Photography by Con Chronis

Photo gallery: Highlights from the 2015 Santos Women’s Tour

by Jessi Braverman

Valentina Scandolara (Orica-AIS) won the inaugural Santos Women’s Tour in Adelaide on Tuesday. She launched a late race attack on the opening stage between Woodside and Murray Bridge that gave her a small advantage over the peloton on the run-in to the finish. The Italian managed to hold off the peloton to pocket a stage win and a six second advantage. She would wear the race leader’s jersey from start to finish, taking the first general classification win of her young career.

Melissa Hoskins gave Orica-AIS further reason to celebrate when she took out the second stage of the race and moved into second overall. She would finish second on stage 3 to Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Down Under). The former two-time world champion won a small group sprint in Campbelltown to deliver Wiggle’s first and only win over four stages.

Adelaide’s Victoria Park played host to the final day of the event. The women’s field put on a show for the crowd estimated at 4,000. Hoskins handily beat out Bronzini to the line. Scandolara rounded out the stage podium, confirming her overall win.

The gallery that follows includes some of our favourite images from photographer Con Chronis and tells the story of the stage race as it unfolds.

: Holden debuted their new kit at the first NRS race of the 2015 season.

: It was the first race for the newly formed High5 Dream Team managed by Rochelle Gilmore.

: Emily Collins guest rode for SUVelo during the Santo Women’s Tour. She’ll join up with TIBCO-SVB following the Australian summer of racing.

: Valentina Scandolara (Orica-AIS) launched a perfectly timed attack on the opening stage of the Santos Women’s Tour.

: The Italian managed to hold off the peloton, crossing the line six seconds ahead of her chasers. She would maintain this lead until the final day of racing.

: Lauren Kitchen (Roxsolt) proved best of the rest, outsprinting Melissa Hoskins (Orica-AIS) for second place.

: Happy days for Australia’s only women’s UCI registered team.

: The race winning machine of Valentina Scandolara

: Melissa Hoskins was happy with her podium place on stage 1. She was released from track camp, in preparation for the upcoming 2015 Track World Championships, to join her road team at the four day series.

: Valentina Scandolara gives an interview in Murray Bridge following her stage 1 win.

: Second on the stage, Lauren Kitchen earned the green sprint jersey of points leader.

: The stage 1 podium: 1. Valentina Scandolara 2. Lauren Kitchen 3. Melissa Hoskins

: The second stage of the Santos Women’s Tour was held on the same East End Adelaide course used for the People’s Choice Classic. The women’s field enjoyed the large crowds and increased fanfare associated with the Santos Tour Down Under.

: Bridie O’Donnell (Total Rush) was active on the front of the peloton.

: Nettie Edmondson (Wiggle Down Under) snags five points in the points competition.

: The 40 minute criterium ended in a bunch kick.

: Melissa Hoskins sprinted to victory ahead of Australian national criterium champion Kimberley Wells (High5 Dream Team) and local Nettie Edmondson (Wiggle Down Under).

: The women and men shared a podium presentation in front of an estimated crowd of 90,000.

: Nettie Edmondson moved into the green sprint jersey formerly worn by Lauren Kitchen.

: Valentina Scandolara finished in the bunch to retain her race lead and six second advantage overall.

: The third stage of the Santos Women’s Tour covered roads between Tanunda to Campbelltown. The route included Checker Hill and was billed as the most selective day of the tour.

: The peloton stayed together early on before an 11 rider group escaped over Checker Hill.

: Former two-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Down Under) won stage three from Orica-AIS pair Melissa Hoskins and Valentina Scandolara.

: In a post race interview, Giorgia Bronzini expressed her surprise in surviving Checker Hill in the lead group.

: The stage 3 podium: 1. Gioriga Bronzini 2. Melissa Hoskins 3. Valentina Scandolara

: All smiles for the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under race leader. Valentina Scandolara heaped praise on her team for keeping her safe during the decisive day.

: The final stage of the Santos Women’s Tour was held at Adelaide’s Victoria Park

: The women’s peloton raced in front of crowds gathered in a gorgeous grandstand.

: There were three sprint laps and three KOM laps, which kept the early action animated. Nettie Edmondson (in green) and Loren Rowney (in red) both took points on these intermediate laps to solidify their hold on their respective jerseys.

: Orica-AIS controlled the 70 minute criterium from start to finish.

: Melissa Hoskins won stage 4 ahead of Giorgia Bronzini and Valentina Scandolara.

