Chloé Dygert once again showcased her versatility and progress in bunch finishes with a superb second place in the Surf Coast Classic, finishing behind the classy Ally Wollaston (TFS) while out-powering several notable sprinters.

This podium adds to an already impressive collection of performances in Australia, complementing her Tour Down Under stage win and a fourth-place finish at the Schwalbe Classic over the past two Sundays.

“Of course, it’s not easy to lose, but sprinting is still not my main focus or forte, so I’m happy that I’m learning. To get fourth last week and now second, I’m making steady gains and improvements. Hopefully, in the next few sprints, I can really apply these lessons and eventually pull off a win.”

Although it was touted as a day for the sprinters, the race did begin with a challenging 10-kilometre climb that gained 437 metres in elevation, putting riders on alert to perhaps expect the unexpected. Chloé says that despite being difficult, the climb didn’t end up having a major impact on her, but did affect the overall plan of the team.

“On the opening climb, Team UAE ADQ were throwing off a bunch of attacks, so it was a little harder than I had anticipated, but almost all the sprinters made it over. Once we reached the top, I assumed that it was going to come down to a sprint.”

“The team plan was ideally for Maike (van der Duin) to do the sprint, but due to a mishap on the early climb, she got caught behind. She managed to come back, but our plan then changed halfway through the race. In the end, we went for the sprint with me and ended up second, so it was still a good day.”

After negotiating the opening kilometres, the race remained tough. There was constant pressure from rolling roads, the ever-present threat of crosswinds, and other teams on the look out for opportunities to make a difference. Despite efforts to break things up, the race ultimately culminated in the expected bunch sprint.

“The wind played a bigger role than we expected, but nothing major happened other than some crosswinds that had the peloton strung out in the gutter. In the finish, the wind made positioning especially important so because of that, we made a conscious decision to make sure that I had the best position as far front as possible. Maike and Alice stayed behind and made sure that I was well-placed on a strong train for the final sprint.”

Chloé surfed the wheels in what was a very quick and frenetic final few kilometres, propelled by a tailwind and a slight descent that stretched out the bunch as they approached the line.

“That was super ideal for me, the faster and harder and the more strong it is, the better for me. I don’t know if I would have beaten Ally if I had a lead out, but it was fast and people were out of the way, so that’s good for me.”

The UCI 1.1 race serves as a lead-up to Sunday’s UCI 1.WWT Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, an event that Chloé has a particularly keen eye on.

“I did this race in 2017, so I actually went back and looked at my Training Peaks the other day. The race was only three hours and 15 minutes back then, so it’s going to be a bit longer this time. I finished ninth. Annemiek (van Vleuten) won from a breakaway, and I was third in the bunch sprint behind Kirsten Wild. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed the race last time.”

“The course suits me really well. And, you know, coming here with the team we have—we’re really strong, we work really well together, so I think we’ll have a solid race. We have a few options.”

HOW TO FOLLOW

The Women’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race kicks off at 12:40 PM, or 2:40AM CEST, on Saturday, February 1. It will be broadcast live from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM AEDT on 7 and 7plus in Australia, as well as on Discovery+ and Flobikes internationally.

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