KATE Perry managed to hold on to the yellow jersey and ultimately secure overall honours on the third and final day of the Mersey Valley tour on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tessa Fabry (High5 Dream Team) tried her hardest to change the eventual result with an early solo move, which handed her the tour’s stage three win.
Riders battled strong winds and heavy rain along the Northern Tasmania course as Fabry broke away after only 25 kilometres – establishing a sizeable and unassailable lead.
Despite a strong chase from the peloton, the Victorian cyclist held on to top the podium ahead of teammates Lucy Kennedy and Lisen Hockings.
Perry (Specialized Women's Racing) on the other hand extended her two seconds general classification lead from day two with a fourth-placed finish to win the North-West three-day stage race.
“This is my first overall win of the Subaru National Road Series,” Perry said after her victory.
“I was hoping to do well, but you never really know. I was fortunate to have a very strong team help me grab my first win – I think I am still in shock.”
The tour began on Friday with Bridie O’Donnell (Rush Women’s Racing) winning the coastal road time trial opener for the third consecutive year.
On Saturday, High5 Dream Team guest rider Hockings showed great potential in her series debut when she triumphed on the challenging Gunns Plains stage.
Fabry then blitzed the field on the final stage, climbing superbly on the bumpy course to add another stage victory to her impressive resume.
“We hit the first hill hard,” Fabry said.
“Then there was a lull after getting over the top of the queen of the mountain point, and I heard someone say, ‘are we going to work or are we going to sit up?’.
“I said, ‘neither’ and off I went.
“I was not expecting to go away that early, but I saw an opportunity.
“And then I just kept going. I have always dreamt of winning a race solo in that style so it feels pretty amazing.”
Cameron Scott improved on his third-placing from Saturday to win the under-19 men’s race, out sprinting New Zealander James Fouche and Ethan Berends.
In the junior women’s selection race, Tasmanian rider Madeleine Fasnacht repeated her stage two success with victory in Sheffield ahead of Jaime Gunning and Chloe Heffernan.
Sunday concluded the tenth Mersey Valley Tour with the National Road Series continuing on Saturday with the iconic Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic.
The classic is a stalwart of the domestic racing calendar and considered to be the toughest one-day race in Australia.