In the women's Santos Tour Down Under, the Jayco Alura team rode to victory, but could not prevent Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) and Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) from snatching victory and the podium in the final stage.
Alex Meany won the second stage and started the final stage in the ochre leader's jersey. However, the high pace and Spratt's Corkscrew attack on the final stage pulled her away, leaving Ruby Roseman-Gannon with no choice but to stay in the chase group and wait for Spratt and Brown to catch up.
The duo stayed away and Brown took the stage win and the overall win. Roseman-Gannon could only manage fifth place on the stage and missed out on a chance for third place overall. She finished fourth overall by 28 seconds, while Manley was 11th by 40 seconds.
"I came here to win, and I'm happy to be fourth, but it's a bittersweet result because I was aiming higher," Roseman-Gannon told Cycling News after the race.
"We knew it was going to be an exciting close race because of the steep climb. We knew Spratty was going to be the best up there, but we had a 7km chance.
"We gave it our all and the team committed perfectly to Corkscrew Road. It was a hot and hard day and we didn't have enough people on the climb to mount an attack.
"We were sitting in the pack hoping to catch up to Spratty and Grace Brown, or Alex Manley, but unfortunately they were too strong today.
Roseman Gannon is looking for a dentist in Adelaide after breaking a false tooth, but remains upbeat for the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race next week.
"The Cadel race may be my favorite race in Australia and of all races," she said.
"I love the course. The Caddell race is probably my favorite race in Australia and on the entire calendar. It's a big goal for me. I think I have the legs. I'll learn from my mistakes here and do my best." Grace Brown and Spratty are in good shape, so I want to use everything we have as a team to try to win."
Roseman-Gannon may have hoped for a better result in the Tour Down Under, but the winner of the Santos Festival of Cycling, the national replacement event in 2022, was happy that the race will resume and be part of the Women's World Tour in 2023 They were.
"It's a great race and it's a great way to start the year to be able to race in my home country of Australia with the crowds and the atmosphere.
"It's my favorite time of the year. I get to train with friends in the heat of the Australian summer and have family and friends watching us race. It's special for all the riders in Australia and puts Australia on the map."
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