Kiwi rider wins Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

Australia World

New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston has powered to victory in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, completing the 141.8-kilometre course in 3 hours, 59 minutes and 43 seconds.

The two-time world champion on the track, the pre-race favourite for FDJ–Suez, managed to stick with the race leaders up the Challambra Climb and comfortably outsprinted her rivals into Geelong.

American star Chloé Dygert (Canyon Sram) was another pre-race favourite and she finished fourth.

Home hope Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) made a last-ditch burst to try and break away but was caught and finished 13th.

“I’m so proud to win today. I knew the last two weeks that I’ve felt so strong. It’s such a great start to the season,” Wollaston said.

“I knew that what I had to do was conserve all day and my team would cover all the moves.

“I felt super strong today.

“I’m so proud of the girls. They went all in for me today.”

Wollaston, who also won the Surf Coast Classic during the week, beat Karlijn Swinkels (UAE-ADQ) into second and Tour Down Under winner Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) into third as part of a select group of 14 riders that decided the Cadel Evans race.

Saturday marks Wollaston’s first win at WorldTour level since she took out stage one of last year’s Tour Down Under in Adelaide.

Justine Ghekiere crashed

Justine Ghekiere was forced out of the race after crashing as the road narrowed over a bridge. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)

Wollaston also won a silver and a bronze medal on the track last year at the Olympics.

After a very slow start, two riders made the break with 80km to go, Babette van der Wolf (EF Education-Oatly) and Stine Dale (Coop-Repsol), who established a break of almost three minutes.

Dale continued on with her effort as multiple crashes caused issues further down the group, but was caught inside the last 20km.

Australian Alyssa Polites (ARA national team) and Dutch rider Daniek Hengeveld (Ceratizit) both abandoned after a crash in the peloton.

They were prominent earlier this month in Adelaide at the Tour Down Under, with Polites winning the queen of the mountain category and Hengeveld a surprise winner of stage one

Meanwhile, Australian Ella Simpson (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) and Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) both crashed nastily as the race route narrowed over a bridge, with the Belgian rider also forced out of the race.

Australian Neve Bradbury (Canyon Sram), one of the top riders in the field, was a late withdrawal on Saturday morning because of illness.

Compatriot Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) is also out of the men’s race on Sunday.

His team announced on Friday that Plapp’s domestic season had ended prematurely because of wrist surgery.

ABC/AAP