Chloe Hosking (Team Columbia-HTC) would finish the day with two medals for her new professional team.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Amanda Spratt (AIS) was a member of the very aggressive AIS team. Spratt was one of the first to attempt a breakaway.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
A pre-race favorite for the title: Rochelle Gilmore (Honda).
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Carly Light (AIS) was perhaps a surprise breakaway, but she rode strongly to defend her advantage once she was away.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Chloe Hosking (Team Columbia-HTC) took the Under 23 title and silver in the open event.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Carly Light (AIS) rode away from the bunch with more than half of the race remaining.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Josephine Tomic (Honda) was caught up in a crash. The subsequent repairs took more than the '1 lap out' allowance; so she was withdrawn from the race.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Carly Light (AIS) puts her head down and drives on up Sturt Street. The bunch has her in sight but only just.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Lauren Kitchen (AIS) glances around for attacks as the bunch follows Carly Light (AIS) up Sturt Street.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Megan Dunn (NSWIS) took bronze in the open event and was second to Chloe Hosking (Team Columbia-HTC) in the Under 23 category.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Ruth Corset will be heading to the USA professional circuit in 2010. She will ride for Team TIBCO.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
The bunch gained some time on Carly Light (AIS) after she had broken away and established a gap. Towards the end of the race, she opened it up again.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
The 2010 Australian criterium Champion - Carly Light (AIS) celebrates as she crosses the line.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Chloe Hosking (Team Columbia-HTC) sprinted to second place in the Australian criterium Championship. She was first-placed under 23 rider and took that title.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Under 23 podium - Megan Dunn, Chloe Hosking (Team Columbia-HTC) and Peta Mullens.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Carly Light (AIS) salutes the crowd as she steps to the top of the podium in Ballarat.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
Carly Light (AIS), the 2010 Australian criterium champion.
(Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
She may come from a middle-distance track running background, but Carly Light put in a long-distance solo breakaway to claim the Elite women’s Australian Criterium Champion jersey. Light broke away from the peloton in a solo move just 13 laps into the 30 lap event and never looked like being challenged.
“I was just sort of testing my legs, seeing if I could have a crack here,” said Light. “I couldn’t believe it when I got a gap and thought I’ve got to keep going. With 10 laps to go I was thinking ‘what am I doing out here’, but I just put my head down and went for it.”
With no organised effort to chase down Light from the peloton, it was left to sprint for the minor placings. Rochelle Gilmore (Honda Dream Team) was forced to just twice in the long up-hill drag, but she couldn’t hold off younger rivals Chloe Hosking (Columbia-HTC) and Megan Dunn (NSWIS).
Hosking’s second place won her the Under 23 title while Dunn’s third overall put her in second in the younger division. There was some consolation for the Honda Dream Team with Peta Mullens taking third in the Under 23 division.
Amanda Spratt and Peta Mullens broke away early in the race. While their move quickly gained momentum, it was brought undone as Kendelle Hodges and Lauren Kitchen chased and the peloton followed.
Belinda Goss launched an explosive attack on the uphill finishing straight, but the move was shut down as was Shara Gillow’s effort a lap later. Light attacked, but a crash two hundred metres up the finishing straight, directly in front of the Shimano service area, put Hosking, Gilmore and Josephine Tomic on the ground.
The crash came at an opportune moment for Light, who added to her lead unaware of the troubles behind. Most of the riders rejoined the peloton a lap later, however coming back two laps later put Tomic in violation of the rules and she was soon removed from the race.
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Attacks came from Helen Kelly, Nicole Whitburn and Ashlee Ankudinoff over the following laps, but the peloton seemed more interested in chasing down the attackers and not the leader. A flurry of break attempts in the peloton reduced Light’s gap at one point, however when the attacks died down the leader’s margin continued, allowing her to take a solo victory.
