General News
9 February, 2023
Podium finish for Bailey
CAMPERDOWN’S Bailey McDonald has finished third in the 2023 Powercor Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic.
CAMPERDOWN’S Bailey McDonald has finished third in the 2023 Powercor Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic.
The talented 19 year-old earned his spot on the podium after enduring a grueling seven hours in the saddle last Saturday.
In what has been described as a ‘brutal race’ where riders battled rain and strong winds throughout the 267-kilometer event, Bailey crossed the finish line in a time of seven hours and 3.21 minutes, just three minutes and four seconds behind race winner Tristan Saunders and only five seconds behind Brendon Green in second.
“I was pretty stoked to get a podium finish after a tough day,” McDonald said.
“This was my second Melbourne to Warrnie; after finishing 15th last year the podium was my goal but to actually achieve it certainly felt very special.
“And to have my family see me cross the finish line was the icing on the cake. The race runs deep in our family and to share it with them was very special; they make the dreams happen.”
McDonald said the weather conditions made for a tough race, with riders facing wind, drizzly rain and a strong head wind.
“I got into a break-away group of 30 at about 40 kilometres in and rode with them for much of the way,” he said.
“I didn’t have to do a lot of work at the start which allowed me to conserve energy. It’s a long race so you don’t want to go out too hard too early.
“With about 15 kilometres to go the speed really picked up and with about a kilometer to go the second-placed rider took off and then it became a sprint to the line with four of us pushing for third. I was thrilled with my finish.”
While McDonald’s father Deiter and brother Kurt are heavily involved in the triathlon circuit, he has no intentions of following.
“I love the bike too much,” McDonald said.
“I’ve pretty much grown up around the sport and that’s where my passion grew.”
Having moved to Brisbane in March last year to live with his brother, Bailey’s focus is now on the upcoming Oceania Championships (a 180 kilometre event in Brisbane in April).
“It was great to spend Christmas and summer back in Camperdown but I love the lifestyle in Brisbane; it’s conducive to our sport.”
McDonald’s time also saw him take first place in the Avalon Airport Best Young Rider category.
Last Saturday’s Melbourne to Warrnambool started in rainy and overcast conditions at Avalon Airport.
There was some early breaks before a couple of riders made the move stick, with a group of 16 established at the front and a chasing group that included Saunders who already had some team-mates in the front break.
Most of the big NRS teams were represented in the early lead pack, so the peloton momentarily took the foot off the gas.
As the race wound through Colac, early favourite Kane Richardson emerged as a danger with the front group, while Malta’s Joesph Bonello and Sam Jenner animated the race on plenty of occasions through the journey to the southwest coast.
Conditions cleared as the morning cloud burnt off and the roads dried, with clothing layers shed.
The leaders got out to a gap of over four minutes before the chasers and the front group were brought together – and that larger 20-strong pack kept pushing the pedals hard.
The peloton faced a large margin and had to work hard to stay relevant.
Bonello and Jenner worked hard to establish a 2.30m gap with another attack inside the final 80 kilometres before Saunders and a couple of others hit back off the front of the chasing pack to close the gap.
The peloton was shredded as they hit the winds of the Great Ocean Road and the paced ramped up as rides sensed the finish line.
Saunders made his move inside the final 20 kilometres – a brave solo effort that stuck and saw him ride away from the podium place-getters to claim the biggest win of the 22 year old’s career.
