Emily Watts wins opening stage at 2022 Santos Festival of Cycling

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Emily Watts (Knights of Suburbia) took out the win on stage 1 of the women's race at the Santos Festival of Cycling, beating Ruby Roseman-Gannon (BikeExchange-Jayco) in the sprint to the Williamstown finish line after the field hauled in a late break.

Nicole Frain (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) came through in third, putting the newly awarded  jersey of the Australian National Champion and two domestic riders onto the podium in the first of four days of racing around South Australia, which provided an unusually damp and mild day of summer racing in the event known for its scorching temperatures. 

“I am stoked. It was a team effort," said Watts after stepping up to the podium for the stage win and best young rider classification. "We executed our team plan brilliantly. Georgie [Howe] got the QOM and she got caught in the breakaway and I was just sitting in steady for the sprint.”

Even though Watts won the final sprint – coming from well back on the final corner and just continuing to power to the front – it wasn't enough for her to add the jersey of the overall leader to her white best young rider jersey. Roseman-Gannon's efforts out on the road to scoop up the time bonuses from the intermediate sprints during the stage meant her second place still left her two seconds ahead overall.

How it unfolded

The first day of four days of racing began in Tanunda, in the heart of the state’s wine rich Barossa Valley, winding its way 85.4km to Williamstown. It's the first of three stages out on the roads around South Australia in the women's race, which culminates with a criterium in the centre of Adelaide on Wednesday, which also marks the start of the men's race.

The event which usually leaves riders reaching for the ice-filled stockings set off from wet cobbles onto damp roads and there were early crashes and splits in the field, which included WorldTour pros and U19 riders alike. 

One early crash left Lisa Jacob (Knights of Suburbia) among the riders who could be seen working her way back onto the field, with a bloodied and painful looking knee. In another, at about 25km into the race, Rachel Neylan fell while Amanda Spratt (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Roseman-Gannon also came down on top. The Cofidis rider racing for composite squad Team Westpac, sadly was out of the race as a result but Spratt – returning to racing following surgery for Iliac artery endofibrosis – and Roseman-Gannon chased back on.

Guest rider for BikeExchange-Jayco, Amber Pate, who came second in the time trial at Road Nationals, was on the front as the race approached the first sprint at 32 kilometres into the racing. With teammate Alex Manly leading out Roseman-Gannon not only  swept up the 3 second time bonus, but teammate Georgia Baker was right behind to soak up the rewards for second.

The field mostly stayed together, although shed a fair number of riders as they went through the day of racing with just over 1000m of climbing and the extra challenge of the on again, off again wet conditions. 

As the second intermediate sprint of the day approached, 60km into the racing, Pate again drove on the front to keep the pace high, leaving Roseman-Gannon to again take the bonuses with her teammate Baker on the wheel.

As the race ticked down toward ten kilometres to go the field was stretching as the riders approached the late race climb of Whispering Wall, which has an average gradient of 5.7 per cent and delivered points for the mountains jersey.

The ascent split the field and after Howe (Knights of Suburbia) had swept up the mountain points at the top of the climb, Justine Barrow (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) and Ruth Corset (VA Pro Racing) joined her to form a trio out the front. The chase was on and they were pulled back in, setting up a sprint finish where Watts became an unlikely winner after having looked to be well back in the final corner. However, she powered through on the outside and had swept to the front of the field with a prolonged turn of pace by the line. 

That left Watts with the best young rider jersey, as well as the stage win. Her teammate at the development squad, Howe, took the Queen of the Mountain jersey and BikeExchange-Jayco's Roseman-Gannon the overall lead, as well as the sprinters jersey.