The event was the Great Divide series of races in the Breadalbane and Gunning districts and Colligan was backing up after taking a bronze medal in the NSW Elite women’s individual time trial championship the previous day.

Before the real action had started Colligan’s tyre deflated. Getting back to the head of the race to have a chance of making it to the podium depended on a quick wheel change from the spares vehicle and then a hard chase back to the race leaders.

Colligan is noted more for her endurance than nippy speed and she succeeded in closing the gap to the front of the race, but it was a tough effort.

Fired up after the chase Colligan went on the attack and was forcing the pace from then. This reduced the field to just five riders for the uphill drag to the finish line.

After a hard slogging sprint to the line where the efforts of the day were beginning to show, Colligan missed the win by a narrow margin and settled for second position over the line.

Dubbo rider Simone Grounds took the narrow win. Emily Watts (Sydney Uni CC) was a second behind in third position ahead of Megan Scott (Giant CC) and India McLean (Manly Warringah CC.

Jade Colligan will have a local race with Nowra Velo this weekend and then there are more national races on her program over the next two months. She approaches these with improving form after every event.