TO THE METAL
BAY Crits, the traditional curtainraiser event of the Australian summer of racing, has defied Covid to return to Geelong this weekend.
The event was cancelled last year because of the pandemic but, despite increasing case numbers, returns to Geelong.
Race director John Trevorrow looks at the leading contenders.
MEN
EXPECT Plowright to finish on the podium. The emerging Aussie cycling talent finished third two years ago and will be hoping the Bay Crits can provide a launchpad for his 2022 season, which includes the world championships and Commonwealth Games.
DUFFY is a member of the Australian team’s pursuit squad and a favourite for gold in Birmingham at the Commonwealth Games. The Tasmanian is a class sprinter and is predicted to feature prominently.
FRISLIE is no stranger to the Eastern Gardens circuit after claiming the Damion Drapac support race in 2020. He and Plowright won the inaugural Launceston Madison between Christmas and New Year’s Day in the 50km event, winning an impressive nine sprints over the course of the 175-lap contest.
A FORMER German hill-climb champion now living in Australia, Freienstein won the national road series in 2018. A skilful all-rounder capable of winning in a breakaway or sprint.
A NATIONAL Road Series stage winner, White is always competitive and the circuit will suit him. The Ballarat product is tough but also capable of a powerful burst.
THE son of cycling legend and Tasmanian Institute of Sport coach Matt Gilmore, Zack was diagnosed with cancer at 16. Matt was a former Olympic medallist (riding for Belgium) and his grandfather Graeme was a great on European tracks in the 1960s and ’70s.
WIGGINS was badly injured in an accident last year, leaving him with a fractured eye socket, broken nose and lacerations, but he has recovered to be a definite a podium chance. A consistent winner in the National Road Series, he is a very quick rider.
THE Aussie road race cycling great is hoping to kickstart his bid to find a new WorldTour team with a podium finish. A win for the Herald Sun Tour winner and Tour de France time-trial stage winner could help him land a deal for 2022 after Qhubeka-NextHash confirmed it would not be continuing this year.
RIDES for BridgeLane but the team is not participating in Bay Crits so will ride solo. White was fourth in the national road race championships last year and is a former under-23 winner of the event.
WOMEN
AFTER a season riding in the US, Reynolds will be out to show why she is one of the favourites.
FINISHED fourth in last year’s Tokyo Olympics to fall short of a podium finish in the time trial. Brown is regarded as one of the best one-day classic riders in the world, so expect her to be in contention.
ROSEMAN-GANNON returns to Geelong determined to go one better than her runner-up finish two years ago. Has recently signed her first WorldTour contract and arrives a better rider than when second in 2020.
THE experienced rider is always a threat at Bay Crits. The former Australian road race champion and multi-disciplined rider is coming off a recent crash but will again be a contender.
JONES is a former under-19 national champion and an up-and-coming rider on the Australian cycling scene. Not without a podium chance.