Here we were at last: the day that a bunch of recreational riders had been looking forward to and training for, and the day that some of the under-23 men had been training for but maybe dreading. At least the weather was about as much as you could have asked for (it was 30deg, but this is an Australian summer, so it could be worse. It will be worse, tomorrow, incidentally!).
Having slept in myself, I arrived at the circuit just in time to hear some of the stories coming out of the Gran Fondo event, which (barring the severity of the climb) were all positive and in good humour. If what I've heard is representative of everyone who rode it; Cycling Australia will be rightly pleased with what they have created, and I look forward to future editions. While I found myself a coffee, the Under-23 men signed on and went through their last-minute preparations before the start time, which was delayed a minute or two while a quick mechanical fix was carried out on time trial winner Callum Scotson's machine - and he was wearing #13, for those who are superstitious!
As soon as the riders had passed and were away up the hill, I followed them at a far more sedate pace to find a nice rock to sit on on the roadside. By the time that the riders came up Mt Buninyong Rd for the second lap, Rylee Field had broken clear with Jason Lea (who had been particularly active in the criterium too) and they had established a gap of close to two minutes. By lap three, Lea had decided against persisting with only one companion, and shared a joke or two with the spectators as he drifted back to the main field on the climb, under the control of the Jayco/John West/VIS team. Jason ended up finishing in the second chase group that contested 9th place, and finished 19th.
Rylee Field continued on his own, and set about establishing an unassailable lead in the King of the Mountain competition, and when he was swept up by the solo attack of Chris Harper, I had visions of him blowing completely (he'd looked in trouble for several laps...) and missing the time cut and therefore the jersey. It's happened before! Fortunately his GPM team kept a rider with Field, who did safely cross the line to claim the KOM jersey and put in a contender for best ride of the day.
Chris Harper was also staking a claim for best ride of the day up front, establishing a lead of three minutes with three laps to go - Paul Sherwen's classic model of one minute to lose for every 10km. Ultimately, that doesn't cater for climbs and Harper was swept up on the final ascent of Mt Buninyong Rd, but was able to hook into the Miles Scotson-led chase group to eventually finish 6th.
Chris and Lucas Hamilton were the next and final riders to lead the race, stretching the elastic for several laps before snapping it on the last ascent. Lucas had remembered Chris' win in last year's criterium, and riding up the final, steepest section of the climb he tried several times to shake Chris off of his wheel, but to no avail. He must have been mighty close judging by Chris' expression near the summit! Understanding that they still had a group behind them containing the power of Miles Scotson and the sprint of Alistair Donohoe (who had been dropped more than once on the climbs before clawing his way back), they continued to work to the finish, where ultimately the sprint of Chris Hamilton proved marginally quicker. Both riders deserve credit for fantastic rides though, and after Lucas' attacks, both riders could argue that their rides were the most impressive of the day.
Fifteen seconds later, Miles Scotson ramped up the pace to a point where even Alistair Donohoe couldn't come past him to take the bronze medal - which now gives him four medals (including every colour) over the past four national road championships that he's raced. Michael Storer finished 5th, Harper 6th, and Jai Hindley 7th. In 8th place (+1:29) was Ryan Cavanagh, who had spent several laps riding solo in no-man's land between the front of the race and the chase that included many of the remaining pre-race favourites.
And so with Saturday night falling, the legs of the under-23s and the Gran Fondo participants will likely be sore from repeatedly ascending Mt Buninyong, but most of the riders will have an interesting and impressive story or two. My lasting memory of today though will be seeing the (possibly) outgoing women's road race champion Peta Mullens among those jumping barriers and running across the road to congratulate her training partner Chris Hamilton as he crossed the line and slowed around the first corner. Her reaction to a fantastic win is a credit to the culture of friendship that cycling can create, and reinforces my opinion that so few of the riders here this week believe that they are above others. It was a moment that made me smile at the end of a top-quality, entertaining race that had me on the edge of my seat. Or, more accurately, the edge of my rock.
And so Sunday beckons. I'll be made to look a fool by making predictions, but I'll accept that and make them anyway. Both races look to be there to lose for Orica-AIS and Orica-Greenedge, with so many cards to play and past champions suited to the circuit. Orica-AIS have a gaggle of riders with international experience, and their challengers who also race overseas are almost entirely racing on their own - Lauren Kitchen, Peta Mullens, Tiff Cromwell and Shara Gillow as but four examples. I think Orica-AIS will soften the field up, with Rachel Neylan, Katrin Garfoot or Gracie Elvin taking a solo victory. The under-23 race within the race is usually won in a sprint within a larger bunch, and for that reason alone, I'm picking Shannon Malseed. Jenelle Crooks will almost certainly be in the group too though; and it wouldn't surprise me to see either Emily Roper or Ellen Skerritt win after their time trial performances.
In the men's race, Drapac and Avanti-IsoWhey showed that they won't take defeat lying down, but the course suits Caleb Ewan and Simon Gerrans too well, especially considering that they're on the same team! If it comes to a larger group sprint, Ewan has showed on this course that he can climb with the country's best and sprint with the world's best, and Gerrans packs a better sprint than most in a select group; giving them options for two race scenarios. Durbridge has also shown that he can motor to a win if need be, covering a third possible outcome. I'd like to see a locally-based rider or Adam Hansen win, though the race will need to play into their hands to do so.
If it truly is a Super Sunday; it will follow a superb Saturday, and cap off a high-quality and exciting week of racing.
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