Cycling New Zealand entered women’s teams into New Zealand’s only UCI women’s race Gravel and Tar La Femme (1.2), and Australian UCI races Santos Tour Down Under (2.1), Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race (1.1) and the Herald Sun Tour (2.2). The teams, largely made up of young development riders, produced some credible performances against experienced competition who regularly compete on the World Tour.
Santos Tour Down Under
The New Zealand team of Niamh Fisher-Black, Grace Anderson, Amanda Jamieson, Deborah Paine, Kirsty McCallum and Elyse Fraser competed in the staged race from January 10-13 in the sweltering Adelaide heat.
The team finished sixth in the team’s classification won by Mitchelton-Scott. Cycling New Zealand’s junior female rider of the year, Niamh Fisher-Black, finished 13th on general classification and was second in the young rider classification. In addition to Fisher-Black’s second placing, the New Zealanders picked up fifth, ninth and 11th in the young rider category. Paine was also seventh in the KOM classification won by Nadia Quagliotto of Ale Cipollini.
Kiwi Georgia Williams finished in 33rd spot on GC guiding her Mitchelton-Scott teammates Amanda Spratt and Lucy Kennedy to first and second overall. The other Kiwi in the field, Sharlotte Lucas, riding for Team Tibco-SVB finished in 31st, with her teammate Canadian Alison Jackson finishing fifth.
Gravel and Tar La Femme
Paine was the only rider from the Santos Tour Down Under to remain in the New Zealand team to contest the inaugural Gravel and Tar La Femme event on January 19 in the Manawatu. She was joined by the Zwift Academy finalist pair Ione Johnson, and eventual competition winner, Ella Harris, Cantabrian Kate Smith and Kate Wightman who plies her trade in Belgium.
The race proved an immense battle with only 18 of the 35 strong field completing the race which was won by Australian Brodie Chapman, riding for the Oceania Cycling team that featured Lucas. Young Kiwi riders Jenna Merrick and Rylee McMullen, riding for Mike Greer Homes, rounded out the podium.
Harris was the first of the New Zealand contingent home in seventh, closely followed by Paine in tenth. Wightman was the only other rider to finish the race, renowned for its punctures.
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race
Paine and Johnson were re-joined by Fraser and McCallum for the one day race in Geelong, with youngsters Abigail Morton, the 2018 National U20 Road Race champion and Annamarie Lipp, a junior world champ silver medallist on the track, rounding out the New Zealand line up.
Paine was the best of the Kiwis on the challenging course, which included climbing the infamous Challambra Crescent, finishing 55 seconds behind winner Arlenis Sierra in 18th place.
Mitchelton-Scott’s Williams was 39th in the GC after again helping Australian teammates Kennedy and Spratt to the podium. Lucas (Team Tibco-SVB) finished in 29th spot after helping to guide teammate Chapman into sixth.
Herald Sun Tour
The final race of the summer block was the 2.2 Herald Sun Tour in Melbourne on 30-31 January. The team remained unchanged from the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race, four days prior.
The race was again dominated by the world tour powerhouses, with Mitchelton-Scott collecting the team’s classification once again, as well as first and second spot on GC. Williams finished in 16th place after her workhorse performance to keep her Australian teammates at the front of the race.
The New Zealand team were seventh overall, with New Zealand women’s development team Mike Greer Homes, finishing a credible fifth place in large part due to the sensational ride of 2019 National Time Trial champion Jenna Merrick. Merrick finished fourth on GC behind Kennedy, Spratt and Chapman, and won the young rider classification over the much fancied Jaime Gunning of Specialized Women’s Racing.
First home for the New Zealand team again was Paine, who crossed the line with Williams six minutes back. Paine was fourth in the young rider classification, finishing ahead of Australia’s emerging young superstar Sarah Gigante, who won the 2019 Australian Road Race title earlier in January. McCallum finished a minute further back in 23rd.
Lucas (Team Tibco-SVB) finished in 29th after supporting Chapman into the final podium spot.
CAPTION: Kirsty McCallum competes in the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under (Credit: Chris Auld).