Cavanagh breaks away to win

AUSTRALIAN world championship road racer Ryan Cavanagh stunned a quality field in Launceston yesterday to break away from the bunch and claim the Stan Siejka Classic cycle street race.

The 21-year-old from the Sunshine Coast survived an early scare when eight riders bit the bitumen and split the bunch.

Cavanagh has represented Australia at the cycling worlds and won the Oceania road race title, but was walking on air at winning the Stan Siejka.

“Alex Edmundson and I got away with about 15 minutes to go and I knew that if I hit the roundabout first and kicked, I could get to the line and win,” he said.

New Zealand rider Sharlotte Lucas won the women’s race.

It was the 26-year-old Kiwi’s first crack at the Stan Siejka, but not her first time in Tasmania.

She had raced twice before in the Mersey Valley Tour, which she liked because of the challenging hills.

Lucas rode to the pre-race plan.

“I wanted to make sure I was in the mix. My job was to be in the move when it happened,” she said.

“I made sure I was in the break when I needed to be.

“You know which riders to watch and who is a threat.

“It’s awesome to win the race. I had an awesome team supporting me so it’s a great feeling.”