Day 2 Wrap: Hinze Dam Road Races!

Day two of the 2019 Cycling Australia Junior Road National Championships, 6 riders were crowned road national champions on a hilly course at Hinze Dam, Queensland. 
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New South Wales continued their gold medal hunt, whilst the host state, Queensland, won their first medal for the championships! 

JW15 Road Race
The Junior Under 15 Women were again the first race to roll off the start line, with 19 riders from all over Australia vying for the gold medal. 

A breakaway of three riders formed early on in the race, with Kiera Will (NSW), Bronte Stewart (NSW) and Lauren Bates (ACT). The trio worked well together for the majority of the race, until the final lap when Stewart crashed. 
“On the first climb, the race broke into three groups, and I was lucky enough to be in the first group of three riders with teammate Bronte Stewart and Belinda” said Will. 

“We rode really well together, until the final lap when Bronte crashed on the corner leaving only myself and Belinda. I attacked on the dam wall climb, dropping Belinda, riding the majority on the final lap to victory” said Will. 

Unfortunately, Stewart didn’t make contact with the lead group following her crash, which opened up opportunities for riders in the chasing group. 

Lauren Bates (ACT), a rider in the chasing group described how the rest of the race unfolded.

“I was in the second chasing group, and we managed to stay together over the very hilly course. On the last lap we were told that Bronte had crashed, and we all knew that we were now riding for a bronze medal. On the last corner I positioned myself, and picked the right moment to cross the line ahead to win the bronze medal” said Bates. 

Will and Bailey stepped on to the gold and silver steps of the podium for the second time this weekend. Whilst Bates received her first medal in her championship campaign. 

JM15 Road Race 
A 37.5km road race saw junior under 15 men road race vying for the green and gold bands. An early breakaway of seven riders formed; four New South Wales riders, two Queensland riders and one rider from the Australian Capital Territory work together for the majority of the race, creating an exciting bunch sprint for the finish line. 

Benjamin Anderson (NSW), who went on to win the gold shared how the race unfolded. 

“It was a pretty hard race, everyone split up straight way on the first climb, we had a good breakaway form which stuck together throughout the whole race, sharing the load” said Anderson.

Racing on home soil, Queensland’s Road Race State Champion Kobe Ormes praised the work of his teammate Noah Blannin’s, in the final lap of the under 15 men’s road race.

“I was pretty lucky to have my teammate Noah Blannin (Gold Coast Cycling Club) there in the breakaway with me, he lost contact with the breakaway a few times but he got back, and worked towards the end to assist in securing Queensland’s silver medal” said Ormes.

In the sprint finish of seven riders, Anderson crossed the line in first place collecting his first gold medal for the championships. Anderson was joined on the podium by Kobe Ormes (QLD), and Oliver Ludlam (NSW) in second and third places respectively.

JW17 Road Race
In the under 15 women’s road race, Alyssa Polites (VIC) continued to show her strength crossing the line to win her second gold medal in her road nationals campaign. 

“We had a breakaway group of four riders, which whittled down quickly until it was Haylee Fuller (NSW) and I riding together for the majority of the race” said Polites. 

South Australian rider Tess Wight was seen as a threat to Fuller and Polites, and the duo worked together to ensure Wight lost contact with the breakaway. 

“Tess was yo-yoing off our small breakaway, and we wanted to minimise the competition when we got to the finish line, so we ramped up the pace and put the pressure on” Polites pointed out. 

Polites went on to praise her Victorian coaching staff and teammates for their efforts in the leadup to the championships.
“When Haylee and I got to the final corner, I followed my coach’s advice, and it delivered!” said Polites. 

Polites and Fuller crossed the line in a very close finish, with Wight coming in only 10 seconds behind to win a bronze medal. 
JM17 Road Race 

The under 17 men’s road race saw a group of 21 riders enter the finishing straight vying for a step on the podium. 
The sprint finish resulted with New South Wales dominating the podium, with teammates Daniel Barber and Dylan George taking the silver and bronze medals. 

But was a Victorian rider Jackson Hadden who was crowned the 2019 Cycling Australia Junior Road National Champion following an eventful race. 

“There were a few crashes out on the course, which ultimately affected the flow of the racing. The race was actually a race of good positioning, which I was able to do going into the sprint finish” said Hadden. 

The championships concludes Sunday with the criterium championships. 

JW15 Road Race

1. Kiera Will (NSW) 
2. Belinda Bailey (VIC)
3. Lauren Bates (ACT) 

JM15 Road Race 

1. Benjamin Anderson (NSW)
2. Kobe Ormes (QLD)
3. Oliver Ludlam (NSW)

JW17 Road Race

1. Alyssa Polites (VIC)
2. Haylee Fuller (NSW)
3. Tess Wight (SA)

JM17 Road Race 

1. Jackson Hadden (VIC)
2. Daniel Barber (NSW)
3. Dylan George (NSW)

FULL RESULTS