New Zealand’s Laurence Pithie wins the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Rd Race in a photo finish
In a stunning photo finish, Laurence Pithie has ensured a New Zealander has won the Great Ocean Rd Race for the first time.
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Patience was the key for a young Kiwi cyclist who ensured the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Rd Race saw two record-breaking achievements in as many days.
Young Kiwi Laurence Pithie won by the barest of margins on Sunday in what was called the tightest finish in the race’s nine-year history.
It was the first time a New Zealander had won the event.
And it came 24 hours after 19-year-old young Dutch gun Reijnhout becomes the youngest female in the event’s history to win the elite women’s title, believing the windy local conditions suited her riding style.
However, in the men’s event in a thrilling sprint to the finish line, Pithie edged out Natnael Tesfazion and Georg Zimmerman with the 21-year-old having to wait about an agonising minute by Geelong’s waterfront before being confirmed as the winner.
He said it felt “incredible” to take out his first UCI WorldTour race in Geelong but had to work hard for it late in the game.
“I’m over the moon, after the finish line I wasn’t too sure if I had it,” Pithie said.
“I had to wait for multiple confirmations ... I’m super happy.
“I followed everyone ... I got stuck about 1km to go, stuck behind.
“Corbin (Strong) was calling my bluff a little bit, he wanted me to go ahead of him to chase.
“I know I had to be patient.
“We spoke in the briefing this morning, patience is going to be key.
“But I know also it would be really easy to get caught on the barriers here.
“I just had to wait, wait, wait. I got a little bit boxed in towards the end when everyone opened up around the outside.
“Just managed to find my way through ... and held on.”
Pithie said he went “full gas” over the closing metres to be the first Kiwi to take out the race.
“I was just going balls to the wall to be honest,” he said.
“I had to close the gap ... just managed to hold on in the lunge.
“It’s amazing to finish like this, a dream come true.”
It was a strong afternoon from the Kiwis with 23-year-old Corbin Strong coming fourth.
Rosita Reijnhout wins maiden WorldTour title
Geelong’s windy conditions on Saturday have suited young gun Dutch rider Rosita Reijnhout who claimed her maiden women’s WorldTour title in a record-breaking effort at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Rd Race.
Just 19, Reijnhout became the youngest female in the event’s history to win the elite women’s title, beating Dominika Wlodarczyk and Cecillie Uttrup-Ludwig in second and third.
Riders negotiated scenic roads, rolling hills and tough climbs on the 143km course with a record number of women’s teams this year.
However, it wasn’t without drama with Australian cyclist and 2016 elite women’s race winner Amanda Spratt a late withdrawal after spending Friday in hospital with a kidney stone.
But it was the Netherland’s Reijnhout, who would look over her shoulder a few times over the closing kilometres, who prevailed in the windy conditions which suited her.
“I live on the coast,” Reijnhout said.
“And everyday, there’s a lot of wind. So I’m really used to it.
“It’s not really hard from what I’m used to. I like it because I’m always training in it.
“It was a really hard race and I just went for it.”
However, she admitted she was in a bit of shock after the race.
“I don’t believe (it),” she said.
“When I was at the finish, I asked everyone: ‘did I win, did I win?’
“First professional win, but also my first win ever, because I’ve never won something.
“(I’m) shook and so happy. I really like to race and it’s beautiful around here.”
Meanwhile, second-place Dominika Wlodarczyk of Poland was slightly disappointed but could see the bigger picture of leading the WorldTour rankings.
“It’s pretty amazing that I could finish second,” Wlodarczyk said.
“I knew today that I had really good legs and the whole team did a good job for me, so I really wanted to finish the job.”
She said her goal for the remainder of the season was to remain calm and be the best version of herself.
“I don’t have any expectations about the future. I just want to build myself as a rider and as a person,” she said.
Sofia Bertizzolo wins the women’s criterium
A finishing straight spill and a homegrown talent’s second placing has highlighted the women’s criterium in Geelong’s CBD on Wednesday as the five-day Cadel Evans Great Ocean Rd Race carnival of cycling kicked off.
