Bike Exchange Jayco started the Santos Festival of Cycling as Australia's only world team with a clear victory target. The team was integrating new riders who had not yet raced together on the road with a veteran road captain who had just returned to racing after surgery.

Three days later, however, team leader Neo Pro Ruby Roseman-Gannon crossed the finish line in first place.

Roseman-Gannon's stage 3 victory clinched the overall win, and the new duo of Bike Exchange and Jayco left a winning note that resonated beyond the South Australian racing community.

"Honestly, I think it's a great start to the season," Bike Exchange-Jayco sport director Gene Bates told Cycling News. "We have a lot of riders in Europe right now who just finished training camp in Spain. It starts things off in a really positive way."

The NRS Classified Road Series replaced the canceled 2.Pro rank event again this year, so while the race may not have boasted top international teams or long course lengths, it did not dampen the teams' desire for a local win.

Nevertheless, it was by no means an easy task to take on the heavily outnumbered national teams, who had worked hard to peak for the Australian summer race. There were also a number of factors that made the task difficult for Bike Exchange Jayco. Spratt had just returned to training in late December after a nine-week layoff following surgery for iliac artery endarterectomy, and Manley and Baker had just returned to team and road racing after years of focusing on track racing.

Nevertheless, she was still in the lead right from the start, taking second place in the stage and time bonuses on both opening days. But while she was satisfied with her overall lead after the second stage, Roseman-Gannon wanted to reward her teammates' efforts by getting the job done at the finish line as well. When it all came to fruition on the final day, stage 3, she described it as "a dream day."

The opportunity to raise her arms in celebration of her victory reflected the progress the team had made throughout the Tour. The team's attack on stage 3 was flawless, overcoming unpaved surfaces and climbs just 2km before the finish line. Pate, Manley, and Baker set the pace, in that order, with Roseman-Gannon taking the breakaway win.

"I think it's really cool that we were able to execute some of the lead-out skills that are required at the World Tour level," Roseman-Gannon said. So I think it's a great opportunity to get some practice in, but I'll be diving deep in Europe." But I look forward to working with my teammates and winning more races."

The race in South Australia and the weeks leading up to it proved to be a valuable and versatile addition to the team as the 23-year-old Roseman-Gannon matures and adjusts to the World Tour peloton. She has proven to be a valuable and versatile addition to the team as she matures and adjusts to the World Tour peloton.

"I think she has unlimited potential at this stage. It would be easy to pigeonhole her as a fast finisher, but after the last month of racing in Australia, I think she is more than that and can offer so much more," Bates said.

"I think she shows a lot of potential in a lot of different areas, not just a fast finisher but also a little uphill peak."

Roseman Gannon has clearly not lost focus on the road ahead. Even when asked how she planned to relish her accomplishment after stepping off the podium on Tuesday with the third stage and overall win at the Santos Festival of Cycling, she clearly had her next goal in mind.

"It was a small stepping stone for the long season ahead.

The Trek Knight Riders Criterium on Wednesday night will conclude the women's four-day race and start the men's four-day race at the same time.