- By Marianne Werz Obrien

The 2004 Geelong Tour

Pro women from around the world will gather in Australia February 22 – 25, 2004 for the Geelong Tour. This race is a perfect lead up to the opening round of the UCI Women’s World Cup in Geelong, which is held only four days later. Last year Australian road champion Olivia Gollan won the premiere edition of this race. 

A field of 75 racers from around the world contested this event in 2003 but the Australian women dominated. In fact, the Aussie women not only swept the podium but also claimed seven out of the top ten spots in the final GC!

There has been a major change to the format of the tour this year. It has grown from three stages to four in order to include an Individual Time Trial stage in addition to the already existing Criterium, Road Circuit, and Road Race stages.

The crème de la crème of women’s elite will be racing here this year.  Among the riders competing is Mirjam Melchers, UCI ranked 2nd best road racer last year and her nemesis on the road Judith Arndt (UCI rank 3). Both of these women consistently finish on the podium in World Cup races. Judith Arndt took 2nd in the World Road TT Championships in Hamilton last fall, while Melchers took 2nd in the Worlds Road Race!

Australia will be represented by returning champion Olivia Gollan (UCI rank 12), Sara Carrigan (UCI 10), and Oenone Wood (UCI 18). Olivia is no slouch in time trials, she won the ITT stage in last years Trophee d’Or, and she is also the 2003 Aussie Road Race champion. Sara Carrigan scored 6 wins in 2003, her first year as a pro rider. Included in those wins are the WC Geelong and the 2003 National Time Trial championship!

Already in 2004 Oenone Wood has won the Canberra tour and both the National Individual Time Trial and the National Road Race. She is the first woman to take both titles in the same year in almost a decade!

T-Mobiles women are going to be out in force, with the top UCI ranked American rider Dede Barry (UCI 20), & the top ranked American rider in WC events Kristen Armstrong ably supported by Kim Bruckner, Lynn Gaggioli, Amber Neben & Stacey Peters. 

One hundred of the world’s finest female riders will take to the road on Sunday in a race against the clock. It will be interesting to see what impact the individual time trial stage will have on the final results. Will the Australian women retain their utter dominance, or will this new format open up the results a bit?

Meanwhile Australia’s Olivia Gollan (UCI rank 12), a 30 year-old former schoolteacher, will be hoping for a repeat victory in this year’s race.

The Stages: 

(To view maps & descriptions, click on the stage link)

February 22nd Stage 1 – Portarlington - Individual Time Trial, 8km

February 23rd Stage 2 – Botanic Gardens Criterium (1km circuit), 30km

February 24th Stage 3 – Barwon Heads Road Circuit (10km circuit), 80km

February 25th Stage 4 - Lara Road Race, 115km

View the official website here.

Results of the 1st Geelong Tour  - 2003

1 Olivia Gollan (A I S)            6.38.51

2 Katie Mactier (V I S)                0.53

3 Margaret Hemsley (Nurnb. V)   0.58

4 Miriam Melchers (World)          1.06

5 Sara Carrigan (Powerplate)       1.07

6 Alison Wright (Road Racer)       1.12

7 Rosalind Reekie-May (N Z)        1.15

8 Kimberley Bruckner (T Mobile)   1.19

9 Hayley Rutherford (Road Racer) 1.20

10 Kym Shirley (Road Racer)         1.26

Geelong Women's Tour Startlist

AIS AUSTRALIA            

1 Olivia Gollan                      

2 Natalie Bates                     

3 Lorian Graham                 

4 Amy Safe                           

5 Naomi Williams                     

6 Oenone Wood

QUEENSLAND ACADEMY OF SPORT

11 Sara Carrigan

12 Jennifer Findlay

13 Anna Perrin

14 Candice Sullivan

15 Hannah Banks

TEAM NÜRNBERGER     

21 Judith Arndt                 

22 Margaret Hemsley                 

23 Madelaine Lindberg          

24 Jessica Phillips             

25 Petra Rossner                 

26 Trixi Worrack           

TEAM SATS

31 Rochelle Gilmore

32 Emma James

33 Manon Jutras

34 Meredith Miller

35 Karina Sorensen

36 Sara Symington

TEAM - T MOBILE TTF              

41 Kristin Armstrong                

42 Dierdre Barry                    

43 Kimberley Bruckner       

44 Lynn Gaggioli            

45 Amber Neben      

46 Stacey Peters

GREAT BRITAIN

51 Emma Davies

52 Nina Davies

53 Charlotte Goldsmith

54 Caroline James

55 Frances Newstead

UKRAINE                              

61 Iryna Chuzhynova            

62 Valentyna Karpenko     

63 Kateryna Krasova       

64 Oxana Kashchyshyna      

65 Iryna Simonova          

66 Tatana Stiajkina      

FRF COURIERS

71 Laura Bortolozzi

72 Natasha Harrigan

73 Kate Nichols

74 Christine Riakos

75 Jessica Ridder

76 Zoe Southwell

NSW INSTITUTE of SPORT 

81 Leonie Aisbett             

82 Katherine Bates               

83 Katie Brown                  

84 Jessie Maclean                  

85 Alexis Rhodes                     

JAPAN

91 Miyoko Karami

92 Akemi Morimoto

93 Miho Oki

94 Ayuu Otsuka

95 Hiroko Shimada

NEW ZEALAND                

101 Johanna Buick                  

102 Melissa Holt                   

103 Joanne Kiesanowski              

104 Susy Pryde                  

105 Rosalind Reekie - May          

106 Sarah Ulmer                 

TEAM AVANTI

111 Nadine Boyle

112 Toni Bradshaw

113 Michelle Kiesanowski

114 Kirsty Robb

115 Susie Wood

116 Michelle Hyland

BODY TORQUE                         

121 Linda Capello            

122 Kerryn Charman                 

123 Cristine Foster               

124 Karen Hopkinson                  

125 Jenny Macpherson             

126 Narrelle Peterson

THE FREEDOM MACHINE

131 Kirsty Bortilin

132 Bridgett Evans

133 Louisa Judd

134 Emma Rickards

135 Kathy Watt

JAYCO                    

141 Belinda Goss                   

142 Helen Kelly           

143 Katie Mactier                    

144 Tina Mayola Pic           

145 Elizabeth Williams           

146 Louise Yaxley                    

WORLD TEAM

151 Nicole Freedman

152 Tanja Hennes

153 Mrijam Melchers

154 Emi Onoyama

155 Julie Pekarkova

156 Deiree Schuler

NOBILI - FANINI MIXED TEAM

161 Cathy Marsal

162 Hayley Rutherford

163 Kim Shirley

164 Alison Wright