Cementing what was a dominant display by herself and her Wiggle Honda team in the race, triple world champion Giorgia Bronzini blazed home to take her third stage victory plus overall success in the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic today.
The Italian rider easily won the bunch sprint in Williamstown, beating Valentina Scandolara (Orica-AIS), Tiffany Cromwell (Specialized Securitor), Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt), Annette Edmondson (Orica-AIS) and the rest of the peloton to the line.
Her Wiggle Honda team-mate Peta Mullens sealed victory in the green jersey competition, while their squad was best in the teams classification.
“I am really happy because I bring my yellow jersey to the finish and I think the green jersey also so we are really happy because today the team worked so well,” said Bronzini.
“I think [expected – ed.] to come here and be good, but not like that. I think my shape was less that I showed so I am really happy. Maybe when I come back home I can have some rest and not work so hard.
“It is the first time I choose this kind of preparation. It worked good so maybe I continue in this way.” Her overall win saw her become the first-ever foreign victor in the event.
Early on, five riders got clear in a big break. Those clear were the Australian champion Gracie Elvin, her Orica-AIS teammate Loes Gunnewijk, Jessie Maclean (Jayco National Team) and Sarah Roy (Roxsolt). Also present was Bronzini’s team-mate Linda Villumsen, who was there to police the move.
The team hoped that the New Zealand rider would be able to take the stage victory but she felt below par and asked the team to bring the break back.
“We try to have our good rider in front, in Linda Villumsen,” said Bronzini. “In the final she don’t feel so good because of the other attacks so we prefer to chasing and trying again with my sprint because I feel good.”
However stage two winner Chloe Hosking was not happy, accusing the team afterwards of receiving help from a connected squad in bringing her team-mate Roy and the others back.
“Giorgia Bronzini is a class act but can’t say the same about the way Wiggle Honda and their development team colluded today to ruin the race,” she blasted on her Twitter account.
“Orica GreenEDGE and the Australian national team could have done the same thing with their ten riders but chose to race fair.
“I feel bad for the riders in the break away who worked hard all day for the stage win only to be brought back by two teams clearly colluding.”
Bronzini saw things differently. “With about five laps to go the dhb Dream Team began to work because they have a sprinter too and they had no one in front. For us this was good, because I was in the wheel and I could just think about the sprint.”
She said that her team-mate Charlotte Becker once again gave her important help inside the last kilometre. “In the final Lotte was next to me to put me in the best position in the last corner,” she said. “I came out of the wheel in the last corner and just sprinted. I had not so [such] bad legs!”
Bronzini’s third stage success saw her finish up with an overall haul of 46 points for the general classification, which is decided on that basis rather than on time.
This was far ahead of Edmondson on 34, Cromwell and Hosking on 30 and Gracie Elvin (Jayco National Team) on 23.
Making history is something that she said she is proud of. “I’m really happy to be the first European, non-Australian girl to win the Crits. I’m really happy for that, and it’s exciting to go into the race’s history like that. I’m really happy for the team too. We won the yellow and the green too, so we’re pretty happy about it.”
Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic:
Stage 4, Williamstown:
1, Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda) 12
2, Valentina Scandolra (Orica-AIS) 10
3, Tiffany Cromwell (Specialized Securitor) 8
4, Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt) 7
5, Annette Edmondson (Orica-AIS) 6
Final general classification:
1, Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda) 46
2, Annette Edmondson (Orica-AIS) 34
3, Tiffany Cromwell (Specialized Securitor) 30
4, Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt) 30
5, Gracie Elvin (Jayco National Team) 23
6, Valentina Scandolra (Orica-AIS) 10
7, Lizzie Williams (Specialized Securitor) 9
8, Sophie Williamson (Vanderkitten) 8
9, Joanne Hogan () 7
10, Barbara Guarschi (Dhb Dream Team) 6
Sprint Ace classification
1, Peta Mullens (Wiggle Honda) 11
2, Valentina Scandolra (Orica AIS) 6
3, Lizzie Williams (Specialized Secuitor) 6
Team classification:
1, Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling, 54 points
2, Orica-AIS, 47
3, Specialized-Securitor, 42