“We won the stage before, the idea was to do the exact same thing today,” Scott said.
“The plan was to stay together with my teammates, other riders normally give you a bit of room when you’re on your teammates’ wheel.”
Teammate Richards didn’t shirk working for Scott, and was rarely far from the front of the peloton in the battle for position.
“I figured if we tried to go for the stage win, I’d be up there anyway and I’d be ok in the general classification. Kill two birds," Richards explained.
Richards crossed the line with the fight for the general classification all sewn up and was able to celebrate with his squad after three days of hard racing on the Bass Coast.
“The team rode super well,” Richards said. “I had some good form coming off TDU (Festival of Cycling) and nationals, so it was good to put that to use.
“It’s been heaps of fun, it’s been good to have a few hard climbs. We’re heading from here to the Melbourne to Warrnambool now, it will be a different style of race, a bit longer.
"I think there’s going to be a big game of scissors-paper-rock to see who’s leader,” Richards joked. “I think it will be whoever’s good on the day.”
The men’s race got off to a controlled start with ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast setting a hard tempo to dissuade any attacks with arguably the teammate of the Tour, Angus Lyons, producing another top-tier ride at the front of the main bunch.
After 20 minutes of racing, there was an attack of four riders with Aidan Buttigieg (Nero Continental), Will Golding (Onyva), Sam Eddy (Team Bridgelane) and Daniel Luke (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) jumping clear of the peloton.
The quartet only ever enjoyed a slim advantage, with the inexorable Lyons at the head of the peloton, eventually dragging the escapees back into the fold.
A series of small attacks from there were covered and the race looked set for a sprint to decide the stage.
Nero Continental tried to take control of the race from a few laps out, but it was Inform and ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine who resumed their battle from the previous stage to deliver Brenton Jones and Scott, respectively, to the final sprint in perfect position.
Jones took it out early, leading around the final corner, but it was Scott who had the strength to come around the former National Criterium champion to secure his second stage win in two days - a clean sweep at the Tour of Gippsland for the men’s ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast team.
The final race of the women’s Under-19s was typical of the entire Tour; an attacking affair that saw a strong group of four get up the road and contest the final sprint, with Belinda Bailey claiming her second win of the Tour.
Overall, it was Isabelle Carnes (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) who triumphed by virtue of her big Stage 1 win, with Bronte Stewart (Sydney Uni-Staminade) second just six seconds behind and Talia Appleton (99 Bikes Women’s Academy) over two minutes behind in third.
The Under-19 men’s race was an aggressive race with constant surges at the front and small groups and individuals trying their luck.
In the end it was a strong sprint from Hamish McKenzie (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) that saw him take the finish ahead of Oscar Chamberlain (CCS Cycling) and Luke Tuckwell.
The overall title went to William Eaves after his successful long-range solo move on Stage 1, with McKenzie second and William Heffernan third.
