Garfoot wins stage 1 of the Santos Women's Tour

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Newly crowned Australian time trial champion Katrin Garfoot claimed an exciting stage victory on the opening day of the Santos Women’s Tour in Adelaide on Saturday. Part of a seven-rider move that slipped away from an elite peloton, Garfoot surprised with an early sprint and hung on to claim the stage. The Queenslander will wear the ochre jersey in Sunday’s stage two criterium.

“They all knew I was the worst sprinter,” said Garfoot. “I knew that, too. I had to do something to at least try to take the win.”

The late race breakaway of seven had been reduced to just five riders on the straight run-in to the finish. Garfoot had been riding fourth wheel when Shelley Olds (Cylance) pushed her way forward. Last wheel, Garfoot could use the element of surprise in her push toward the line.

“I went for it with 500 metres,” said Garfoot. “I was last wheel. No one was looking at me, and I don’t think they expected me to jump.”

Garfoot immediately gained a gap on the other frontrunners, and she managed to hang on all the way to the line. Olds proved best of the rest, and Dani King (Wiggle Honda) rounded out the podium.

ORICA-AIS sport director Gene Bates admitted that the move didn’t favour his team on paper.

“She would have run fifth out of the five if it had come to a sprint,” Bates told Cyclingnews. “To Kat’s credit, she did the only thing she could to ensure that it didn’t come done to a straight up sprint. It was an incredible win.”

How the race unfolded

The second edition of the Santos Women’s Tour began in the Adelaide Hills. Nearly 100 women contested five laps around the 19-kilometre Mt Torrens circuit. Defending champion Valentina Scandolara (Cylance), double track world champion Nettie Edmonsdon (Wiggle Honda) and all three newly crowned Australian national champions – Amanda Spratt (ORICA-AIS), Sophie Mackay (Specialized) and Garfoot – were among the starters.

The opening lap proved a quiet loop devoid of any significant action. Sharlotte Lucas (Holden Racing) slipped away solo on lap two, crossing the finish line for the start of lap three with an 11-second advantage over a nonplussed peloton. Lucas stretched out her advantage to the half-minute mark on lap three as ORICA-AIS came to the fore.

Lucas rejoined the reduced bunch as the groups began to take shape on the road. There were 48 riders in the leading bunch and a 28-rider chase group. Nearly two minutes separated the two groups mid-way through the penultimate lap.

Continued attacks up from Wiggle High5 and ORICA-AIS up Burford Hill further reduced. A group of 39 crossed the finish line together to set off for the final lap.

With the final ten kilometres proving the most difficult of the circuit, Garfoot expected the race-winning move to force clear with the finish looming. Covering attacks, Garfoot inadvertently found herself in a breakaway with Olds, King, Tiffany Cromwell (on loan from CANYON//SRAM to SASI), Chloe Hosking (Wiggle High5), Nettie Edmondson (Wiggle High5) and Lauren Kitchen (Hitec Products).

“We banked on a move going on those last lumpy ten kilometres,” said Garfoot.

“I got away with a group of girls, but they were all sprinters, so I wasn’t too happy with that situation.”

Garfoot wasn’t the only one displeased with the composition of the group. Further attacks dislodged Hosking and Cromwell before the finish.

“I never would have won a sprint from that group,” said Garfoot. “I had to try to take them by surprise – and I did.”