Tour of the Goldfields winner Nettie Edmondson after taking out yesterday’s stage four at Snake Valley.
Nettie Edmondson will use a big finish in the National Road Series (NRS) to launch a new road cycling career in Europe next year.
The London Olympic bronze medallist announced yesterday after taking out the inaugural Tour of the Goldfields that she had “unofficially” been signed to ride in Europe in 2013.
While the name of the team remains under wraps, Edmondson told The Courier that she would not be the only Australian in the outfit.
The South Australian, who finished third in the omnium in London, secured the inaugural Tour of the Goldfields with a second consecutive stage victory in a 99km road race at Snake Valley yesterday.
Edmondson, 22, wore the yellow jersey on the last stage, having claimed it by winning the third stage on Saturday afternoon, a 58km road race at Burrumbeet.
This gave her just a seven-second lead and set the scene for a grand finish.
The last stage lived up to expectations, with riders and Cycling Australia officials declaring it one of the best women’s road races they had seen.
There were continual attacks and series of breakaways, with Edmondson eventually getting the better of a late six-rider break to take the chequered flag.
Stage one winner Ashlee Ankudinoff was second, with Chloe McConville third ahead of NRS overall winner Ruth Corset fourth.
The Tour of the Goldfields followed Edmondson’s win in the previous NRS event, the one-day Shipwreck Coast Classic.
She said that win had given her a lot of confidence going into the Ballarat tour.
Edmondson paid credit to the training under South Australian Sports Institute head coach Tim Decker, putting the under-strength team in good stead despite being cut down with illness to just four riders before the tour and three shortly after the start of yesterday’s last stage.
She said she was now looking forward to her first full road overseas season next year, which she will embark on after the world track titles.
McConville finished second in the tour, 12 seconds back, and Lisa Jacobs third.