Rising star Ruby Roseman-Gannon has successfully defended her Bay Crits crown despite missing a clean sweep of stages in Geelong.

The Victorian finished 10th in the third and final race on Tuesday, but it was enough to seal a dominant overall victory after winning the previous two stages.

Roseman-Gannon finished well clear on 25 points ahead of her Bayside Citroen teammate, triple Commonwealth Games champion Georgia Baker, on 18 points, while Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) was third a further point back.

The 24-year-old Roseman-Gannon also edged Dani De Francesco by one point to claim the sprint title in a commanding show.

Tweet from @GreenEDGEteam

The performance sets her up perfectly to defend her criterium title at this week’s Australian championships in Ballarat as well as challenge in the road race.

Matilda Raynolds took the stage victory around the 650-metre Ritchie Boulevard course, known as the Hot Dog due to its rectangular circuit with tight corners.

Also riding with Bayside Citroen, Raynolds was part of a group of four who lapped the peloton and won the surge to the finish, pipping Valentina Scandolara, followed by Tilly Field and Alicia Wells.

Tweet from @BayCrits

 

Roseman-Gannon, who was a first-year rider last year in Europe with Team BikeExchange Jayco, was happy to hang back with the peloton and give her teammate the chance to shine.

“I know Matilda really well and last year in the last stage we were in a break together, sprinting against each other and I know how good she is,” Roseman-Gannon  told reporters.

“She’s such a talented rider, so strong and so fast, so I backed her all the way and she pulled it off and it’s an amazing day.”

Raynolds said it was a relief to secure a win after “more second places than dinners”.

“Anyone that knows me and has raced with me knows how close I’ve come so many times and I was close yesterday but I’d burned too many matches and Ruby just said, ‘Back yourself, back yourself’,” said Raynolds, who was fifth overall.

Raynolds, 35, doesn’t have a professional team for this year and hoped her performance could help secure her future.

“I just had to back myself and go with my gut that if I had the performances, I could hopefully sign with someone worthwhile that I think I’m worthy of, and to get the win is huge here now.”

-AAP