Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2024: Reijnhout outwits the favourites and wins

Reijnhout celebrates first victory at World Tour level

Rosita Reijnhout (Visma | Lease a Bike) was particularly clever in her tactics on the 143-kilometre course with start and finish in Geelong: she was barely at the front of the race before she and Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) caught up with the top favourite Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) a few kilometres before the finish and launched an attack at the right moment. The 19-year-old broke away from her two rivals with four kilometres to go and was then impossible to catch. Her two pursuers came dangerously close to Reijnhout again shortly before the finish, but in the end she saved her narrow lead over the finish line. The Dutchwoman thus celebrated her first victory at World Tour level.

Rosita Reinhout relegated birthday girl Dominika Wlodarczyk to second place, with the big favourite Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig finishing just behind in third. Sarah Gigante, who won the Tour Down Under, tried to break away from the competition on the climbs, but repeatedly failed in her endeavours. She finished well behind today's winner.

"I can't believe it, I'm just over the moon! In the end I kept going and luckily everything went well." - Rosita Reijnhout in the winner's interview.

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Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2024: Result - The Top 10

1. Rosita Reijnhout (Visma | Lease a Bike) 3:53:31
2. Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) +0:00
3. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) +0:00
4. Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) +0:05
5. Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) +0:05
6. Francesca Barale (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:05
7. Victorie Guilman (St Michel-Mavic-Auber WE) +0:05
8. Sarah Roy (Team Australia) +0:05
9. Kimberley Pienaar (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) +0:05
10. Alice Towers (Canyon//SRAM Racing) +0:05

How the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2024 went

Soon after the start of the race, three riders broke away and formed a breakaway group: however, Gina Ricardo (Team Bridgelane WE), Stephanie Hibburt (Team Australia) and Lucie Fityus (ARA | Skip Capital) were not really let off the leash by the peloton. The first intermediate sprint of the day was 84 kilometres from the finish, which Lucie Fityus won, but the three escapees were caught by the peloton.

Attempts by the runaways remain unsuccessful

Around 40 kilometres from the finish, Stine Dale (Team Coop-Repsol) then attacked and pulled away together with Alli Anderson (ARA | Skip Capital) with a maximum of just under one and a half minutes. Shortly before the first of two climbs over the Challambra Crescent, the two leaders were also caught again. On the first climb, Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) tried to increase the pace, but was unable to open up a gap to the peloton. However, Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health) was able to break away after that with around 20 kilometres to go. She also did not manage to break away for good.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig then stepped up the pace on the final climb and pulled away from her pursuers, but was caught a short time later by Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) and Rosita Reijnhout (Visma | Lease a Bike). The latter opened up a gap to her two rivals with four kilometres to go and just managed to hold on to her lead across the finish line.