Chloe Hosking sits in the shade of a small rotunda on the sidelines of the Bay Critz in Australia, one of Australia's most successful cyclists these days, her career in tatters after the collapse of the women's B&B Hotels team, 2023. She talks about getting started.

"Of course there have been setbacks, but I've always felt I'm someone who does well when my back is against the wall.

Hosking, 32, is calm but clearly frustrated and feels the unfairness of the situation she is in after traveling to Europe and fighting so hard to win a major race.

Hosking has won some 40 races as a professional, including a victory on La Course des Champs Elysees and a gold medal for Australia at the Commonwealth Games. She felt there was still success to be had.

When Trek-Segafredo teammate Audrey Cordon-Lago told her about B&B Hotels and Hosking decided to sign with them, it seemed like the ideal place to spend the next two years. She was retiring from professional cycling and anticipating what would be her last job in the peloton as she contemplated her path to the beginning of a new chapter.

"It seemed like a good fit and a good fit to spend the last two years of my career with a team that would allow me to do the Tour de France and the races I love, while also contributing to the development of women's cycling," Hosking said.

"So it's ironic that it turned out this way. It's a really disappointing outcome. There are still a lot of questions left unanswered, and I hope those who should be held accountable are held accountable."

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"Mark Cavendish and Cordón Lago were also caught up in the mess, and questions were first raised when a team presentation scheduled for October 24 was abruptly cancelled.

"They kept telling me it was going to be okay, I had a meeting with the sponsors, I had an email from the head mechanic about the training camp, about the bike, about everything," Hosking said.

"So with all this information coming in, it was like, 'Well, what should I believe and what should I do?'"

"One of the difficulties for me is that I was told after the fact that other riders were told to leave. That way, I could make an informed decision earlier in the year instead of on the 6th of December."

"I'm not sure what I would have done if I had been told to leave.

Hosking's carefully laid plans came crashing down just three weeks before the start of the new season.

"When the team broke up, I didn't just throw my hands up in the air and say, okay, my career is over," Hosking said.

"Yeah, I looked for it, but I also know what I can bring to the team and how I feel about my value. And I'm not going to basically race for free in Europe."

"I think I've gotten past that point in my career. And what's really important to me is that women realize their value and don't settle for less. If I go back in time and do that, I don't think I'm being true to myself, I understand that 21, 22, 23 year old riders do that, but I'm not there to win races. I'm there to win races, and I'm there to mentor other riders."

Hosking, however, is not yet at the stage of making a final decision.

Hosking may not have a professional team for 2023, but the Australian national team, Roxalt Rib SRAM, has stepped in and Citroen Bay Critz, AusCycling Road National Championships, and perhaps beyond and providing her with a home.

The team will not compete in the Tour Down Under or the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, but she may be able to compete with the Australian team in the Cadel Evans race she won in 2018.

"When I found out the team was breaking up, I had done all my preseason, so I thought, okay, I'm going to do the Australian summer, or as many races as I can, and see where I am in February," Hosking said.

Hosking finished third in the second stage of the Bay Critz and third overall. He will be one of the featured riders in Friday's Road Nationals criterium, which he won in 2020.

The year in Ballarat will be an unusual one for Hosking. She is used to riding alone at Nationals, but this time she will be riding with a strong group of teammates.

In addition, throughout the Geelong event, she repeatedly ran the nearby Charambra Crescent, continuing her training to make the most of Cadel Evans' Great Ocean Road Race.

"Obviously the motivation is still there, the hunger is still there. But like I said before, I'm trying to stay true to my values and what I believe in.

"I spoke with a couple of teams and found out on December 6 that I don't have a contract for 2023.

"I was in a really tough position and wasn't in a position to negotiate a strong deal at that time.

"For the first time since I was 18, I was able to bring my whole family here to the Bay Critz to share this race. The summer race is really close to my heart and has given me a lot of happiness."

Hosking said her decision on whether to continue her cycling career or take a different path is due in late February.

"Anxiety is hard, but I think the hardest part for me is that it [retirement] is not my choice," Hosking said.

"I wanted the knowledge that this was my last season. Instead, I had three weeks."

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