Tasmania’s cycling queens ruled the King Valley.
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Led by Macey Stewart and Madeleine Fasnacht, the state’s riders produced a totally dominant performance at Cycling Australia’s National Road Series women’s event in Victoria.
The teammates finished first and second and shared the major classifications.
Finishing second in the final stage was enough to see Stewart, 21, of Devonport, add the under-23 and sprint categories (her 51 points a huge 32 above second place).
Just 23 seconds behind her, Fasnacht, 17, of Hobart, claimed the queen of the mountains and second place in the under-23s.
The support of Anya Louw, of Devonport, and Launceston’s Belamie Flint and Lauren Perry enabled TIS Racing to add the team classification.
Louw and Flint finished the three-day four-stage tour 16th and 18th respectively overall while Stewart (13 points) finished second behind Fasnacht (30) in the queen of the mountains.
The domination represented the best result ever by a Tasmanian women’s team in the NRS, a particularly proud achievement given that four of the five riders are under-23s.
Fasnacht finished third in the opening-stage 9-kilometre time trial.
Stewart went one better with second place in the 36km second stage criterium around Wangaratta Showgrounds and then won the 124km third stage before another second in the 96km final stage.
“Proud is an understatement,” Stewart posted on Facebook after the race.
The magnitude of the results was demonstrated by the quality field including Australian representatives Ashlee Ankudinoff, Rebecca Wiasak, Kimberley Wells and Kristina Clonan.
In the men’s race, Launceston’s Tom Robinson finished fifth in the final stage and was the leading Tasmanian overall in 12th followed by Josh Wilson (27th), Alex Lack (33rd), Jonothan Butler (47th), Ben Van Dam (52nd), Luke Thompson (61st), Jacob Langham (66th), Jake Oliver (70th), Harrison Musgrave (87th), Zac Johnson (97th), Ainsleigh Gray (110th) and Daniel Furmston (122nd).
Lack, of Wyena, who is preparing to compete in the mountain bike world championships in Cairns, was 15th in the under-23s.
Will Clarke and his Cannondale-Drapac teammates were active at the front of the peleton during stage 9 of the Vuelta a Espana.
Their climber Michael Woods repaid the hard work with a close third behind stage winner and overall leader Chris Froome.
In his first Grand Tour race, Clarke, of Campbell Town, is 158th overall.