Written By Henry Yates

The morning started with a blanket of fog team ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast invited us along on the ride. They were convoy car one. The car was comprised of Stu Shaw the women’s team managed and their mechanic. Before the race began we were bouncing around taking photographs of different riders before capturing some cracking! shots of happy and excited riders ahead of their 136km race.

The race commenced just down from the top of the Gibraltar Range and covered half of the men’s course.

For the majority of the race, every effort to create a breakaway was prevented, keeping the peloton together for most of the day.

Unfortunately, early on in the race, several riders were caught up in a nasty crash that ended the day for a handful of riders, including Sophie Edwards (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) and Phillipa Ash (Tamworth CC).

Once the peloton crested the final climb on Brodies Plains, the game was on. Sprinter began positioning themselves for the bunch sprint. ARA Pro Cycling Race Sunshine Coast built a lead-out train to funnel Roseman-Gannon with Talbot, Mullens (Roxsolt Liv SRAM), Raynolds (Specialized Women’s Racing) and Nicole Fran (Sydney Uni – Staminade) to the front for the final showdown.

The sprint opened up without incident, comprising of all the top names at the front, spread six wide barreling toward Vivian Street. Roseman-Gannon took the win after saving her matches to the very last minute before throwing herself through the gap and over the line in first.

We are excited to get media access next year to be able to cover the women’s event better for the years to come. We are looking for some support to secure the access. If you think you would like to see more great photos from the women’s events in Australia.

Apparently, we need to be a media company, ie. have media after our business to be able to get access to more of these races. Show your support for independent media.