Bay Crits gets underway in hot conditions in Geelong

An incident on the final corner may have helped the Citroen Bay Crits stage winner claim victory, while a defending champion has built an incredible lead.

The women kicked off Bay Crits in Geelong on Sunday.

Gaeme Frislie’s Tuesday plans may have suddenly changed after a win in the second stage of the Citroen Bay Crits.

Frislie won the sprint to the line by the barest of margins, securing the yellow jacket for the final stage.

But Frislie said he did not plan in racing on the third day.

“I was feeling pretty good this morning, so I knew I was going to have a good one today,” he said.

“I wasn’t even planning to race tomorrow (Tuesday) to be honest, I wanted to have at least a few days off before RoadNats.

“It looks like I’ve got to line up now, it’s always a bit of a hard one… but should have a decent day out.”

Santos Festival of Cycling winner Jimmy Whelan and Connor Sens led for much of the second stage, but the peloton clawed in the 40 second lead.

Frislie then managed to hold off the fast-finishing Blake Quick and stage one winner Brenton Jones around the final corner.

He said the final corner was messy but he was able to survive some carnage.

“There was a bit of an incident on the last corner, BJ (Jones) had to unclip, so that’s why he wasn’t there at the finish,” he said.

“It was a bit hairy in that finish… but I managed to get a good run at the end and I was pretty happy with that.

“I figured I’d try to go around the outside and stay out of the wind as much as possible.

“I knew everyone was going to be diving to the inside so I figured if I got a good line around the outside it would’ve been pretty clean.”

Meanwhile in the elite women’s race, Citroen Bay Crits champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon secured a second-consecutive victory, and almost an unassailable lead, on day two of the Geelong event.

The 24 year old navigated the cooler temperatures and a tricky crosswind to chase down Matilda Raynolds, who broke away with a lap to go.

Roseman-Gannon said the conditions “were not tough enough” for her liking.

“I was hoping it would be a little bit harder than it was, it made it a bit closer of a finish,” she said.

“The way the wind ended up, it neutralised the race a little bit and people weren‘t willing to fully commit.

“We did get a break at one point but it was probably the wrong combination for our team because we were outnumbered, so we had to play it cool a bit.”

Roseman-Gannon will wear the yellow jersey again on the third different track, with stage three being a hot dog circuit.

She said she was looking forward to the chance to race on a “relatively unknown” course.

“I am really excited, I think hot dog courses are really fun to ride and they make for amazing races because they all come down to positioning,” she said.

“We don‘t get many chances to ride in them, so I’m looking forward to that aspect of it.

“I‘ve only raced it once, that was in 2020 with Spratty (Amanda Spratt) and I was hanging onto her wheel for dear life, but she won that race.”

‘Fairytale finish’ on the cards for retiring legend

Outgoing champion Brenton Jones says he hopes the farewell tour can continue in similar style to his day one efforts at the Citroen Bay Crits.

In the weeks leading up to the Geelong event, Jones announced the bay race would be his final cycling event of his career, riding with Bayside Citroen.

Jones won the opening day event, and wore the yellow jacket on day two of the three-day event on January 2.

He said he hoped to receive a “fairytale finish” to his career.

“I’ve worn the yellow jersey before, never in the race, only in the finish,” he said.

“Hopefully I can keep it all the way until the end.

“I certainly hope (it’s a fairytale finish).”

Tour de France stage winner and late entrant Simon Clarke led at stages of day one’s race, but the Novotel Prestige Jayco rider could not hold on to the lead.

Jones is riding alongside last year’s Bay Crits winner, Blake Quick, again for Bayside Citroen, and is on the receiving end of beneficial strategies this year.

He spent the 36° afternoon “hiding” behind Quick, with the powerhouse team’s strategy focusing on delivering Jones one last race win.

Quick credited his victory in 2022 to Jones and his team, and Jones said it was nice that last year’s champion was returning the favour.

“I can’t thank Blake and the boys enough, that was a sensational lead out,” he said.

“He must’ve been copying someone from last year, but it was great to get the win for the boys.

“We saw Blake and the rest of my teammates doing that the whole time (accelerate during the race), they gave me a chance to sit in and recover and save one big finish.”

Meanwhile, Ruby Roseman-Gannon has claimed the Geelong circuit one of her favourite’s to race at after winning another stage in the elite women’s race.

The three-day event races on the same 2km track, alternating in direction for different stages, but last year’s winner said she loved racing in the bayside competition.

“I think it’s a great race to start off the year, I’ve done this every year it has been on that I could,” she said.

“It’s lovely to be back, it’s beautiful weather and I think it’s a great event.

“It was a hot one, we wanted to be aggressive and I think we were.

“I think in previous summers we’ve had a bit more hot weather so (it) was a bit of a surprise for the body.”

Originally published as Bay Crits gets underway in hot conditions in Geelong