Sofia Bertizzolo claimed honours in the inaugural Geelong Classic in a fast sprint to the finish line by the waterfront.
She edged out local favourite Georgia Baker and Francesca Barale — Baker’s third second placing in the 2024 season so far.
And the race wasn’t without drama, with a crash on the finishing straight taking out three riders.
After the race, Bertizzolo said it was a “strange finish” as she felt the peloton was coming “super fast”.
“We were all in the gutter close to the fence so it was a close finish,” Bertizzolo said.
“When I heard that there was a crash in the back, I was not ready to launch but then I thought someone would overtake me, so I just went super long.
“It’s also slightly downhill so I had already picked up my speed and I was sure nobody could have passed me at that point.”
Meanwhile, local product Georgia Baker was happy to get a podium spot but would have preferred “a step higher”.
“The team’s been riding really well for me, so hopefully we can achieve success on the weekend,” Baker said.
“We have a really strong team here so we can be aggressive and back whoever is in the breakaway as well.
“We were prepared for everything, but if it came down to a sprint finish, we were also really confident in our lead-out as well.”
Baker said she was excited about tackling her first Cadel Evans Great Ocean Rd Race on the weekend
Cadel Evans to call the Bellarine home
The Bellarine can now claim to cycling icon Cadel Evans as a permanent resident.
Speaking to this publication just days before the start of the Great Ocean Rd Race – named after the 2011 Tour de France winner – Evans said 23 years after buying a house in Barwon Heads he would now be classified as a proper local this year.
“We’re not back here permanently yet but (the kids are) going to the primary school in Barwon Heads,” Evans said.
“We’re putting the kids in school later in the year.
“I’ll be based back here.
“My kids can’t wait and my partner can’t wait. It’s been a long wait. 20 something years.”
The Katherine-born, four-time Olympian has been based in Europe for many years but would often come back to Barwon Heads when his hectic schedule would allow.
Meanwhile, the 46-year-old said he remained “overwhelmed” by the UCI WorldTour race, which began in 2015, being named in his honour.
“I’m still a bit overwhelmed by it all, seeing my name up on the banners,” he said on the Geelong waterfront on Monday afternoon.
“I only got in from Europe yesterday morning.
“But honoured at the same time, proud ... it’s a nervous week for me as well.”
He said the nerves came from having his name attached to the five-day event.
“Things can go wrong, your name is up there … that can reflect on you,” he said.
However, Evans said his growing legacy had come as a surprise, assuming people would forget about him post-retirement which came just months before the first edition of the Great Ocean Rd event in 2015.
“I thought people would forget you, and that’s certainly not the case at all,” he said.
“Especially when you have a race named after you.
“The good thing is people remember everything you won and forget what you lost (laughs).
“It’s weird.
“I think I lost, I tried to count them one day, about 650 professional races in my career.
“As time goes by, it increases in significance in some ways.”
While he looks back on his career with “pride and honour”, he doesn’t pine for the demands of professional cycling.
“I don’t miss the racing,” he said.
“I still love riding my bike but I don’t miss the racing.
“There’s a certain weight of expectation that you carry with you.
“Every time I got on my bike I was expected to perform in the top five in the world.
“Every morning you wake up with that, it’s a bit (tough), it’s not an easy level to achieve, day in day out, year after year.”
However, he was proud he was able to take his “window of opportunity where I gave everything that I could”.
“When I had my last race here (in 2015), just in front of us here, I crossed the finish line cramping, I know I’d given my all,” he said.
“It was the time for the next chapter in my life.”
He said to succeed he needed a “very narrow mindset and a really fierce specialised focus” to succeed: “The pressures of cycling have only increased since I’ve stopped actually, it’s amazing how much the sport’s changed.”
Most importantly, retirement has allowed him to spend more time with his children.
“I was going to have a ride this morning but instead I took my boys ... and built sandcastles,” he said.
“Put my phone away and just enjoyed (it) ... I’m lucky to have that.”
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Originally published as New Zealand’s Laurence Pithie wins the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Rd Race in a photo finish
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