Aussie Road Nats – Criterium Preview
By David Hunter
5 days of fun in Ballarat begins with the criterium race. This is a fiercely contested event, despite not many countries having this jersey. It’s on the same “hotdog” circuit, in the centre of town that was used last year.
The route begs out for high speed racing and we will get it. The final right hand turn, onto the finishing straight, is very tight. If the road is wet, we will have plenty of crashes, not what you want to hear at the start of the season. Luckily, the forecast looks fine.
The finishing straight is also uphill, meaning that the riders need a strong sprint to claim the title. Steele Von Hoff has this! He has won the title for two consecutive years, surprisingly beating Caleb Ewan in 2015, with Scott Sunderland in 3rd.
Like in all criteriums, a sprint finish is not guaranteed. If we get the right mix of teams involved in a break, it stays away. The two big teams here are Orica GreenEdge and Drapac. They will boss the race and ensure we get a sprint or the “correct” breakaway.
The Bay Crits have given a small indication of current form. Stage 1 was won by Caleb Ewan with Brenton Jones in 2nd and Pat Shaw in 3rd. That day it was Jack Haig who looked in amazing form, holding the race together singlehandedly.
Stage 2 was again dominated by Orica and Caleb Ewan. Teammate, Alexander Edmondson, nullified a dangerous group which allowed them to set up the sprint, which was easily won by Ewan.
Stage 3 was a difficult stage and Orica managed to get Luke Durbridge in the break. The break was caught and Pat Shaw surprised most to take the win. Avanti getting a reward for all their handwork. Ewan started his sprint in a poor position and only managed 4th. Afterwards he did claim to be a little tired from the previous two days.
Stage 4 was a standard affair. Orica controlled the bunch and Ewan won the sprint, thanks to an excellent lead-out by Edmondson.
With 3 stages and the GC it’s clear to see who is the form rider heading into the nationals…Caleb Ewan. Also his support riders, Edmondson and Haig, look in great condition.
The mens race is 44km long or 40 laps. Orica, Drapac and Avanti will look to try and control the peloton and join any dangerous breaks. In terms of sprinting ability, Ewan will only be challenged by Brenton Jones and Steele Von Hoff, but the defending champion didn’t have the best of Bay Crits and Jones seemed a long way off the speed of Ewan.
Put simply, this is Ewan’s to lose and I don’t see that happening! The little man from Orica to take his first elite criterium title.
Women
The circuit is the same but the distance is 33km or 30 laps.
The dominant force in this race is Kimberley Wells. The sprinter has won the race twice in the last three years and rides for High5 Dream Team. She has a fierce sprint on her and Orica-AIS will need to think about their tactics.
Orica-AIS are the dominant team in the race. Having riders like Gracie Elvin, Lizzie Williams, Sarah Roy, Chloe McConville and Amanda Spratt put them in a commanding picture and they will expect to win.
Orica-AIS started the Bay Crits in great form with Elvin and Williams going 1-2 on stage 1. Some might be surprised that Kimberley Wells was only 3rd but she did have to do a lot of chasing, earlier in the day.
She made up for this on stage 2. Orica-AIS looked to be setting up the perfect sprint but Wells jumped from far out. This completely took Orica by surprise and Gracie Elvin couldn’t catch her. It was a strong sprint from Wells.
Stage 3 was a hard affair and Orica-AIS put numbers into the break. They move that went clear featured all the big names of the female peloton, and Valentina Scandolara emerged victorious, thanks to a gutsy sprint. Mrs Consistent, Gracie Elvin, finished in 2nd place again.
Stage 4 was a day for the break with Orica and Ale both getting away. The other teams didn’t have the power to bring them back and the sprint was won by Lizzie Williams of Orica. The consistent, Gracie Elvin, took out the yellow jersey and looked very strong in all 4 stages.
The national criterium race looks like a battle between Orica-AIS and High5. Orica have many different options available to them, High5 have one, but in Kimberley Wells, it’s a big one!
I think that Wells is a faster sprinter than all the Orica riders, so they need to focus on trying to get into a small break. The problem with that is the Wiggle pair, Peta Mullens and Chloe Hoskins, will be on the look out to join any move featuring Elvin and Williams. If Orica wait for the sprint, Hoskins also has the speed to beat them. The womens race is really fascinating, much more than the mens. Orica-AIS have the advantage but what strategy they choose to employ will determine the race we get.
After a solid week of racing, I think that the High5 team will be able to keep the race together, allowing Kimberley Wells to take home her 3rd title in 4 years.
Whatever happens, it’s going to be fast and fun.
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