Jan 9th, 10. Te Awamutu's Rushlee Buchanan has the NZ Road Champion jersey to add to her NZ Criterium Champion jersey after a superb display up Dyers Pass Road today.

A well deserved victory ©RoadCycling.co.nz

From the fourth lap of the eight lap 123km course, Buchanan edged further and further away from the chasing peloton in a solo ride to victory in the Raboplus Elite National Championships.  

Her time gap reached out to an incredible 6m40s before a last great chase from Linda Villumsen halved it.

"I can't believe I've finished. I just kept going. I wasn't thinking about the finish, I only thought about the finish on the last corner," Buchanan said just moments after she won the Elite Road Race and before the next rider had even crossed the line.

"I left everything out there on the road today.  I'm just ecstatic!" she said.

The 21 year old, who was racing for Waikato Bay of Plenty, didn't go into this afternoon's race with a plan to do what she did. 

"This field was phenomenal and I didn't think for one second that I was going to be able to do this." 

"I was just out for a good race, then I got away with Marina [Duvnjak] and Serena [Sheridan] and I just kept my own pace up the hill," she said.

By the top of the third hill climb the 21 year old had left Duvnjak and Sheridan in her wake and although she had another five laps of the course left to ride she made the call to try a solo attempt at the title.

"I thought I might as well go, so I just tried to keep it tempo and the commissaires were good giving me time checks and I thought it's now or never."

Buchanan said she tried to keep the same pace up Dyers Pass Road every lap but admitted it felt like she was getting slower and slower.  

She might have been going slower, but so was the rest of the peleton.  Duvnjak and Sheridan both cracked from their efforts up the front, with Duvnjak one of many riders who pulled out before the finish of the race.

It wasn't until the seventh lap when a serious chase emerged with Linda Villumsen and Rachel Mercer attacking off the front of the peloton to try and reel Buchanan in.

After dropping Mercer, Villumsen quickly gained minutes on Buchanan but it was too late.

Linda Villumsen congratulates Rushlee Buchanan on a great ride ©RoadCycling.co.nz

"I was waiting for you to catch me," Buchanan said to Villumsen after the race. 

"That would have been impossible, you did really really good," said the new kiwi, previous winner of the women's Tour de France and 4th placed road rider at the Beijing Olympics.

"I didn't feel so good out there today, it was a struggle. As well as the hill I was still feeling the effects of the time trial yesterday," Villumsen said.

Buchanan never underestimated Villumsen, calling her phenomenal.

"I have got so much respect for her and all the riders in this race. I can't believe I won. It's great and I feel so priviledged to wear the jersey this year," the new champion said.

The jersey goes to America

The 2010 Elite Women's Champion ©RoadCycling.co.nz

She has moved on from her 2009 team, Team Tibco where she rode with Jo Kiesanowski, to Colavita/Baci where's she'll still have another kiwi with her, Cath Cheatley.

Cheatley, who has proven in great form in recent domestic events, didn't race today due to a longstanding prior engagement.

"I was bummed Cath couldn't be here so I was riding for two people," Buchanan said.  "It's going to be great representing New Zealand with two jerseys this year."

Buchanan's NZ Criterium Champion title was won in similar style back in September.  She dominated the race, riding clear, holding off the bunch and finishing with no other rider in sight.

Today may have been her biggest win ever, but she's planning much more success in the future.

"This is only the start of my cycling career," she said.

Defending champion honours the new champion

Meshy Holt  believes Buchanan is a deserving National Champion after her gutsy ride today.  The two were teammates for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty team.

"She did an unbelievable ride. It was one of the best rides I've ever seen at the National Championships," Holt told RoadCycling.co.nz

Holt's chances of winning both 2010 national titles disappeared early in the race when the effects of yesterday's fantastic winning time trial efforts made themselves known.

"I was cramping on the 3rd lap and I said to myself  'It's not going to happen today'.  When Rushlee went up the road I thought, good on her," she said.

Two more champions to be crowned tomorrow

Tomorrow morning sees the men tackle the same course, albeit over 11 laps.  

Unlike today, the race will crown two New Zealand Road Champions;  U23 and Elite Men.  If a 21 year old won tomorrow's race, they would not be the Elite Men's Champion regardless of how many older riders they beat.  Thankfully for Rushlee Buchanan, there is no such distinction in the women's race.

Related Articles

• Dyers Pass climb tests elite women
• Raboplus Elite National Championship results
• FULL Elite Road National Championship coverage

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