Australian team Liv AlUla Jayco has endured a tough opening stage at the women's Tour Down Under, with crashes hampering their efforts. New Zealand's Ally Wollaston of FDJ United-Suez won the stage, while the Australian team suffered multiple setbacks.
Liv AlUla Jayco came into the race after a strong performance at the Australian road cycling championships, where Ruby Roseman-Gannon won the criterium and Mackenzie Coupland clinched the elite road race. However, the team lost Amber Pate to a training crash before stage one, and a late crash on Saturday took out Roseman-Gannon and several teammates.
Georgia Baker sustained a bloodied knee and has been withdrawn from stage two. Team manager Jess Allen acknowledged the difficulties, saying, 'All the riders have been through their fair share of crashes in their careers, so when you walk away like this … it can be a lot worse. It's not what you want, but we also have two days ahead and two new opportunities to turn things around.'
The Tour continues on Sunday with a 130.7km stage from Norwood to Paracombe in the Adelaide Hills. Wollaston may not retain the overall lead due to climbing, but she is determined to defend the ochre jersey. 'I will try and do it justice — it would be rude not to. You have to respect a jersey like this in the WorldTour. We'll do everything tomorrow as a team to keep this jersey in the team,' she said.
Italian Alessia Vigilia, now with Uno-X Mobility after leaving FDJ, impressed with a 100km solo break that was caught only within 300m of the finish. She remains upbeat about her form and new team, stating, 'It's really nice to feel that we work well. It's hard to arrive here and adapt to the jet lag and heat. So this is a good sign that we are prepared and we will show it again.'
