Watch the Mitchelton Tour of Gippsland on SBS On Demand, with daily highlights up from the men's and women's NRS, and Stage 3 streamed live on SBS On Demand and the SBS Cycling Central Facebook page.
It was a strong sprint after such a hard day’s racing, with Richards ecstatic with the result.
"Heaps of fun! A lot of tactics came into play because it was three versus two and then three on one with Bridgelane so really had to play the game a bit," said Richards, "and even risk losing it to be there at the end but it was all good."
Richards will hold the overall race lead heading into a tricky course for Stage 2 departing from and finishing at Inverloch, with three rivals very close on the general classification.
"I knew it was going to get hard towards the back end of the race," said Richards, "when that first break went, we were pretty relaxed because we knew Angus was in there it was goo for later in the day, but when it came back we knew we had to have numbers in there."
Earlier in the day, a group of five broke away on the first lap to form a dangerous combination of Ben Carman (Nero Continental), Brenton Jones (Inform TMX Make), Ben Metcalfe (Team Bridgelane), Angus Lyons (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) and Will Moloney-Morton (CycleHouse), building up a lead of three minutes through the first lap.
A strong chase from the main bunch quickly diminished the lead of the front five, rapidly hauling in the escapees on the second of four hilly circuits of the 27-kilometre course around Woolamai.
Brenton Jones during NRS Mens Tour of Gippsland Stage 1 Woolamai Circuit Road Race, Sunday, February 13, 2022. Source: Con Chronis / Tour of Gippsland
What would turn out to be the winning move surged clear midway through the race, with five riders jumping clear after the early breakaway had been dragged back. Angus Lyons (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast), Richards, Cooper Sayers (Nero Continental), Liam Johnston (Inform TMX Make), Alastair Christie-Johnston, Jean Pierre Van der Merwe (both Team Bridgelane), were joined by a bridging pair of Cyrus Monk (CycleHouse) and National Road Series leader James Whelan (Team Bridgelane) to form an impressive front group.
With three laps to go the octet had a slim lead but pushed out their advantage over the peloton until the effort gave out in the chase, with the front riders battling it out for the stage win and early favouritism in the battle for the overall Mitchelton Tour of Gippsland victory.
Bridgelane looked to take a stranglehold on the race as Van der Merwe and Christie-Johnston jumped clear at the start of the fourth and final 27-kilometre lap with Whelan following behind. Lyons buried himself for Richards to drag the escaped pair back, with Whelan getting his chain stuck in the bottom bracket and having to stop before attempting to chase back on.
Richards, Monk and Johnston made the most of the situation to jump away on the final loop of climbs, with Whelan chasing behind. The trio came into the finish, with Monk dropping off just at the end as Richards launched a long sprint, overpowering Johnston to the line for his first NRS victory of his career.
James Whelan during NRS Mens Tour of Gippsland Stage 1 Woolamai Circuit Road Race, Sunday, February 13, 2022. Source: Con Chronis / Tour of Gippsland
“We rode really well in the first few laps, we were in every move. Unfortunately, in that final lap I dropped my chain and it was stuck in the bottom bracket. I lost a bit of time I think about ten second (25 seconds with time bonuses), not a complete disaster but frustrating not to be able to pull it off after all the work the team put it, but I’m still in there for GC.”
In the men's under-19 race, a superb solo attack from William Eaves (TIS Racing) clinched the win with his bold move, with fellow Tasmanian Campbell Palmer finishing second, with Hamish McKenzie (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) in third.
Watch the Mitchelton Tour of Gippsland on SBS On Demand, with daily highlights up from the men's and women's NRS, and Stage 3 streamed live on SBS On Demand and the SBS Cycling Central Facebook page.
