In horse racing parlance, Sam de Ritter and Ruby Roseman Gannon were hard ridden and under the stick with a furlong to go.
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They looked cooked and the Bendigo Women’s Madison title was slipping from their grasp.
de Ritter and Roseman Gannon led the Madison by just one point heading into the final sprint of the 50-lap race.
Chile’s Catalina Soto and Victorian Emma Pane were in the box seat to pinch the crown after de Ritter and Roseman Gannon lost touch with the leading group inside the final lap.
Somehow Roseman Gannon found another gear.
From 30m behind the leaders, Roseman Gannon chased hard and finished third in the final sprint.
More importantly, she passed nearest rivals Soto and Pane to cement the Madison title.
“I was extremely lucky to have such a great sprinter in Ruby as my partner,’’ a relieved de Ritter, who was riding her first Madison, said.
“I just went as hard as I could (in the last lap),’’ Roseman Gannon added.
“I wasn’t really thinking about anything. I just rode as hard as I could. I wasn’t sure when I went over the line if we won the race or not, but once they announced we’d won it was an amazing feeling.”
White de Ritter was a Madison rookie, Roseman Gannon is a world junior champion in the event.
The Victorian duo relished the challenge of the big race.
“I’m not a massive sprinter, so when I saw a few opportunities in the race to get a break I tried to take advantage and get points that way,’’ de Ritter said.
“We thought we’d get better as the race went on, so our plan was to put the pressure on the other riders,’’ Roseman Gannon added.
“It was a great team effort.”
Soto and Pane were a gallant second, with Victorian dup Ashley Jones and Alice Culling third.
Bendigo’s Tayla Evans and her team-mate Dani McKinnery made a brilliant start and won the first two sprints to grab a handy early lead.
However, the effort took its toll and they dropped off the pace mid-race.
de Ritter and Roseman Gannon said the Bendigo Women’s Madison was one of the highlights of the women’s track racing calendar.
“There is no atmosphere like the Bendigo Madison,’’ Roseman Gannon said.
“The crowd really gets behind you. It’s one of the biggest track carnivals of the year and nothing there’s nothing quite like it.”
