Tour of Tasmania | SBS Women's Preview

The SBS Women’s League has seen strong competition at the front end of the peloton throughout the League so far and the Tour of Tasmania should be no different. With a variety of terrain across the four stages, anyone looking to take the Tour title will need to bring a wide range of skills to succeed. 

The Stage 4 summit finish up the Golden Valley climb will be decisive and likely decide the GC amongst the riders in contention. League leader Talia Appleton (Praties Cycling Team) has shown remarkable versatility so far this season and with a strong team around her comes in as the number 1 favourite. Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Ziptrak Racing) sits only a single point behind Appleton and will have taken a strong boost of confidence following her win at the Women’s Warrnambool classic. An excellent climber and time trialist, Nicholson is expected to put in a strong showing this weekend. Nicholson’s team-mate Alli Anderson and also Alyssa Polites (Meridian Blue p/b 99 Bikes) will be riders to watch. Both possess the skill sets and ability needed to challenge for the overall win across the range of stages we will see.

A number of strong climbing specialists will also be present and look to make their mark on Stage 4 and the challenge for the overall win. Sophia Sammons (Praties Cycling Team) put in a strong performance in the SA Kick-It Stage 1 Willunga Time Trial and has been putting in the hard yards while preparing for Round 3. Hannah Gianatti (ARA Skip Capital) is a strong contender for the u19 classification, a strong climber and very capable on the tricky stages, she will be one to watch.

Two main sprinters are expected to go head-to-head in the Stage 1 criterium, Sophie Marr (Praties Cycling Team) and Keely Bennett (Meridian Blue p/b 99 Bikes). Both have shown excellent speed at the finish and bring strong teams to the Apple Isle.