The Bay Crits are Back for 2019
With a new naming rights partner The Lexus of Blackburn Bay Classic or the ‘Bay Crits’ as it is affectionately known, has been the event that kicks off the cycling year for more than 27 years.
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Race Director and Event Founder, John Trevorrow said that he realises how important the series is to Australian cyclists and it’s fantastic that we have been able to breath new life into the iconic event with a fabulous new sponsor in Lexus of Blackburn.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ryan family who have been the naming rights partner of the Bay Classic for nearly 20 years and am pleased to announce that, although they have passed the baton on to Lexus of Blackburn, they are staying on as a major partner.
The Bay Classic has been an innovator over the years - taking the race to the people was what it is all about. Recognised by National and International participants as the fastest criterium series in the world, the bay Crits have hosted some of the world’s biggest teams such as Spanish powerhouse Once and French team Credit Agricole back when that just didn't happen in Australia. The superstars of Australian cycling cut their teeth in the Bay Crits. Names such as Cadel Evans, Stuart O'Grady, Robbie McEwen, Brad McGee, Baden Cooke and in the women's Kathy Watt, Anna Wilson, Oenone Wood, Rochelle Gilmore and Tracey Gaudry.
In the early days, it was Gary Sutton who showed his class and many may not know this, but the Bay Crits was the only race Phil Anderson ever rode in Australia after he turned professional in 1980 until he retired in 1993. It was also the first event to offer equal prizemoney to women. In more recent times we have seen the rise and rise of Caleb Ewan, who first starred as a 17 year old and Brenton Jones who worked on the event as a youngster, before going on to win the series in 2014. The women’s event has blossomed over recent years with some of the best criterium racing seen anywhere in the world on show right here in Victoria. The quality fields have seen top ladies such as Melissa Hoskins, Chloe Hosking, Gracie Elvin and Italian stars Giorgia Bronzini and Valentina Scandolara take exciting victories.
Events such as the Bay Cycling Classic just don’t happen. It takes a strong team and some quality partners to make a truly great event. The Bay Classic has had that in spades.
“I would like to congratulate the team at GTR Events for helping elevate the race in recent years and to sincerely thank our commercial partners, local council partners and State Government, most who have been with us for many years, and look forward to working with you all again in the coming years”
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ryan family who have been the naming rights partner of the Bay Classic for nearly 20 years and am pleased to announce that, although they have passed the baton on to Lexus of Blackburn, they are staying on as a major partner.
The Bay Classic has been an innovator over the years - taking the race to the people was what it is all about. Recognised by National and International participants as the fastest criterium series in the world, the bay Crits have hosted some of the world’s biggest teams such as Spanish powerhouse Once and French team Credit Agricole back when that just didn't happen in Australia. The superstars of Australian cycling cut their teeth in the Bay Crits. Names such as Cadel Evans, Stuart O'Grady, Robbie McEwen, Brad McGee, Baden Cooke and in the women's Kathy Watt, Anna Wilson, Oenone Wood, Rochelle Gilmore and Tracey Gaudry.
In the early days, it was Gary Sutton who showed his class and many may not know this, but the Bay Crits was the only race Phil Anderson ever rode in Australia after he turned professional in 1980 until he retired in 1993. It was also the first event to offer equal prizemoney to women. In more recent times we have seen the rise and rise of Caleb Ewan, who first starred as a 17 year old and Brenton Jones who worked on the event as a youngster, before going on to win the series in 2014. The women’s event has blossomed over recent years with some of the best criterium racing seen anywhere in the world on show right here in Victoria. The quality fields have seen top ladies such as Melissa Hoskins, Chloe Hosking, Gracie Elvin and Italian stars Giorgia Bronzini and Valentina Scandolara take exciting victories.
Events such as the Bay Cycling Classic just don’t happen. It takes a strong team and some quality partners to make a truly great event. The Bay Classic has had that in spades.
“I would like to congratulate the team at GTR Events for helping elevate the race in recent years and to sincerely thank our commercial partners, local council partners and State Government, most who have been with us for many years, and look forward to working with you all again in the coming years”
2019 Broadcast Details
SBS and Foxsports have both been confirmed as preferred broadcasters of the Lexus of Blackburn Bay Classic.
In what is sure to be a popular move, SBS's Cycling Central Facebook page will also deliver a livestream of the racing each day.
SBS will also air a high-powered highlights package in the lead up to the Men's and Women's Road Races as part of their Fed Uni Australia Road Nationals broadcast on Saturday January 4.
Foxsports will broadcast Lexus of Blackburn Bay Classic highlights on pay-tv.
SBS nightly news and Foxsports news will have daily race highlights, with other free-to-air networks also likely to include the action in their bulletins.
