The team at InForm TMX MAKE had an incredibly successful week of riding at the 2022 Santos Festival of Cycling.

With the Women’s team arriving first, Eloise Sandow, Carlee Taylor, Matilda Raynolds, Elizabeth Nuspan, Ella Bloor and Chelsea Holmes, settled in and began preparation for the Women’s Ziptrack Stage One.

Women’s Stage One

Ziptrak Stage 1 began in Tenunda. Chatting to Carlee Taylor before the race she exclaimed “We are at stage one here in Tenunda, about to get things underway. I am so excited as this is the first time I am riding with my teammates in InForm TMX MAKE”. The picturesque 85.4km stage took place in the historic Barossa region. It was a wet day with on and off rain, causing havoc in the bunch throughout the stage. Carlee Taylor and Matilda Raynolds used the climb to attack hard and stay in front of the other riders. The sprint finish saw Matilda Raynolds put in a good fight, placing 4th in stage one.

Women’s Stage Two

The Westpac stage two began with 3km of neutral riding around Willunga. Nathan Elliot, the women’s DS stated “There is a bit of gravel in this stage, it could make things interesting” and interesting it was. Testing the legs early in the race, there was a long climb early up Peters Creek Road through the Kuitpo Forest before descending into the Mt Barker area. This stage our riders tackled a 2.8-kilometer section of dirt and gravel, sadly, Chelsea Holmes hit a pothole in the gravel sending her handlebars rogue. Our riders had some bad luck on this stage, getting caught up behind multiple crashes. They never doubted themselves and stayed strong throughout the stage. Matilda Raynolds finished successfully with the top bunch, taking away 7th place.

Women’s Stage Three

The women’s final stage, started and finished in Lobethal with 86.9km ahead of them. Finally, the sun was shining. The Be Safe Be Seen Stage 3 was the longest stage of the race. With more gravel in the mix. Our women came into their own on this day, rolling turns for each-other and controlling the bunch throughout the race. A Butterflields rider attacked early, riding on her own to create a break. Ella Bloor put in an incredible effort to try and catch her, however it was just too late. Carlee Taylor attacked the QOM climb, her specialty. It was a close finish with Matilda Raynolds in the mix again. The end of this stage wrapped up the road races successfully.

Criterium

InForm TMX MAKE men joined the team on the 26th of January. The criterium concluded the women’s racing and kicked off the mens. With the circuit amongst the City of Adelaide Festival Village.

It was a clear and warm night, with lights shining over the city. The women rolled out at 6pm and took to the circuit. It was a fast and furious hour for the women but they stayed right on the ball. Chelsea Holmes put in an attack at the midway point, making room for Matilda Raynolds and Carlee Taylor to move to the front. The women finished the race well, with Matilda Raynolds close behind in the final sprint.

The men rolled out shortly after with their racing taking off at 7:30pm. Our Men’s team saw Brenton Jones, Blake Quick, Rudy Porter, Carter Turnbull, Josh Duffy, Tristan Saunders and Conor Leahy It was an aggressive start to the mens crit, however, our riders were in fine form. Josh Duffy was the first to control the bunch, with Tristan Saunders close behind ready to put in an attack. A break of two got away but there was know fear in InForms eyes. As the race went on Rudy Porter and Carter Turnbull put in attacks and the bunch began to get aggressive. The final lap saw the famous duo. Brenton Jones the lead out man for Blake Quick, leading him to victory.

Men’s Stage One

The Men’s Ziptrak Stage 1 kicked off from the beautiful Stirling and was set to head to Lobethal, a fantastic opening stage. Men’s DS Pat Lane stated at the beginning of the race “ We are riding up and around Stirling today, it’s very hot, but we have nice grippy roads to get us going” It was an unexpectedly hot day, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees before 11am. The race rolled out and early attacks saw Rudy Porter and Conor Leahy in the break. Carter Turnbull found his way across as the race went on. The blaring sun unfortunately got to most of the riders, making it difficult to execute the moves we would have hoped. The InForm men still gave it their all and completed the stage successfully after 114km in the heat.

Men’s Stage Two

Onto the next stage, the Men’s Westpac Stage Two featuring Mt Lofty, with weather much more forgivable than stage one. The riders had a beautifully scenic start at the Mount Lofty Summit Carpark, with a long decent to get the race started. A break of 6 went off the bunch early and unfortunately out men were not apart of the break. However, as they rolled back into Woodside we saw Rudy Porter, Carter Turnbull, Tristan Saunders, Conor Leahy and Josh Duffy take control of the bunch, rolling turns and inching their way back to the break of 2.5 minutes. In the final lap of Woodside, heading to the finish the bunch had brought the break back. With just 1km to go the break was caught and we saw the famous duo make their way to the front. Another incredible lead out by Brenton Jones which allowed Blake Quick to dominate Stage Two. It was a finish that will be remembered and Quick was able to revel in his second win for the week.

Men’s Stage Three

After the thrilling day before. The Men’s Be Safe Be Seen Stage Three was looming and it was the epic Willunga Hill climb. A beautiful 25 degrees and support all around McLaren Vale as the famous stage prepared to roll out. The men were calm and collected heading into this stage, with a plan to keep Rudy Porter and Carter Turnbull fresh for the famous Willunga climb. The peloton will flew past hectares of vineyards and along the Aldinga Beach esplanade. The race unfortunately got away from the bunch and a break of 4 minutes formed. Some unfortunate luck saw Blake Quick hit the tarmac with 30km’s to go, with nothing stopping him, he was back to the front and ready to ride for his teammates. As we reached the final climb before the epic finisher and the iconic Willunga Hill, the bunch was working tirelessly to bring back the big break. Rudy Porter and Carter Turnbull smashed the WIllunga climb, yet unfortunately could not make it back to the break.

It was an all time week with InForm TMX MAKE in Adelaide and we are looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store for us.