: It was the second stage win for Melissa Hoskins and the third for Orica-AIS over the four day stage race.

: Valentina Scandolara was thrilled to take a career-first general classification win.

: Orica-AIS won the team classification

Tags: 2015 Santos Women's Tour, Giorgia Bronzini, Loren Rowney, Melissa Hoskins, Nettie Edmondson, Orica-AIS, Valentina Scandolara

womenscyclingfan

Great photos - thanks again for the coverage. These women deserve it and more!
http://www.littlepeople.id.au Chris Little

Nice.

Any thoughts why the women’s race had no bonus seconds at the finish (unlike the men’s race)? If they were there, it might have introduced more interest in the GC, I reckon.

(PS Could we stop saying Bronzini is a ‘former’ two-time world champion? She’s straight out a two-time world champion!)
- Jessi Braverman
  
  We had a discussion about this former two-time business. While she is not the current champion, we recognise the negative connotation with ‘former’ and have thought about saying two-time world champion (2010, 2011) moving forward.
  - Dave
    
    ‘Previous’ or just ‘the 2010-11 world road race champion’ would be better than ‘former’ and cleaner than having both ‘two-time’ and the dates in brackets.
    
    The incumbent deserves the honour of being the only one referred to as just ‘the world road race champion’ without needing any clarification.
- Ryan
  
  The race was planned on very short notice (start to finish in apparently 2 months).
  
  Do agree, especially with two stages being criteriums. Hopefully next year will be different, but overall it was an impressive event. Huge crowd at Vic Park was really great to see.
  - Dave
    
    The extra day (compared to last year’s three stage race under the Santos Women’s Cup banner) would have been better if it was held on the Friday instead of the Tuesday. The resources simply don’t exist to hold road stages for both the men and women on the same day.
    
    If it must stay on the Tuesday, there may be options for a longer kermesse circuit somewhere instead of the Victoria Park crit circuit - but it would be a balancing act between going for a better circuit or staying in a conveniently central location. I wonder if somewhere in the parklands around North Adelaide could be an option.
    
    It would be excellent for the overlapping women’s tour to leave the NRS and become Australia’s only internationally classified women’s race in a couple of years time when the TDU license next comes up for renewal. The UCI should be keen to grant a longer renewal for the TDU if an international women’s road race is included in the deal.
  - http://www.littlepeople.id.au Chris Little
    
    Thanks Ryan. Agree totally about the quality of the event, too
http://www.envirosport.com.au Anoldfan

Having followed each stage of the Women’s Tour I was impressed with the racing and the event. Keep this level up and women’s racing will achieve the recognition that it will eventually deserve. All that is really needed is for the depth of top level competitors to increase so that there are enough riders to keep up the standard throughout the year. Yes great photos and it was good to see a crowd of about 3000 for the final Crit. Forgot, one thing (proved by your photos) the women have in their favour is that they are definitely easier on the eye than their male counterparts.
Bracksy

Holden has a woman’s racing team? Are they all bogans?!?!
- Dave
  
  This kind of comment is a perfect example of the reason too many companies don’t bother with women’s sport.
  
  Why bother when this is all it gets you? Better to put the same cash into upping the traditional advertising spend, or into a minor sponsorship in a more popular sport which is more likely to be a financially viable move.
  - Bracksy
    
    Dear Dave,
    
    I was just taking the piss out of Holden - I was in no way being serious.
    
    Chill bro, chill.
winkybiker

I’m kind calling BS on the 90,000 estimate for the crowd at the podium presentation. Any pictures to back that up? That is a LOT of people. Just shy of a full MCG’s worth. 2 x full SCGs.
- Dave
  
  That was the SA Police estimate of the crowd for the whole event, not just those who stuck around for the presentations.
Thomas

Big crowd at Vic Park yesterday…amazing what happens when the main event give the women a bit of publicity. The Adelaide Advertiser deserves credit for covering the race. Channel 9 Adelaide deserve derision for not mentioning it once.

Bonus seconds definitely needed, especially on a race involving crits (and I had bonus seconds). Having QOM points in a crit is a bloody joke though. Can confirm that the whole thing was arranged at the last minute and full credit to Max Stevens and his team for making it happen.
Chris

Gotta love Scandolara’s enthusiasm. First celebrating her stage win, then punching the air for both of Hoskins’ wins. Hoskins herself has some good celebratory moves, too.