Watch the Mitchelton Tour of Gippsland on SBS On Demand, with daily highlights up from the men's and women's NRS, and Stage 3 streamed live on SBS On Demand and the SBS Cycling Central Facebook page from 11.40 AEDT on Tuesday.
The track star delivered in style, following an attack over the top of the final climb, before sprinting to the win ahead of Amber Pate (Inform TMX Make) and Josie Talbot (Sydney Uni-Staminade).
Plouffe revealed that she had to dig deep to put herself in a position to win after being left behind by the pace on the climbs halfway through the race.
“I was actually dropped in the middle of the race, that was terrifying, but we rode back on and managed to recover,” said Plouffe. “That last climb, there was a big attack on that steep bit at the end of the climb and I just used that track power to bridge on over, I knew there was only a minute or so left. I just ran in the wheel for the last kilometre or two, I didn’t touch the wind.
“I tried not to sprint too early this time, I’ve gotten into a bad habit of sprinting with 500 metres to go, I toned it down on this one and waited until 200.”
The first two laps of the race were kept together in the women’s event, with the short-lived attacks of Alyssa Polites (Sydney Uni-Staminade) particularly prominent as the rising star of the sport tried to force a move clear.
Attacks continued to flow and were stymied, with the most likely looking split forming over the top of the main climb on the second lap, but the main contenders were all back within a chance for the win as they entered the finale 27-kilometre lap of the picturesque Woolamai circuit.
Alyssa Polites during NRS Womens Tour of Gippsland Stage 1 Woolamai Circuit Road Race, Sunday, February 13, 2022. Source: Con Chronis / Tour of Gippsland
The decisive move came at the top of the final climb, with just a rapid descent and the flat run into the finish remaining. Plouffe was able to latch and delivered a powerhouse sprint from the front of the group to win, holding off Pate and Talbot to win in style, with Courtney Sherwell (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) and Georgia Howe (Knights of Surburbia) also finishing in the front group.
13 riders sit within 28 seconds of the overall race lead off Plouffe, with a number of teams no doubt looking to reverse that equation as they tackle Mount Misery on Stage 2 of the Mitchelton Wines Tour of Gippsland.
Isabelle Carnes (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) took out the final sprint with a decisive margin over Bronte Stewart (Sydney Uni-Staminade) after the pair had together established a two-minute lead over the rest of the competitors.
Watch the Mitchelton Tour of Gippsland on SBS On Demand, with daily highlights up from the men's and women's NRS, and Stage 3 streamed live on SBS On Demand and the SBS Cycling Central Facebook page from 11.40 AEDT on Tuesday.
