New 2022 Team BikeExchange-Jayco recruit, Ruby Roseman-Gannon, got her season off to a flying start today by wrapping up the overall victory at the Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits, winning both stages in convincing style.
The 23-year-old will make her step up into the WorldTour peloton later this season with Team BikeExchange-Jayco in Europe and is already displaying her early season form Down Under with these two stunning stage victories, coming ahead of the much-anticipated Australian road race championships next week.
Roseman-Gannon, riding with mixed team ‘Lexus of Blackburn’ during the two-day Bay Crits, showed her turn of speed on stage one to claim the bunch sprint finish before breaking away on today’s second stage.
The Australian neo-pro successfully escaped mid-way through the stage alongside Matilda Raynolds (InForm TMX MAKE) and the pair were able to hold off the chasers on the 1.9-kilometre course, with Roseman-Gannon throwing her arms in the air for the second consecutive day, to safely secure the overall Bay Crits title for 2022.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon on winning overall:
“It’s good to start off the season with a win, two from two on this Liv bike, so it is going well so far, and I am excited for the rest of the season.
I have put in a lot of hard work over the last few months, so it is good to see that it is paying off. I have been pretty nervous as I have been with good legs so had great expectations and of course you want to finish it off and today I felt really good.”
On dealing with pressure:
“Putting on a WorldTour jersey, there is some expectations, but I think I have realised that it is internal, and I just really, really want to do well and I have always had that pressure on myself. Before I had to convince myself that I could believe in myself when nobody else did and now everyone has the expectations, but I still have that still internal pressure and I guess that is what pushes me forward.”
On next week’s Australian championships:
“I think I’ve got good legs so I hope I can pull it off on the day. It’s an itch to scratch as I’ve been up there for three years now so I really want to win that.”
Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits – stage 1 results:
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon +0:55:53
- Alex Martin Wallace ST
- Matilda Raynolds ST
Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits – stage 2 results:
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon +0:58:34
- Matilda Raynolds ST
- Grace Brown +0:17
Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits – Final Classification:
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon 24pts
- Matilda Raynolds 18
- Alex Martin Wallace 16Photo/comments: Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits