Sport
26 April, 2024
International success for Brown
FORMER Camperdown cyclist Grace Brown has won gold in Belgium.
A strong field of 140 riders took the start for the eighth edition of the 153-kilometre race last weekend.
Riders faced strong winds over the hilly course which took them from Bastogne to Liege.
Brown crossed the finish line in a time of four hours, 29 minutes to take the win ahead of Italy’s Elise Longo Borghini in second.
Demi Vollering from The Netherlands finished third.
Speaking to commentators after the race on Sunday, 31 year-old Brown said she was confident she could win the final sprint.
“We know that quite often a really strong breakaway goes in the middle section of this race,” she said.
“The plan was for me or one of my teammates to be in that break. It was finally me who made it. We worked well together and built a very decent gap that surprised me. I knew that if the break survived, it was going to be a long day for me.”
Reflecting on her win, Brown said it was probably the biggest for her so far.
“I’ve had many second places in good races, but this is the first Monument me and my team have won. It’s an exciting page on the history books for us all.”
Brown said her next race would be the Le Vuelta Femenina 24 before she takes a short break.