Hosking wins Deakins Women's Race and Comm Games slot

Chloe Hosking has secured Commonwealth Games selection with her win in the Deakins Women's Race.

Chloe Hosking unleashed her trademark sprint to win the women's elite Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Source: Getty

Hosking  (Ale Cipollini ) unleashed a powerful sprint to take out Saturday's 113km race at Geelong to finish comfortably ahead of Gracie Elvin (Mitchelton Scott), with Georgia Bronzini (Cylance) third.

Better known as a sprinter, Hosking has worked on her climbing in an effort to be more of an all-rounder. She had made the race a key early-season objective because the win would mean a 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games road race slot.

It paid major dividends on Saturday when she managed to stay with the main group over the steep climbs inside the final 10km.

Katrin Garfoot (Kordamentha) predictably attacked on the Challambra climb with 10km left and she was joined by two riders, defending champion Annamiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton Scott) and Sabrina Stultiens (Waowdeals).

With 6km left, Stultiens launched a solo attack, but she was caught with just over 1km left and it came down to a sprint of about 15 riders.

There was a crash in the final run to the line and Alison Jackon (Tibco) is understood to be the rider who hit the bitumen.

A win for @chloe_hosking and @cipolliniteam after a dramatic @CadelRoadRace #DeakinWomensRace!#CadelRoadRace pic.twitter.com/ZwtNMZpF2l — 7mate (@7mate) January 27, 2018

(R-L) Gracie Elvin, Chloe Hosking and Giorgia Bronzini. Source: Getty