Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) marked her return to road racing in solid fashion in Australia, and Saturday at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race her fourth-place finish was also a ‘win’ from a sprint in a nine-rider chase group. She used her climbing skills on the two ascents of Challambra Crescent to shed other contenders after teammate Audrey Cordon-Ragot was reeled back in from her solo attack but couldn't respond to race-winner Rosita Reijnhout's attack on Melville Avenue.
The former US road champion officially retired from the pro peloton in 2021 after seven seasons, during which she won stages at the Tour de Feminin, a stage of the Giro Rosa as well as De Brabantse Pijl. But ‘retirement’ did not mean giving up racing altogether, as she has taken on a firm commitment to off-road racing, winning events from Old Man Winter to the Chequamegon MTB Festival, and adding a second place at last year’s epic Leadville Trail 100 MTB.
