Wollaston sprints to victory at Surf Coast Classic: "I knew I had a good chance today"

It was the first time this race was organized for the women. Among the men, they head out for the fourth edition tonight. The race can be seen as a link between the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, which takes place this weekend.

After her strong performance at the Santos Tour Down Under, where she already took a sprint victory but had to settle for second place due to a breakaway rider, Wollaston proved her skills Wednesday by climbing the podium's top step this time.

Wollaston came close to her first victory in the first stage of the Tour Down Under, finishing second behind Daniek Hengeveld. In the Surf Coast Classic, the FDJ-Suez rider proved her fast legs by reaching the top spot on the podium this time.

The New Zealand rider said afterward that she felt excellent during the race, which started in Lorne and finished in Torquay. "I felt great today. In the last few races, I had mental trouble staying fully present and believing I could compete for the win. But today, once I started climbing, I knew I had a good chance to win," Wollaston told the flash interview.

Summer is full-on in Australia, and the race also began in Lorne under pleasant temperatures. That was not a big problem because the riders desperately needed their warm muscles: immediately after the start, a tough climb awaited them. Silk Hill, a ten-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 4.2%, was the first big test.

Several attacks followed on the climb, with UAE Team ADQ a constant factor at the head of the peloton. Still, more riders dropped out at the back than advanced at the front. Although none of the attacks held up, the pressure remained high. This caused a break in the peloton, forcing many riders to chase early in the race.

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But after those tough first 10 kilometers, all the obstacles were over. There was a small peloton ahead of about 20 riders. About 55 kilometers from the finish, Julie van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal) tried to ride away solo. She managed to build up a 30-second lead. However, her effort was in vain; she was caught with about forty kilometers to go.

In the meantime, other riders from the background joined in, although there were some attacks here and there. With ten kilometers to go, the peloton was mostly together, and we could prepare for a bunch sprint. Her teammates excellently positioned Wollaston. Behind her, Chloé Dygert sprinted to second place.