IT was only her second road race, but Albury's Kylie King has already made history after claiming line honours at Sunday's Big O Dirnaseer Dash at Cootamundra on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As one of four riders to start on the limit, the accomplished mountain biker held the peleton at bay to win by 18 seconds from Wagga Cycling Club young gun Luke Nixon and Tolland's Will Silver.
The 49-year-old said she expected the chasing pack to eventually reel her in on the steep 40km course, but said she learned plenty from her road debut in the opening race of the Tour de Riverina at Uranquinty.
King said the other riders had been extremely helpful with advice and tips as she adds road racing to her schedule.
But she joked they may not be quite as generous now after her win.
King dropped the other pacesetting rider on the second climb and managed to find enough to hold off the backmarkers.
"I thought the bunch would surely catch me soon, but I kept riding as hard as I can and put my head down," she said.
"With about 200 metres to go I buried myself on the steep climb up to the finish line and they didn't catch me, it was a big surprise."
King said her strong mountain bike background held her in good stead for arguably the hilliest course on the Tour de Riverina's six-race schedule.
"Climbing is one of my strengths," she said.
"I'm doing road racing because I want to focus on getting stronger with my sustained efforts, getting the heart rate up and keeping it up there.
"The first race I spent too much time up front where I had to turn around and go into a headwind three times. I had a lot to learn about bunch tactics and so forth.
"But that's why I'm here. I'm here to learn, and the other riders have been fantastic in giving me a few pointers."
Tolland's Peter Johnson finished fourth overall to complete the men's podium, while Silver took out fastest time honours in 1:02.04.
The next race of the Tour de Riverina series is the Cobram Barooga Cycle Club Raymond Jarratt Handicap on Sunday, April 5.
READ MORE
