Ewan and Wells come out on top on day two at Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic

Image 1 of 5

They call him King Caleb in Geelong – and Caleb Ewan (ORICA-GreenEDGE) showed that he’s earned the nickname with his win on day two of the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic. Ewan beat out Brenton Jones (Drapac) and local boy Leigh Howard, on loan from IAM Cycling to Chain Reaction Cycles, in a reduced bunch sprint in Eastern Gardens on Saturday.

Having won three of the four days of racing in last year’s series, Ewan, who has twice won the series overall, has now won a staggering six of the last seven races at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic.

“I can’t get any happier than this,” said Ewan. “We rode perfectly.”

Ewan won stage one with only Jack Haig for support. Alex Edmondson, Mitch Docker and Luke Durbridge started stage two alongside Ewan and Haig. Durbridge’s day was short-lived, a broken crank sidelining him on lap one. Edmondson proved a crucial part of the team’s victory with a bold bridge across to a dangerous late race breakaway.

Shortly after the second of three intermediate sprints, Nathan Haas, guest-riding for VTWO, and Avanti IsoWheySports duo Pat Shaw and Pat Lane broke clear of a seven rider group. The trio stretched out their advantage to 28-seconds with four laps of the 1.9-kilometre circuit remaining. Edmondson burst out of the reduced bunch to join the breakaway with three laps left in the hour-long race.

“It was handy having Alex up there in the breakaway,” noted Ewan. “I think he was just sitting on, making sure it didn’t get too far. It took a lot of pressure off us.”

The race came back together as the bell lap began and Ewan emerged victorious from a select bunch in the chaotic finale.

“People were going everywhere because teams were running out of guys,” said Ewan. “There wasn’t much organisation in the last lap, and it was really windy out there as well. That makes it a little more dangerous.”

“There was a lot of pushing and shoving,” Ewan added. “I had Alex Edmondson with me the whole last lap. He guided me through perfectly and put me in great position in the final corner.”

Ewan heads into Sunday’s stage three at Portarlington with a four-point advantage over Brenton Jones (Drapac). The series leader won in Portarlington last year and will be the overwhelming pre-race favourite as he looks to repeat the feat.

Kimberley Wells wins day two of Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic with early jump

Australian criterium champion Kimberley Wells (High5 Dream Team) proved she’s ready to defend her title in four days with a win in Geelong’s Eastern Gardens on Saturday. The 30-year-old beat out stage one winner and series leader Gracie Elvin (Orica-AIS) in a scrappy sprint to the line. Elvin’s teammate, Sarah Roy, sprinted in for third, several bike lengths behind Canberra’s leading ladies.

The second stage of the four-day series was decidedly more difficult than the first. A short punchy hill lead to the final corner before the finishing straight. Although not overly steep, the ascent wears on the legs lap-after-lap.

A relatively quiet start to the 45-minute race gave way to an animated second half.

“We were trying not to make the race too early and wait for a good moment,” said Elvin. “Spratty [Amanda Spratt] and Lizzie [Williams] put in some good attacks, and we would have been happy to leave them out there because they are going really well at the moment.”

Wells agreed that the second half of the race featured a number of scenarios that benefited her team: “We had representation in the break or enough control over the bunch so that the breaks were within striking distance to reel them in. We were never really under pressure.”

Orica-AIS featured in the final breakaway of the race – a two-woman move that included Williams and Leth. Wells looked to her teammates to bring back the move and set her up for the sprint.

“Tessa Fabry was essential in chasing down the final move,” Wells said. “She’s a good strong engine. Jess Mundy was keeping me out of the wind. It was a great team effort.”

Spratt led the final charge toward the hill. Wells jumped early, surprising the reduced bunch.

“I started my sprint at the bottom of the hill,” noted Wells. “It’s a long way to the finish line but Orica were lining it up for a bit of a lead-out. I decided I wanted to go early and hit Orica really hard up the hill and keep going, which worked out really well for me in the end.”

Elvin admitted that the timing of Wells’ jump disrupted her team’s plan for the sprint.

“I was there to give Sara a last lead-out again but Kimberley hit us way earlier than we were expecting,” Elvin explained. “I was just in the right position, so I followed her but couldn’t quite get it on the line.”

Heading into the third day of racing, Elvin remains in the yellow jersey by two points over Wells. Elvin and Wells both hail from Canberra, and Wells is coached by Elvin’s husband Stu Shaw, which injects a bit of fun into the duo’s duel.

“I got her back today,” added Wells with a laugh. "Gracie and I have a healthy rivalry. We’re good mates. I would love to snatch the jersey off her for the Bay Crits ‘Canberra Cup’.”

Full Results