lead-out today for one of my teammates.”

While notoriously hot and humid during the four-day series, the field set off in mild summer weather with gusts of wind coming off the bay and temperatures just above 20 degrees. Quick off the line, the peloton maintained a high speed during the opening laps until a crash in corner one caused a temporary neutralisation.

Elvin’s Australian-registered team was in control of the race from start to finish with riders on the front of the bunch on nearly every lap of the 750-metre bayside course. ORICA-AIS teammates Chloe McConville and Amanda Spratt covered attacks from Japan’s Novotel Geelong team and the Alé Cycling composite team featuring Cylance rider Valentina Scandolara.

“Sometimes we come into racing a bit nervous because everyone looks to us to make the race,” Elvin noted. “Today we were looking to sit back a little bit and see how things played out and use our numbers toward the end. We did that pretty well. That’s great practice for the racing coming up in Australia and also in Europe.”

Despite efforts to get a break up the road, no rider or group of riders managed to open a sizeable gap. While the front of the race remained intact, high speeds caused riders to drop off the back of the bunch. In the final five laps, only 19 riders remained in the field.

“I was trying to set up Sarah Roy at the end,” said Elvin. “She was going really well today. I do feel a little bit bad about sprinting to the line and not having her come past me.”

“The last corner is always pretty dangerous,” Elvin added. “Our plans didn’t change. I just saw a good moment, and I thought I’d take her with me. The line just wasn’t long enough away.”

Elvin heads into the second day of racing with a two-point lead over Williams and a four-point lead over Wells. Insisting that her team’s priority is stage wins rather than the overall classification, Elvin, who won stage two solo last season, says she doesn’t expect the team will race for her tomorrow.

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