Defending champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon has stormed to an almost unassailable lead by completing back-to-back stage victories in the Bay Crits in Geelong.

Riding in the powerhouse Bayside Citroen team, 24-year-old Roseman-Gannon repeated her opening stage showing from New Year’s Day with a second win to again collect maximum points.

In the surge to the line Keely Bennett (Team Bridgelane) crossed in second place, with Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) third.

CCACHE x Par Kup rider Graeme Frislie also showed his consistency to improve on his opening second place and sweep the second stage in the men’s race, taking over the yellow jersey from veteran Brenton Jones.

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With 24 points, Roseman-Gannon has an 11-point buffer, with veteran Olympian Amanda Spratt (Novotel Prestige Jayco) second on 13 points after she came eighth in the second stage following her opening second place.

Fellow Bayside Citroen rider Georgia Baker, Hosking and her teammate Peta Mullens are on 12 points.

Spratt now needs to win the third stage to collect 12 points and hope Roseman-Gannon misses any points to take an unlikely victory.

Triple Commonwealth Games champion Baker again finished fifth, once more helping secure top spot for Roseman-Gannon, who made her European team debut last year with Team BikeExchange Jayco.

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Fellow teammate Matilda Raynolds also played her role, forcing rival teams to scramble after charging to a handy lead at the start of the final lap.

“It was a great race – we put on a show – we tried to attack a lot, which you saw right to the end with Matilda’s last attack,” Roseman-Gannon told reporters.

“I can’t thank them enough and then Georgia gave me the perfect lead-out yet again.”

The final stage will be held on Tuesday on the 650-metre Ritchie Boulevard course, known as the Hot Dog.

It’s a tricky rectangular circuit with tight corners which Roseman-Gannon says she’s competed on once previously.

“I’ve only raced that once and that was 2020 with ‘Spratty’ (Amanda Spratt) and it was a very hot day and I hung on to her wheel for dear life and she won that race,” the Victorian said.

“It’s a special memory for me because I was riding with my idol so I’m keen to get back on that course. It’s really fun.”

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Jones’ hopes of a fairytale finish to his cycling career hit a snag when he was forced to settle for fifth place in race two after he lost momentum and his foot slipped in the charge to the line.

The 2014 Bay Crits champion, also part of the Bayside Citroen outfit, announced before this year’s race that it would be his last before he turned his focus to coaching.

He managed to hold onto second place overall, four points behind Commonwealth Games representative Frislie to set up a thrilling finale.

Frislie said he hadn’t planned to race the final stage to rest up before the nationals in Ballarat on Friday, but his results had changed his mind.

“I wasn’t even planning to race tomorrow as I wanted to have a few days off before road nats but it looks like I will line up now,” the 21-year-old said.

“It’s always a bit of a hard one (on the Hot Dog course) and I’m sure the boys won’t make it easy for me but I should have a decent day out.”

ARA Skip Capital riders Craig Wiggins and Blake Agnoletto filled the minor placings in stage two and sit third and fourth in the general classification standings.

-AAP