Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez) claimed her second consecutive stage victory at the Santos Women's Tour Down Under, outsprinting returning champion Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) on the uphill drag to Paracombe to extend her overall lead to 14 seconds.
The 130.7 km stage from Magill featured 1,900 metres of climbing in near 40°C heat, conditions that forced several abandons including Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ). FDJ United-Suez set the pace to keep the race together for a reduced bunch sprint.
Results
Magill - Paracombe • Jan 18 • 130.7km
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Ally Marée Wollaston | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | 3:35:20 |
| 🥈 | Noemi Rüegg | EF EDUCATION - OATLYEF EDUCATION - OATLY | +00 |
| 🥉 | Josie Nelson | TEAM PICNIC POSTNLTEAM PICNIC POSTNL | +00 |
| 4 | Paula Blasi Cairol | UAE TEAM ADQUAE TEAM ADQ | +00 |
| 5 | Dominika Wlodarczyk | UAE TEAM ADQUAE TEAM ADQ | +00 |
| 6 | Ruby Roseman-Gannon | LIV-ALULA-JAYCOLIV-ALULA-JAYCO | +00 |
| 7 | Alexandra Grace Manly | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +00 |
| 8 | Nina Buijsman | HUMAN POWERED HEALTHHUMAN POWERED HEALTH | +00 |
| 9 | Fien van Eynde | FENIX-PREMIER TECHFENIX-PREMIER TECH | +00 |
| 10 | Margarita Victoria Garcia Cañellas | UAE TEAM ADQUAE TEAM ADQ | +00 |
| 11 | Amanda Spratt | LIDL - TREKLIDL - TREK | +00 |
| 12 | Olivia Baril | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +00 |
| 13 | Teuntje Beekhuis | UNO-X MOBILITYUNO-X MOBILITY | +00 |
| 14 | Sophie Edwards | UnknownUnknown | +00 |
| 15 | Marta Lach | TEAM SD WORX - PROTIMETEAM SD WORX - PROTIME | +00 |
| 16 | Neve Summer Bradbury | CANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTOCANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTO | +00 |
| 17 | Lucia Ruiz Perez | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +00 |
| 18 | Ella Wyllie | LIV-ALULA-JAYCOLIV-ALULA-JAYCO | +00 |
| 19 | Justyna Czapla | CANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTOCANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTO | +00 |
| 20 | Sarah van Dam | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKETEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | +00 |
| 21 | Lotte Claes | FENIX-PREMIER TECHFENIX-PREMIER TECH | +00 |
| 22 | Mireia Benito Pellicer | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +00 |
| 23 | Maud Oudeman | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKETEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | +00 |
| 24 | Rosita Reijnhout | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKETEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | +00 |
| 25 | Julie van de Velde | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +00 |
| 26 | Alessia Vigilia | UNO-X MOBILITYUNO-X MOBILITY | +00 |
| 27 | Ricarda Bauernfeind | LIDL - TREKLIDL - TREK | +00 |
| 28 | Paula Ostiz Taco | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +00 |
| 29 | Marie le Net | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +00 |
| 30 | Gaia Realini | LIDL - TREKLIDL - TREK | +00 |
| 31 | Erica Magnaldi | UAE TEAM ADQUAE TEAM ADQ | +10 |
| 32 | Magdeleine Vallieres Mill | EF EDUCATION - OATLYEF EDUCATION - OATLY | +10 |
| 33 | Margaux Vigie | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKETEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | +14 |
| 34 | Léa Curinier | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +20 |
| 35 | Marion Bunel | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKETEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | +20 |
| 36 | Nicole Steigenga | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +22 |
| 37 | Claire Steels | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +22 |
| 38 | Floortje Mackaij | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +22 |
| 39 | Lauren Dickson | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +22 |
| 40 | Tully Schweitzer | UnknownUnknown | +26 |
| 41 | Mikayla Harvey | TEAM SD WORX - PROTIMETEAM SD WORX - PROTIME | +26 |
| 42 | Lucie Fityus | TEAM PICNIC POSTNLTEAM PICNIC POSTNL | +44 |
| 43 | Marit Raaijmakers | HUMAN POWERED HEALTHHUMAN POWERED HEALTH | +44 |
