Heading into the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under, we sat down with newly-crowned Australian criterium champion, Chloe Hosking.
How are you feeling going into the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under?
This first block of racing in Australia with the Bay Cycling Classic and the National Championships has been pleasantly surprising. I hadn’t been thrilled with the power numbers I was seeing in training but stayed focused and committed. It was nice and a bit of a relief to see that even if you haven’t been feeling the best you can still be competitive.
This will be your first race with your new teammates. Excited?
I’m really looking forward to joining the Rally Cycling girls in Adelaide. It was so nice to come into the team environment at team launch in December so I’m keen to hit the ground running with the girls. I think we have a really well-rounded team for the course so I hope that everyone gets their opportunity to have a go.
You’ve won a stage in each of the last three editions. What are your ambitions this year?
Of course, I would love to continue the trend. I come in confident in my form so I hope to put myself in a position to win. It’s still quite early in the season so I only have things to gain and nothing to lose.
How do you think each stage will play out?
There’s no hilltop finish this year so I think that will change how the race is raced. I expect it to be fairly aggressive and the stages do look to suit more opportunistic riders so I think that is really positive for our team as I think we have a number of women who can capitalize on that.
For more information on the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under, read the race preview here.
