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| Saturday, January 8, 2011 |
Alex Rhodes wins Australian Championships in Garmin-Cervélo one-two
by Ben Atkins at 11:29 AM EST
Categories: Pro Cycling, Race Reports and Results
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Alex Rhodes (Garmin-Cervélo) marked her return to the top level of women’s cycling with victory in the Australian Championship road race, outsprinting the rest of a six-rider break at the end of the 102km. Rhodes’ teammate Carla Ryan crossed the line in second place, pointing at Rhodes from the opposite side of the road, with Joanne Hogan (St Kilda) finishing third.
The national championship victory is the biggest win to date for Rhodes’, who was seriously injured in the accident that killed Amy Gillett when a German motorist ploughed into the Australian team when they were out training in 2005.
"I'm not the poor girl who was injured," said Rhodes to Cycling Australia. "It wasn't so much the sympathy ... I don't like making up the numbers, so to be known as 'aw, the poor girl who got by a car', it's not what I wanted to be.
"I wanted to be winning races," she added. "One hundred per cent - to win a national road championship and then wear the jersey in Europe, it's something you dream about."
With the Australian Championships run as an open race as usual, it was Rhode’s former German teammate Judith Arndt (HTC-Highroad) that forced the selection in the race, as she has done in previous years.
"Judith has really put it in the gutter and I'm not half the bike rider Judith is," Rhodes explained. "I was dropped and then luckily for me, Jo [Hogan], Carla [Ryan] and Judith all started looking at each other.
"I was able to get back on again and I was really patient," she explained, “because I knew this was a really fast finish in a headwind. I knew I had to wait and wait and wait and then managed to get the win."
In the early stages of the race a break instigated by Vicki Whitelaw (Lotto-Honda) pulled a group clear of the peloton. Whitelaw, Carlee Taylor (Tibco), Tiffany Cromwell (Lotto Honda), Kirsty Broun (Virgin Blue), Alex Carle (Jayco AIS), Taryn Heather (Mildura), Amanda Spratt (Jayco AIS), Rhodes and Hogan managed to get more than 3 minutes clear by the race’s mid point. A chase group of Arndt, Ryan, Amber Halliday (Norwood), Bridie O’Donnell (St Kilda) and defending champion Ruth Corset (Townsville) tried to bridge across.
With both groups splitting, Arndt and Ryan managed to join the leaders; on the final climb though Arndt attacked and pulled Ryan and Hogan clear.
As they approached the finish the three leaders began to watch one another, which allowed Rhodes, Whitelaw and Cromwell to rejoin. In the closing sprint the group spread across the road; with the Rhodes easily the fastest Ryan sat up as she neared the finish to gesture towards her teammate, declaring her the winner. Hogan managed to hold off Arndt to take third, who in turn beat Whitelaw and Cromwell.
55 seconds later Taylor and Corset crossed the line, with the new Tibco signing taking the under-23 championship.
Result Australian Championship road race
1. Alex Rhodes (Aus) Garmin-Cervélo
2. Carla Ryan (Aus) Garmin-Cervélo
3. Joanne Hogan (Aus) St Kilda
4. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Highroad
5. Vicki Whitelaw (Aus) Lotto-Honda
6. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Lotto-Honda
7. Carlee Taylor (Aus) Team Tibco @ 55s
8. Ruth Corset (Aus) Townsville
9. Bridie O’Donnell (Aus) St Kilda @ 1’51”
10. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Penrith
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