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Australian Professional Cyclist

Stage Four And Wrap-Up

Stage Four, Williamstown, Victoria. 5th of January 2010

Stage 4 Win (photo: Shane Goss)

Gilmore and Honda set new standard

Rochelle Gilmore took out the final stage of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in an almost perfect performance that saw her win the overall series and the sprint competition along with her Honda Dream Team securing the teams classification.
After the stage Gilmore made it clear that the bar has now been raised for women’s cycling thanks to the support of her team.
“Honda wants to set a standard that says ‘hey let’s support our women like we support our men’ and they’ve certainly done that,” Gilmore said.

“They’ve set a new standard for Australian women’s cycling.
“They’ve produced a team, in two months, that is more professional than any other team in Australia.
“We had a perfect mix of girls. It wasn’t easy selecting the team but we’re glad we picked who we did, the spirits were high and we did everything we were hoping for.”
In a demonstration of their dominance the Honda Dream Team made their intentions clear early in the stage completely controlling the race with world omnium champion Josephine Tomic, along with Peta Mullens and Namesha Smith setting the pace to prevent attempts to break-away from succeeding.
Early in the stage they set-up the first intermediate sprint allowing Gilmore to get maximum points and build an unassailable lead in that competition.
With the green jersey safely in her keeping the 28-year-old switched her focus to the stage win with no regard for the second, and final, intermediate sprint.
At bell lap Tiffany Cromwell led the charge for the Honda Dream Team with the peloton strung out in single file behind her while Gilmore waited patiently for the right moment to start her sprint.
As they rounded the last corner Mullens begun the final leadout for Gilmore who made her sprint for home at 150 metres to go and won the stage comfortably ahead of Chloe Hosking, while Mullens held on for third.
For Gilmore the plan for the day worked out exactly as she intended.
“We knew that the last two laps were the most important laps of the race,” Gilmore said.
“Chloe Hosking tried everything she could to try to push in on our train and I’m sure she’d love to be a part of the Honda Dream Team but today we weren’t going to let her. Maybe in the future but today it was just us and we weren’t letting anyone in there.”
Gilmore last won the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in 2002 and put much of this win down to the support of Honda.
“I prepared for this race with the support of Honda who a couple of months ago said, ‘Rochelle we want to support you to do well in the Australian summer’, and I thought if they want to get involved in women’s cycling it’s worth my while to put my head down and try to be fit to target this race,” she said.

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