Rhodes survived a solo breakaway to capture the elite women’s criterium in the Mars Cycling Australian Road Championships.

This gives her three national criterium titles.

The South Australian is also the reigning national road race champion, which she will defend at Buninyong tomorrow.

What made last night’s achievement all the more impressive was that it was the 27-year-old’s first race in six months.

She had surgery in July last year to repair a blockage in an artery which supplies blood to her legs.

Rhodes made the winning break last night with 12 laps or 13.2km to ride in the 33km event in the Sturt Street central business district.

She opened up as much as an 18-second lead and never looked like being caught. GreenEDGE-AIS teammate Melissa Hoskins, who won the Bay Classic criterium series on Wednesday, was seven seconds behind in second position, with Annette Edmondson third across the line.

Hoskins’s performance saw her take the under-23 gold medal ahead of Edmondson.

Defending under-23 criterium champion Lauren Kitchen was sixth across the line and this was enough to secure the under-23 bronze medal.

While it is all rosy for Rhodes now, she was unsure of her future when Garmin folded late last year. “I’m just really fortunate that GreenEDGE could find space for me, because otherwise I’d be in a bit of trouble,” she said.

“I had a couple of sleepless nights.”

Rhodes said winning first up for the new team was “awesome”.

“I had confidence in my teammates rather than myself (ahead of the criterium). Hoskins said she had been ready for a tough race.

“I knew we’d be under attack because we’ve dominated so much.”

Hoskins said she was always confident Rhodes would hold onto to the break.

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