Aggressive Orica-AIS surges to lead in Santos Women’s Tour

ALL-OUT aggression from Orica-AIS has landed the Australian team another stage win and secured the overall lead of the Santos Women’s Tour with one day remaining.

Cycling Australia Road National Championships - Stage 1 Women's Elite Criterium, Lizzie Williams leads from eventual winner (white shirt) Sophie Mackay . Ballarat. 6th January 2016. Picture: Colleen Petch.

ALL-OUT aggression from Orica-AIS has landed the Australian team another stage win and secured the overall lead of the Santos Women’s Tour with one day remaining.

Sprinter Lizzie Williams was on Monday too slick for the peloton after 100.8km around Lyndoch when she launched a late attack and rode solo to win Stage 3.

Her teammate Katrin Garfoot finished second 19 seconds behind to ensure she remained in the leader’s jersey going into Tuesday night’s final stage criterium at Victoria Park.

Orica-AIS was on the attack for most of the race, with national champion Amanda Spratt in a breakaway before her teammates finished the job when she was caught.

“We had strong girls out there and we knew we could get the numbers,’ Williams said.

“Spratty was just a workhorse out there, dangling off the front like a rabbit.

“It allowed me to be able to sit on the whole time and that’s why ultimately I had the energy to go with about four kilometres to go.”

While Garfoot leads the race, she is on equal time with Lauren Kitchen (Hitec Products), Shelley Olds (Cylance Pro Cycling) and Danielle King (Wiggle High5) meaning one slip up in the hour-long criterium and she could lose the title.

Originally published as Aggressive Orica-AIS surges to lead in Santos Women’s Tour