‘Can’t believe it’: Aussie wins as rival celebrates too early

An Australian cycling champion admits she “can’t believe” her victory after a rival team’s calamitous premature celebration.

Ruby Roseman-Gannon says she “can’t believe” it after her rival celebrated too early in a mistake that is going viral.

The Aussie cycling champion was gifted a stage win on the final stage of the Tour of Britain on Monday morning (AEST) when a “stupid mistake” cost rival riders Christine Majerus and Lotte Kopecky the win.

Replays of the incident showed Majerus had pulled up metres from the finish line to raise her hand in triumph — before Melbournian Roseman Gannon snuck through to edge her out by a matter of centimetres.

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It was high drama at the finish line after overall winner Kopecky earlier slowed down to give her teammate Majerus the lead at the front of the sprinting pack.

Ruby Roseman-Gannon did it. Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images.

That mistake was compounded when Majerus was unable to get the job done in the final push to the line.

“I still can’t believe I have won that — it’s my first European win and I’m still in shock,” Roseman-Gannon said.

“It’s when you really don’t expect it, some races you come in as a leader and you have a lot of pressure, and other races you come in and it all works out.

“Today I was pretty worried about the rain and I was nervous about crashing and I wasn’t really in the right mindset that I was going to win the race — but to win is amazing. Overall it was a great race.”

Ruby Roseman-Gannon celebrates. Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images.

Roseman-Gannon still can't believe it. Photo: Twitter.

The 25-year-old is not the only one that can believe the SD Worx-ProTime team’s blunder.

Kopecky admitted after the race the team had made an agreement for Majerus to win the stage if the circumstances allowed it in a gift for helping Kopecky win the Tour.

“We made this deal that she is going to win today but maybe it was a stupid mistake,” Kopecky said.

“I still, however, would have done the same. It could have been a nice ending for Christine, but we finished well as a team.

“Maybe it is a little funny and it is what it is, and I’m not disappointed.”

It’s not the only premature celebration that has made headlines this week.

Laura Garcia-Caro thought she was about to win bronze in the women’s 20km race walk at the European Athletics Championships in Rome — but was beaten by Lyudmyla Olyanovska when she pulled up early to celebrate.