Santos Women’s Tour: Kimberley Wells wins the finale but Katrin Garfoot tops the GC

The 2016 Santos Women’s Tour wrapped up in front of huge crowds in Adelaide’s Victoria Park on Tuesday with an evening criterium.

Orica-AIS had been the team to beat throughout the tour with Katrin Garfoot wearing the blue leader’s jersey since stage one.

Going into the final event, however, the win wasn’t yet in the bag. While leading the GC, Garfoot entered the Victoria Park criterium on equal time with Lauren Kitchen (Hitec Products), Shelley Olds (Cylance Professional Cycling) and Danielle King (Wiggle High5) — all sprinters.

Garfoot, the Australian national time trial champion, had great sprint finishes in the previous stages but is not known for being a sprinter and was nervous going into the final criterium.

“I was nervous at the beginning, not just at the end,” Garfoot said. “I was confident I could sprint after the last two days, I just wasn’t sure how I could sprint in a bunch with so many strong sprinters rubbing shoulders and pushing each other around like dominos.”

With the GC still in grasp for other team, the race was hotly contested. And leading into the bunch sprint finish, the pace was fast and movement was hectic.

As the bunch came barreling down the finish straight, Garfoot was well position on her leadout, Lizzie William’s wheel. But it was Kimberley Wells (High5 Dream Team) who crossed the line first, ahead of Nettie Edmondson by just centimeters. Garfoot managed to hit the line in third, retaining her GC lead and winning the tour.

Orica-AIS proved to be in great form as a team, taking not only the GC win but also two stage wins and the team classification with an eight-minute lead.

“The team just worked so hard together this week. Without them, I couldn’t have done anything like that,” Garfoot said in praising.

Lauretta Hanson (Total Rush) took out the sprinters jersey as well as the young rider classification. And Danielle King (WiggleHigh5) went home with the Queen of the Mountain jersey.