Jade Colligan was awarded the Robbie Williams Memorial Cyclist of the Year for 2016 at the Nowra Velo Club’s annual presentation last week.
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Jade had also won this prestigious award for 2015 and then improved to add more to her record this year.
Jade started the year competing in the Australian Elite/Under 23 road and criterium championships at Ballarat, Victoria.
Then it was off to South Australia for the international elite women’s Tour Down Under with her new team, the women’s development squad NSWIC/Subaru/NKC.
The Oceania road and individual time trial championships were next on Jade’s program where she came away with a silver medal in the under 23 time trial championship.
It was only February with these events done when Jade took an A grade criterium win against the elite men in a Nowra Velo Club criterium where proven National Road Series competitor Michael Troy placed second.
Jade then raced the NSW Elite women’s state road championships to finish second for the silver medal behind a visiting Victorian rider.
Jade then moved on to the Elite Women’s National Road Series where the first event was the Mersey Valley Tour in Tasmania followed by the Battle on the Border in northern NSW.
Other NRS events included the King Valley tour at Wangaratta, Victoria where Jade was 13th in the ITT stage against national and international women racers.
The final NRS event for the year was the National Capital Tour. These events were over three days and included four stages to race.
All of them were held in adverse weather conditions and included gravel roads and long mountain climbs.
Jade then raced the Canberra women’s tour where she won the individual time trial stage and finished second overall after two days of rain and wet roads.
An outstanding win was next when Jade rode to a solo victory in the Ride for Robbie elite women’s 75 kilometre road race at Yerriyong ahead of strong Dutch rider, Christal van Loo.
These results have given Jade the NSW Elite Women’s Road Premiership for a second successive year.
While she has travelled extensively for these events Jade races frequently with her club, Nowra Velo, where she is a respected competitor in the A grade field.
Jade will race the 2017 season with the NSWIS/Subaru/Sydney Uni elite women’s team in NRS and NSW events while maintaining a close connection with the local scene.
Sue Williams presented Jade with the NVC's Robbie Williams Memorial Cyclist of the Year award.