Previously an Oceania road race champion and overall women's National Road Series winner, Shannon Malseed completed a rare treble by winning the Australian road title on Sunday in her adopted hometown of Ballarat.
The recently turned 23-year-old rode a "sneaky" race on her full debut for her new TIBCO-SVB team. Katrin Garfoot had attacked inside the final three kilometres of the race and came within 50 metres of a consecutive road race and time trial double, but was swept up just short of the line, swamped by Malseed, Lauren Kitchen (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), Grace Brown (Holden Team Gusto) and Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott).
Timing her run to the line to perfection, Malseed claimed the win ahead of her more fancied rivals. Too excited to raise both arms in the air to celebrate, Malseed was overcome by the moment as she explained.
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"I passed Kat and then Spratty and Kitchen started to fade and I realised I was about to cross the line, I sort of prepped myself for the double hander but I was so overwhelmed that I could only balance one hand in the air. I think I lost my voice a little bit. I screamed so loud. It is absolutely amazing," said Malseed who won the U23 road race and criterium titles in 2015.
A Ballarat resident for the last three years, Malseed is well acquainted with the roads of the country city. It's no surprise then that Malseed had "ridden that course like a million times in the last few months."
"I knew that I had the physical form coming into the nationals this year," she added. "I am riding the best that I have ever ridden and I knew that if I could hang on up that climb, I have a decent sprint on me. I am a little bit sneaky. I knew I had a chance and that is all I needed.
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