Race Director John Trevorrow - " We are excited to be delivering fast racing to a global audience via SBS Cycling Central Facebook live. The Lexus Bay Classic is charging strongly towards it's fourth decade and we continue to utilise fresh technology to take our cycling stars to new audiences"
Radio grabs are set to be available at the conclusion of each day's racing.
In what is sure to be a popular move, SBS's Cycling Central Facebook page will also deliver a livestream of the racing each day.
SBS will also air a high-powered highlights package in the lead up to the Men's and Women's Road Races as part of their Fed Uni Australia Road Nationals broadcast on Saturday January 4.
Foxsports will broadcast Lexus of Blackburn Bay Classic highlights on pay-tv.
SBS nightly news and Foxsports news will have daily race highlights, with other free-to-air networks also likely to include the action in their bulletins.
Race Director John Trevorrow - " We are excited to be delivering fast racing to a global audience via SBS Cycling Central Facebook live. The Lexus Bay Classic is charging strongly towards it's fourth decade and we continue to utilise fresh technology to take our cycling stars to new audiences"
Radio grabs are set to be available at the conclusion of each day's racing.
Scandolara, Bibby take stage 1 honours at the 2017 Bay Crits - Cycling Tips
1/1/2017
GEELONG, Australia (CT) – The Australian summer of cycling is officially underway at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic and it was the international riders that took the honours on the first day of racing.
Italy’s Valentina Scandolara (Ale) and the UK’s Ian Bibby (Condor JLT) emerged victorious from stage 1 of the “Bay Crits” in Geelong, the former adding to her stage success at last year’s event and the latter taking a surprise victory after the big-name favourites crashed out on the final corner of the men’s race.
Scandolara’s Ale Cycling Team were one of three outfits in seemingly every move throughout the elite women’s race, with local team Orica-Scott (formerly Orica-AIS) and US-based Hagens Berman – Supermint also very active.
After a round of salvos from the big teams in the early stages, the race’s first decisive move came roughly two-thirds of the way through its 45 minutes. Orica-Scott pair Annemiek van Vleuten and Jess Allen got clear with Scandolara for company before a strong chase group of four came across: Peta Mullens (Hagens Berman – Supermint), Chloe Hosking (Ale), Sarah Roy and Amanda Spratt (both Orica-Scott).
Orica-Scott had four of the seven riders in the lead group and it was no surprise when Spratt soon attacked. She had Hosking for company — a promising move — but the pair were soon caught.
An attack with less than 10 minutes to go saw Allen, Shannon Malseed (Holden Women’s Cycling) and Scandolara get clear of the field. The trio would go on to maintain their gap through to the end with Scandolara taking a comfortable win, followed by Malseed and then Allen.
Getting up the road had been Ale Cycling’s plan when the day began.
“It was just a matter of making sure we were in the breakaway and me or Chloe [Hosking] or the other strong girls had to make sure to be there,” Scandolara said. “In the last corner I made sure I took it first so then I could manage my sprint and do what I wanted.
“First of January, first win — hopefully it will be a good year.”
Scandolara’s victory comes nearly a year after her win in the Portarlington stage of last year’s Bay Crits. The three-stage race heads to that particular bayside town tomorrow for stage 2 with Scandolara in the overall leader’s jersey.
The elite men’s race appeared to be following a familiar script to previous editions with Orica-Scott (formerly Orica-BikeExchange) controlling proceedings for Caleb Ewan. The 22-year-old had won the Bay Crits’ opening stage the past two years (on his way to overall victory both years) and a total of three times on the Richie Boulevard circuit. He sat in fourth or fifth wheel for seemingly all of today’s stage, tucked in behind his hard-working teammates.
After an initial flurry of attacks in the opening half of the race, it was Cameron Bayly (Isowhey Sports-SwissWellness) that got clear solo after roughly 25 minutes. In his first race for the Tasmanian-based outfit, Bayly built a lead that peaked at 15 seconds and stayed clear of the chasers for the next half hour.
Orica-Scott, through the hard work of Luke Durbridge and Michael Hepburn, eventually closed down Bayly’s long solo escape with just three laps remaining in the hour-long race. A crash on the back straight with a little over two laps to go wasn’t the first spill of the day, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Caleb Ewan hit the front on the back straight of the final lap before a crash on the final corner took out he and other favourites, including Scott Sunderland (IsoWhey Sports-SwissWellness). Ian Bibby, in his first race for Condor JLT, emerged from that final corner with only a couple of riders around him, and was able to hold of Jesse Kerrison (IsoWhey Sports-SwissWellness) and teammate Matt Gibson to take an unlikely victory.
“We were working for Brenton [Jones] to be honest,” Bibby said. “[I] did a good turn, got in position and sort of sat up and there was only six or seven left [in the final lap].
“And then they all went really hot into that corner and they all went down. Come out and I thought ‘best get my head down’. It was a bit of luck — it’s a shame they all crashed but I suppose that’s bike racing.”
