Ayllie recently completed the Tour of Bright with an impressive 15th placing in the GC for C grade women out of an overall competitor list of 550 entrants.
Ayllie writes:
Have just come back from Victoria after competing in the Tour of Bright. There were 29 women entered in C Grade but only 24 finished Stage 1, and by the end of Stage 3 up Mt Hotham only 22 finished. I came 15th in the GC so was happy with my first attempt at the TOB. My Time Trial in Stage 2 was my weakest so will have to work big time on that. Also, racing with other women was such a different experience to racing with men. It was a fantastic experience and a real challenge. I recommend it to all other club members to have a go. Apparently it is the biggest race in Australia with 550 riders competing. Luckily the weather was good too and not what they will get this weekend. All in all a great time and I hope to do it again next year and rise up the GC now I know what it’s all about.
The Tour of Bright is not easy, it includes “The Gaps Loop”, an 83km stage that was modified this year to remove some dangerous descents, but still featured plenty of climbing in and around Bright, an individual time trial on day 2, and a third day finish on Mount Hotham that ended up in a sprint in the C grade ladies division. Congratulations to Ayllie for being so competitive out of the box in her first attempt at this difficult race.