Riding her very first race with the Liv AlUla Jayco Continental group, Lucinda Stewart achieved one thing most of the world’s prime cyclists spend their complete profession chasing when the 20-year-old swept up not simply the U23 ladies’s title on the AusCycling Road National Championships but additionally the elite jersey as properly.
The Victorian rider’s well-judged dash from a break of 5 within the mixed National Championships race signifies that as she says farewell to her life in Australia and hops on a flight from Perth to Girona, she’ll have to suit two gold medals and a set of Australian Championships jerseys into her baggage – one thing she’ll be carrying all yr to deliver again fond recollections of house and that good starting to the pursuit of life as knowledgeable bicycle owner.
“I nonetheless cannot consider it, actually, I’m simply so completely satisfied and stoked and pleasantly stunned I used to be capable of pull it off,” Stewart informed reporters and AusCycling after the win.
“As an Australian group, it is so particular to have the ability to take the jersey again to Europe.”
Having so not too long ago joined the Liv AlUla Jayco Continental squad – which focuses on rider improvement – Stewart was racing alongside teammate Mackenzie Coupland. But she additionally was stepping out as a united entrance with the WorldTour group, which lined up with defending champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon, Amber Pate and Josie Talbot. Steward additionally had the previous racer Jess Allen as sports activities director within the group automotive.
“Honestly, it was so surreal. I used to be so completely satisfied to drag it off. Those final three laps, I talked to Jess [Allen] within the automotive, and he or she was like, ‘Mate, we consider in you a lot.’ I used to be so nervous as a result of I knew I might pull it off, and I simply needed to wait it out and play it sensible. I knew how sturdy the opposite women have been, particularly Ella (Simpson), since I used to be teammates together with her final yr.
“It was good to get that constructive reinforcement from the automotive and the roadside, they’d each bit of religion in me. I’m actually proud to have the ability to pull it off for them.”
Her double success was a stark distinction to the place Stewart discovered herself in final yr, nursing damage and unable to race after a coaching crash left her out of the Australian summer season motion at an important juncture in her improvement. However, she rebounded rapidly, successful the Lochard Energy Warrnambool Women’s Cycling Classic on her return earlier than heading off to Europe and rapidly including a global podium to her outcomes tally with third on the lumpy 1.2 ranked Région Pays de la Loire Tour Féminin.
Those outcomes helped her safe her first contract to race in Europe, signing for 2 years with the Liv AlUla Jayco Continental group.
When Cyclingnews spoke to Stewart in December she outlined her targets for her first season with the brand new group, highlighting her intention of taking “one other step in the best path”. But on day one she has already made an enormous leap ahead as she adeptly shouldered the accountability of preventing for the all-important inexperienced and gold stripes when it turned clear the title winners would come from the early break.
“We spoke about a complete host of eventualities over the previous days and one among which was the early breakaway going and staying away. We knew there was an opportunity, and we wished illustration from any of the riders in our groups,” the Liv AlUla Jayco WorldTeam supervisor Gene Bates stated in a press release. “We saved the powder dry together with her [Stewart], saved her recent all day as we knew she was the quickest within the group.”
“We have been in all probability a bit stunned by the opposite groups that permit the hole blow out that far and that simply performed into our fingers,” added Bates. “We are actually happy to see them pull it off and notably for Lucinda to see her take this nice end in her first highway race with us. It is incredible and exquisite to win the Australian championships as an Australian registered group.”
