Noonan picks up Under 23 victory
On the back of a strong performance which saw them take two stages plus the overall classification in this week’s Jayco Bay Cycling Classic plus the elite and under 23 women’s criterium jerseys, the GreenEdge AIS team delivered again in today’s national road race championships.
Amanda Spratt attacked approximately 30 kilometres from the finish in Buninyong, near Ballarat, and soloed to a superb victory. She hit the line 45 seconds ahead of her team-mate Tiffany Cromwell, who outsprinted Rachel Neylan for the silver medal, Recently-crowned criterium champion Alexis Rhodes won an eleven-women sprint for fourth.
“I can’t believe it still I have been working so hard for this,” said 2004 junior world points race champion Spratt afterwards. “My mum was right on the side after the finish line and I was able to meet her…she was bawling her eyes out, I was crying. I am so happy to have my family here to experience this with me.”
Also celebrating was Sinead Noonan (Jayco AIS), who crossed the line twelfth but was first of the Under 23 riders, thus taking that title. She 
finished five minutes quicker than the silver and bronze medallists in that category, Rebecca Werner and Rebecca Henderson.
The GreenEdge AIS team started the 102 kilometre race as clear favourites. For the first half of the event, the 78 rider field stayed mainly together, then the new team started to turn the screw. The injection of pace wore down the others and eventually reduced the number of those in the running for the title to just twenty contenders.
Spratt seized her moment on the top of the Mt Buninyong climb, powering clear with approximately thirty kilometres remaining and opening a minute. Neylan tried to get clear and chase but was marked by Cromwell; Spratt had too much of a lead anyway, and continued on to an emotional victory, some three days after she won the final stage of the Jayco Bay series.
“I knew I had good form coming in, but here you also need luck on your side in this race,” she said. “When I went on the top of the climb, I got a gap straight away which kept growing. I actually thought I was a little bit early, but I knew I had two strong team mates with me if it did come back together.
“I had the team car coming up and giving me the time gaps, but I didn’t let myself think it was going to happen until probably the last kilometre.”
The victory is all the more sweet as she has spent a long period of time injured. Today’s success is payback for her persistence and shows that she is back as a competitive force.
“The last two years now I have been able to get consistent racing, consistent training and finally step up the level I want to be at. There is still a lot of hard work to do to keep moving forward, but it is all going well.”
She was complementary of her team, which once again raced to victory today. The men’s squad will try to clock up its first victory in tomorrow’s elite men’s race, where sixteen of the GreenEdge team will line out.
Mars Cycling Australia road race championships, Buninyong:
Elite women’s road race:
1, Amanda Spratt (NSW) 102 kilometres in 2 hours 55 mins 22 secs
2, Tiffany Cromwell (SA) at 45 secs
3, Rachel Neylan (SA) same time
4, Alexis Rhodes (SA) at 1 min 30 secs
5, Gracie Elvin (ACT)
6, Carla Ryan (Vic)
7, Shara Gillow (QLD)
8, Joanne Hogan (Vic)
9, Grace Sulzberger (Tas)
10, Taryn Heather (Vic)
11, Stephanie Ives (Vic)
12, Sinead Noonan (SA)*
13, Miranda Griffiths (Vic)
14, Carlee Taylor (SA) all same time
15, Lucy Coldwell (Vic) at 4 mins 41 secs
16, Peta Mullens (Vic)
17, Loren Rowney (QLD) both same time
18, Rebecca Werner (SA)* at 6 mins 335 secs
19, Rebecca Henderson (A.C.T)*
20, Chloe Mcconville (Vic)
21, Jessie Maclean (ACT)
22, Katrin Garfoot (QLD)
23, India Faehndrich (NSW)
24, Lisa Barry (NSW)
25, Laura Meadley (ACT)
26, Cait Fraser Jones (Vic)
27, Chloe Hosking (ACT)* at 8 mins 9 secs
28, Lauren Kitchen (NSW)*
29, Lisa Jacobs (Vic) at 8 mins 37 secs
30, Jessica Allen (Wa)* at 10 mins 32 secs
31, Kate Finegan (Vic) at 12 mins
32, Jenni King (Vic) same time
33, Therese Rhodes (SA) at 12 mins 17 secs
34, Nicole Moerig (QLD) at 13 mins 51 secs
35, Sue Forsyth (NSW) at 14 mins 12 secs
36, Melina Bernecker (Vic) at 15 mins 3 secs
37, Amy Bradley (Vic) same time
38, Heidi Buntrock (Vic) at 20 mins 10 secs
DNF:
Bridie O’Donnell (Vic)
Rebecca Wiasak (ACT)
Rowena Fry (Tas)
Nicole Whitburn (Vic)
Kellie Mathers (Vic)
Elizabeth Hall (Vic)
Megan Bagworth (ACT)
Delphine Astier (Vic)
Carley Mckay (Vic)
Kimberley Wells (ACT)
Emma Mackie (NSW)
Madeleine Pape (Vic)
Belinda Goss (Vic)
Manuela Tzvetanova (QLD)
Victoria Luxton-Bain (Vic)
Nicole Mcnamara (Vic)
Emma Viotto (ACT)
Rochelle Gilmore (NSW)
Marianne Westacott-Clermonts (QLD)
Elizabeth Phillipou (SA)
Alexis Barnes (QLD)
Sarah Riley (Vic)
Rebecca Locke (Vic)
Katherine O’shea (Vic)
Kelly Bartlett (Vic)
Natalie Langer (QLD)
Carly Williams (Vic)
Justyna Lubkowski (Vic)
Kirsty Broun (QLD)
Alexandra Carle (ACT)*
Ailie Mcdonald (ACT)*
Alice Wallett (ACT)*
Melissa Hoskins (Wa)*
Jasmin Hurikino (QLD)*
Angela Mcclure (SA)*
Emma Lawson (Tas)*
Chloe Mcintosh (Vic)*
Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW)*
Myfanwy Galloway (ACT)*
Kristy Glover (Vic)*
* = Under 23 rider
Sprints:
1, Jessie Maclean (ACT) 13 pts
2, Amanda Spratt (NSW) 6
3, Miranda Griffiths (Vic) 5
4, Cait Fraser Jones (Vic) 3
5, Taryn Heather (Vic) 3
6, Joanne Hogan (Vic) 2
7, Katrin Garfoot (QLD) 2
8, Tiffany Cromwell (SA) 1
9, Carla Ryan (Vic) 1
Mountains:
1, Carlee Taylor (SA) 10 pts
2, Cait Fraser Jones (Vic) 9
3, Katrin Garfoot (QLD) 5
4, Tiffany Cromwell (SA) 4
5, India Faehndrich (NSW) 4
6, Taryn Heather (Vic) 4
7, Amanda Spratt (NSW) 3
8, Gracie Elvin (ACT) 3
9, Carla Ryan (Vic) 2
10, Laura Meadley (ACT) 2
11, Rachel Neylan (SA) 1
Emma Mackie (NSW) 1