| 44 | Amber Kraak | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +51 |
| 45 | Gaia Masetti | TEAM PICNIC POSTNLTEAM PICNIC POSTNL | +53 |
| 46 | Barbara Guarischi | TEAM SD WORX - PROTIMETEAM SD WORX - PROTIME | +53 |
| 47 | Carina Schrempf | FENIX-PREMIER TECHFENIX-PREMIER TECH | +53 |
| 48 | Alena Ivanchenko | UAE TEAM ADQUAE TEAM ADQ | +53 |
| 49 | Lauretta Hanson | LIDL - TREKLIDL - TREK | +59 |
| 50 | Loes Adegeest | LIDL - TREKLIDL - TREK | +1:02 |
| 51 | Henrietta Christie | EF EDUCATION - OATLYEF EDUCATION - OATLY | +1:02 |
| 52 | Chloe Dygert | CANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTOCANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTO | +1:03 |
| 53 | Julia Kopecký | TEAM SD WORX - PROTIMETEAM SD WORX - PROTIME | +1:08 |
| 54 | Mackenzie Coupland | LIV-ALULA-JAYCOLIV-ALULA-JAYCO | +1:08 |
| 55 | Flora Perkins | FENIX-PREMIER TECHFENIX-PREMIER TECH | +1:11 |
| 56 | Stina Kagevi | EF EDUCATION - OATLYEF EDUCATION - OATLY | +1:22 |
| 57 | Alice Towers | EF EDUCATION - OATLYEF EDUCATION - OATLY | +1:22 |
| 58 | Juliana Londoño David | TEAM PICNIC POSTNLTEAM PICNIC POSTNL | +1:22 |
| 59 | Femke Gerritse | TEAM SD WORX - PROTIMETEAM SD WORX - PROTIME | +1:39 |
| 60 | Emma Cecilie Norsgaard Bjerg | LIDL - TREKLIDL - TREK | +1:39 |
| 61 | Tiffany Cromwell | CANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTOCANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTO | +3:15 |
| 62 | Carlotta Cipressi | HUMAN POWERED HEALTHHUMAN POWERED HEALTH | +4:33 |
| 63 | Anouska Koster | UNO-X MOBILITYUNO-X MOBILITY | +4:33 |
| 64 | Josie Talbot | LIV-ALULA-JAYCOLIV-ALULA-JAYCO | +6:38 |
| 65 | Wilma Aintila | CANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTOCANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTO | +9:40 |
| 66 | Ella Heremans | TEAM PICNIC POSTNLTEAM PICNIC POSTNL | +9:40 |
| 67 | Anya Louw | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +9:40 |
| 68 | Alyssa Polites | UnknownUnknown | +10:35 |
| 69 | Sofia Bertizzolo | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +10:36 |
| 70 | Francesca Pellegrini | UNO-X MOBILITYUNO-X MOBILITY | +10:57 |
| 71 | Xaydee van Sinaey | FENIX-PREMIER TECHFENIX-PREMIER TECH | +10:57 |
| 72 | Carys Lloyd | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +13:17 |
| 73 | Julie de Wilde | FENIX-PREMIER TECHFENIX-PREMIER TECH | +15:19 |
| 74 | Fauve Bastiaenssen | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +15:19 |
How the finale unfolded
With 10 km remaining, a five-rider group containing Chloé Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto), Sarah Van Dam (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), and Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal) held 15 seconds over the peloton. Dygert attacked solo on the lower slopes of the final climb, but the combined chase from FDJ and SD Worx-Protime brought the leaders back inside the final kilometre.
Images by Zac Williams/SWpix.com
World Champion Magdeleine Vallières led out her EF Education-Oatly teammate Rüegg for the sprint, but Wollaston launched from several wheels back, overhauling the Swiss rider in the final 50 metres.
"I was really not feeling good," Wollaston said following the race finish. "In the last 10km, something just happens in the brain, and then I'm here on the front, so I am just so happy."
Classification picture
Wollaston's GC advantage sits at 14 seconds over Josie Nelson (Team Picnic PostNL) and 17 over Rüegg. The time gaps in the top 20 are small, with positions 7–20 separated by just 10 seconds.
Paula Blasi Cairol (UAE Team ADQ) leads the Queen of the Mountains classification after taking maximum points on the opening Ashton climb, while Justyna Czapla (Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto) holds the young rider's jersey.
What comes next
The Santos Tour Down Under concludes with the 126.5 km stage from Norwood to Campbelltown, featuring two ascents of the Corkscrew climb at 9.7% average gradient. The steep ramps are steeper than the earlier finishes and suit pure climbers more than punchier finishers.
Cover image by Zac Williams/SWpix.com
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