Santos Women's Tour: Edmondson wins stage 1

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Adelaide local Annette Edmondson (Wiggle High5) emerged on top in the expected bunch sprint on the opening stage of the 2018 Santos Women's Tour. The Australian's victory marked a successful start for her Wiggle High5 team, with solo attacker Rachel Neylan (UniSA-Australia) caught inside the final three kilometres setting up the bunch sprint in the Adelaide Hills town of Gumeracha.

"That's the beauty of having such a strong team is they looked after me from the start, they believed in me and they worked their butts off so I didn't have to do a thing,” Edmondson said praising her team for setting up the victory."

The scorching Adelaide heat burned down on the peloton as they left Gumeracha for the 115.7-kilometre stage.

The first action of the day came at the sprint point after 65.7 kilometres, with Edmondson taking the first points ahead of Chloe Hosking (Ale Cipollini) and Emilie Moberg (Team Virtu Cycling).

With temperatures reaching 38 degrees the peloton eased again until Sabrina Stultiens (Waowdeals Pro Cycling Team) and Emma Grant (Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank) attacked ahead of the Queen of the Mountains point, with Stultiens taking top points and the jersey.

Less than 50 riders remained over the top of the climb as 2012 world championship silver medallist Neylan launched a solo move. Quickly building an advantage of one and a half minutes.

Mitchelton-Scott and Wiggle High5 swung into action with just over 10 kilometres to ride, quickly eating into Neylan's advantage as the catch came inside the final three kilometres. A crash on the final corner impacted several riders, with Macey Stewart (Wiggle High5) among those going down.

"It was a bit messy," Edmondson said of the sprint finish. "Because of the breakaway with about 20 kilometres to go, Rachel Neylan did a great job, but we knew we were going to have to work and put some girls in with Mitchelton-Scott if we wanted to go for the victory," Edmondson explained.

"We had Rachele Barbieri and Macey Stewart who did a really good job in the final there putting me into a really good position. Then I used the UniSA train to get me to the line."

While many of the European riders suffered from the temperate, Edmondson credited her ability to handle the warm weather as key to her victory.

"It can sting you if you are not used to it, so it is just all about being hydrated, making sure you are on top of things because if you are not it is too late."

The former Santos Women's Tour stage winner was pleased to be back on the top step of the podium having last claimed victory three years ago.

"I haven't won since 2015 and that was the city circuit and I have never actually won a road stage, so when I heard this one could be a bunch kick I thought well hey this is a good opportunity and test the legs as I thought stage four was my big opportunity to have a crack this week."

Friday sees the race head back to the Adelaide Hills and the first ever summit finish on Mengler's Hill and while Edmondson is in the jersey she is not getting ahead of herself.

"The next two stages are going to be pretty tough and I'm really happy to win here today."

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