At the end of a dramatic Australian road race championships finale, one of the breakaway stars of the race was left shredded and walking across the finish line after a late crash. However, the drama was only starting. Crash victim Francesca Sewell was upgraded one place to gold after the 'winner' was found to be racing on an illegal bike as it was underweight (Photo: Con Chronis-Cycling Australia)
The European road racing season hasn’t started yet but things are already in full swing in Australia, where the national championships are on this weekend.
And the U19 women’s race threw up high drama just before and after the finish earlier today.
It boiled down to a two-up sprint, with one of the riders crashing in sight of the line. She was forced to run to the finish for what everyone assumed was the silver medal.
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However, the rider who crossed the line first was later disqualified. Her bike was found to be below the UCI permitted weight.
Francesca Sewell, the rider who had literally limped home wheeling her bike beside her, was upgraded from silver to gold.
And Neve Bradbury, who everyone assumed was the new Australian champion, was left with nothing.
This is something you don’t see too often - cyclist having to walk bike across the line. Tough luck for Gold Coast’s Francesca Sewell to fall and lose hope of gold in @CyclingAus #ROADNATS U19 women road race. Warm applause from spectators pic.twitter.com/fpZ8sDxjpV
— The Courier Sport (@sportcourier) January 5, 2019
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Francesca Sewell survived a fall and was then promoted after a disqualification to earn gold in the @CyclingAus #ROADNATS under-19 women road race at #Buninyong pic.twitter.com/LWnmCle12F
— The Courier Sport (@sportcourier) January 5, 2019
Luckily – if you could call it that – the weight of her bike was assessed and her disqualification announced before the podium ceremony.
The two riders had been up the road for well over half the race. They combined out front for four of the six-lap 69.6km title race around Ballarat’s Mount Buninyong.
Sewell, from the Gold Coast, suffered a chain jam just as the finish sprint began and she was dumped onto the tarmac.
There was nothing for Bradbury, from Tasmania, to do but sprint up the final couple of hundred metres to win.
However, her bike was found to be 120g under the 6.8kg regulation race bike weight, leading to her disqualification.
Tasmania’s Catelyn Turner was upgraded to silver and Victoria’s Ashlee Jones took bronze, having also been 3rd in the criterium title race on Friday.
“I’m feeling pretty great, a little bit stiff but that’s alright,” said Sewell whose race gear was shredded in the crash.
“I guess it’s just racing. You know, stuff like that happens so there’s not a whole lot you can do.
“I think that was more just adrenaline. I wanted to get second still. I do just want to say congratulations to Neve, it was a good race."
She also took the most aggressive rider award as well as the climbing and sprint jerseys.
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