Kat Garfoot enjoys the huge crowd at the second stage of the 2016 Santos Women's Tour.
Photo gallery: 2016 Santos Women’s Tour kickstarts the 2016 UCI season
It’s heating up in the land down under and as temperatures rise, so does the level of racing. Now in its second year, The Santos Women’s Tour served as the kickoff event of the 2016 Subaru Australian National Race Series and received a UCI 2.2 status, drawing some of the best riders of the women’s peloton to Australia to start their season in sunshine.
The four-stage event is held in conjunction with the men’s Tour Down Under and huge crowds came out to watch the races in and around Adelaide. The crowds were not disappointed as the competition was fierce and the racing fast.
Despite losing their defending Santos Women’s Tour champion — Valentina Scandolara — to Cyclance Pro Cycling, Orica-AIS went into the event as the team to beat. After a successful stint at the Australian National Championships the week prior, Orica-AIS showed up with two freshly crowned national champions on their squad; time trialist Katrin Garfoot and road race champion Amanda Spratt. The latter proudly debuted her new gold-and-green stripes at stage one.
Orica-AIS did not shy away from the pressure and quickly showed their strength, with Katrin Garfoot winning stage one and retaining the blue leader’s jersey for the remainder of the event. Orica-AIS would go on to take out another stage win as well as two podium finishes before claiming the overall GC and team classifications.
The wins weren’t handed to them though with stellar performances from the domestic High5 Dream Team squad as well as WiggleHigh5. Cylance’s Shelly Olds and Hitec’s Lauren Kitchen meanwhile were never far from the lead and earned a hard-fought second and third place finish respectively.
Catch up on the action in our race reports and through the lens of Tim Bardsley-Smith.
- Stage One: Orica-AIS’ Katrin Garfoot sprints to stage 1 victory
- Stage Two: Wiggle High5 steals the show in stage two criterium
- Stage Three: Orica-AIS dominates stage three
- Stage Four: Kimberley Wells wins the finale but Katrin Garfoot tops the GC
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- Adelaide welcomes the Santos Women’s Tour competitors and fans.
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- Newly crowned national road race champion, Amanda Spratt debuted her gold-and-green stripes
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- Since being elevated to a UCI 2.2. event, the Santos Women’s Tour draws a competitive field.
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- Full blown summer weather in Adelaide.
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- Holden Racing’s Charlotte Lucus on an early solo break during stage one.
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- Stage one offered little shade or rest.
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- Orica-AIS takes to the front.
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- Garfoot takes the win
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- The team to beat
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- Wiggle High5’s Nettie Edmondson and Chloe Hosking warming up with a cooling vest
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- Cylance Pro Cycling at the front of a fast and furious evening criterium.
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- The race was destined for a bunch finish in the stage 2 criterium.
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- Stage two saw a few solo attacks but no one was given much room to make anything stick.
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- Stage Two: WiggleHigh5’s Nettie Edmondson wins the sprint for the line
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- Kat Garfoot enjoys the huge crowd at the second stage of the 2016 Santos Women’s Tour.
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- Stage 3 was a long scorcher of a day.
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- At 100.8 kilometres, stage 3 was the longest and hottest day in the saddle.
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- Amanda Spratt went on an herculean solo attack for her Orica-AIS team during stage three in 2016
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- The Chase lead by Lauren Kitchen, who was always in the mix of contenders.
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- Unforgiving heat and terrain
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- Lizzie Williams during the 2016 Santos Women’s Tour
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- The sprint for second was won by Lauren Kitchen
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- Lizzie Williams with her Orica-AIS teammate Katrin Garfoot and Lauren Kitchen. Photo by Tim Bardsley-Smith.
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- Katrin Garfoot and the Orica-AIS team hold onto the leader’s jersey for one more day
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- Sophie Mackay debuted her freshly earned gold-and-green stripes for being the Australian national criterium champion.
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- Canyon-SRAM’s Tiffany Cromwell taking a turn on the front during the fast finale.
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- Time trial world champion Linda Villumsen on a solo attack in stage 4.
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- Photo: Tim Bardsley-Smith
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- The final GC podium: 1st – Katrin Garfoot, 2nd – Shelley Olds, 3rd – Lauren Kitchen
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- Champagne for the GC podium: 1st – Katrin Garfoot, 2nd – Shelley Olds, 3rd – Lauren Kitchen
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- Kimberley Wells wins stage 4.
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- Lauretta Hanson (Total Rush) wins the young riders classification.
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- Dani King topped the Queen of the Mountain classification
