Amber Pate (Jayco AlUla) opened her professional cycling career and the elite women's racing at the 2023 AusCycling Road National Championships with a victory, taking out the criterium title after launching off the front with one lap to go.
Pate had taken flight with Tilly Field (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) as the race in the heart of Ballarat ticked into its final phase, and even though she wasn't expecting to be at the front at this crucial stage, played her hand to perfection, holding off the charging field to claim the green and gold jersey while teammate Alex Manly leapt out of the field to snatch second ahead of Field.
"It is really unexpected, it was a big shock and I was shocked even coming toward that finish line, I couldn’t believe it," a jubilant Pate said, having come into the race to play a support role for her new teammates.
The criterium in central Ballarat, with 35 laps of the 1.1km course, was last year won by Pate's teammate Ruby Roseman-Gannon, who was then also in her first year with the team, making it two in a row for the team's neo-pro's.
The 2020 winner Chloe Hosking, racing for Roxsolt Liv SRAM, finished just off the podium while Lucinda Stewart (ARA Skip Capital) in fifth was the first U23 rider across the line, claiming the U23 title .
"Considering the nature of the race, it being a combined race, I think you have to aim for the overall win and see where that lands in the U23," Steward said. "That definitely was the goal coming up the finishing straight, just trying to pass as many people as I could and I'm stoked to get the (U23) win."
Throughout the race, which went for just under an hour, the attacks kept flying and while some held for a lap, maybe two, or perhaps even three none ever got any real traction for long, with Jayco AlUla usually putting at least one rider among them and others such as Lucie Fityus (Cycling Development Foundation), Gina Ricardo (Team BridgeLane) and Lauretta Hanson (Trek-Segafredo) among those who were particularly active at the front of the field.
Still, when it came down to 3 laps to go the field was all together and with just one lap to go it was a move of two that took the advantage, Field and Pate. The gap was never that big, so it was touch and go as they raced toward the line. Pate, though, didn't relent and held off the charging peloton. Field wasn't quite so lucky.
The next race in the Australian Championships for the elite/U23 women is now Sunday's road race, which will take place over 104.4km, with laps of the 11.6km Buninyong course.
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