Maeve Plouffe takes sprint win on stage 2 of the Santos Festival of Cycling
Maeve Plouffe takes sprint win on stage 2 of the Santos Festival of Cycling
Track star Maeve Plouffe (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) has taken out stage 2 of the Santos Festival of Cycling with a powerful long-range sprint in Echunga, South Australia.
Plouffe started her sprint early but was able to hold her lead to the line as overall leader Ruby Roseman-Gannon (BikeExchange-Jayco) battled to get past. Behind Roseman-Gannon, Australian champion Nicole Fraine (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) took third, ensuring the minor placings would be the same as they were on yesterday’s stage 1 in to Williamstown.
— Santos Tour Down Under
@MaevePlouffe outsprints @rubyr_g in the #Ziptrak Sprint #2@Westpac #TDUFestival #TourDownUnder pic.twitter.com/BhyM4etIC7
(@tourdownunder) January 24, 2022
As on stage 1, the peloton stayed together for much of Monday’s 85 km stage. There were a few flurries of activity throughout, including a surge from Frain that split the race on a short section of gravel, but the bunch was soon back together.
A solo attack from Grace Brown (Garmin-Australia) with 6 km to go was the day’s most promising move, but she was soon caught, likewise Australian U23 champion Alyssa Polites (Garmin-Australia) when she attacked after Brown’s capture, 3.9 km from the finish.
Ultimately the race all came back together again, ahead of the second bunch sprint in as many days.
Bonus seconds at the finish on the first two stages, plus at the intermediate sprints on both days, ensure Roseman-Gannon will retain the overall lead going into tomorrow’s final stage.
The Santos Festival of Cycling is a domestic-level stage race that, for the second year running, is replacing the COVID-affected Santos Tour Down Under. The women’s race is being contested over three stages, from Sunday to Tuesday, while the men’s three-day race will be held from Thursday to Sunday.
Read More