Appleton and Davids lead ProVelo Super League after SA Kick It

Australia's new domestic road racing series, ProVelo Super League, started with a bang in Adelaide over the weekend for its inaugural event, SA Kick It.

The three-stage round started with a brutal time trial up Willunga Hill on Saturday, followed by a fast and furious criterium around Victoria Park on Sunday. It concluded with a road race at The Bend Motorsport Park on Monday.

SBS Women's League

In the SBS Women's League, Talia Appleton (Praties Cycling Team) started her campaign with a stage win, setting a time of 8 minutes 35 seconds on the 2.96km time trial up Willunga.

Vital bonus seconds on the Stage 2 criterium allowed Appleton to extend her lead to five seconds over Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Racing Team), while Appleton's teammate Sophie Marr took stage honours with a sprint finish ahead of Odette Lynch (Butterfields Racing Team).

Sophie Marr won the Stage 2 criterium.

The GC remained unchanged at the end of Stage 3, which ended in a battle of the sprinters with Odette Lynch turning the tables on Marr and getting the stage win. Appleton sealed the overall victory ahead of Nicholson, while Appleton's teammate Sophia Sammons completed the podium in third overall.

Stage 1

1. Talia APPLETON (Praties Cycling Team 8:35
2. Katelyn NICHOLSON (Butterfields Ziptrak Racing) +2
3. Sophia SAMMONS (Praties Cycling Team) +4

Stage 2

1. Sophie MARR (Praties Cycling Team) 57:46
2. Odette LYNCH (Butterfields Ziptrak Racing)
3. Amelie SANDERS (ARA | Skip Capital)

Stage 3

1. Odette LYNCH (Butterfields Ziptrak Racing) 2:24:31
2. Sophie MARR (Praties Cycling Team)
3. Sze Wing LEE (Hong Kong Cycling Team)

General Classification

1. Talia APPLETON (Praties Cycling Team)
2. Katelyn NICOHLSON (Butterfield Ziptrak Racing)
3. Sophia SAMMONS (Praties Cycling Team)

Talia Appleton won the women's GC.

SumUp Men's League

The opening stage of the SA Kick It for the Men’s ProVelo Super League saw an electrifying performance from early starter Ronan Teese (Bendigo District Cycling Club), who set a blistering 6 minutes 51 seconds on the 2.96km Willunga Hill climb. His time would prove unbeatable, holding off some of Australia’s top domestic climbers and time trial specialists.  

Ronan Teese set the fastest time up Willunga.

Among those coming closest was Jack Ward (Team Brennan p/b TP32), who finished just one second behind, and Finlay Walsh (CCACHE x BODYWRAP) only four seconds adrift.  

But Teese's time at the top of GC was short-lived when Team Brennan dominated the Victoria Park criterium. Their squad controlled the front of the peloton throughout Stage 2, earning the stage win in a sprint with Blake Agnoletto and taking over the GC lead with Jack Ward.

Blake Agnoletto celebrates his criterium victory.

With Ward's bonus seconds, he moved four seconds ahead of Teese in the GC standings with one stage remaining.

The wind wreaked havoc on the peloton during the Stage 3 115km road race, as Team Brennan took control early, using the crosswinds to split the race. The field fractured into six groups. Brendon Davids (Team Brennan), initially dropped from the front split, fought his way back to the leaders before attacking with Tynan Shannon (Team Royal Bikes).

The duo worked well together, extending their advantage to three minutes over the chase group led by CCACHE x BODYWRAP. Brennan's relentless pressure thinned the chase further.

Davids and Shannon went head-to-head in a tight sprint for the win, but Davids proved too strong after a gruelling day, claiming both the stage win and the overall classification. 

Brendon Davids pips Tynan Shannon at the line.

Stage 1

1. Ronan TEESE (Bendigo & District Cycling Club) 6:51
2. Jack WARD (Team Brennan p/b TP32) +1
3. Finlay WALSH (CCACHE x BODYWRAP) +4

Stage 2

1. Blake ANGOLETTO (Team Brennan p/b TP32) 57:48
2. Josh DUFFY (Tasmanian Institute of Sport)
3. Graeme FRISLIE (CCACHE x BODYWRAP)

Stage 3

1. Brendon DAVIDS (Team Brennan p/b TP32)
2. Tynan SHANNON (Team Royal Bikes)
3. Blake ANGOLETTO (Team Brennan p/b TP32)

General Classification

1. Brendon DAVIDS (Team Brennan p/b TP32)
2. Tynan SHANNON (Team Royal Bikes)
3. Jack WARD (Team Brennan p/b TP32)

The final men's GC podium.

The next round of ProVelo Super League is the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Festival on February 8-9.

See the full race reports and results here.