With previous roles as the team manager of Ballarat’s Cycle City team – as well as the team mechanic for the now-defunct Fly V Australia – Sanders is now the team mechanic with the touring Russian national track and road hybrid team.

With this year’s national championships open only to Australians for the first time, his involvement with the Russians means he will be forced to watch the action from the sidelines. That is unless he manages to sneak his way into a team car.

“I’ll actually be happy just to be a spectator for once. It will be good,” he said.

“The championships are getting bigger and bigger every year. I think they have become more prestigious now since they are for Australian riders only.”

Sanders only returned to Australia recently having spent a year on the road with the Fly V Australia team that eventually folded last month.

The team mechanic throughout the American national cycling series, with a number of Asian tours as well as the Tour Down Under and last year’s national championships in Ballarat under his belt, the 45-year-old is already gearing up for another foray overseas.

He will head to India for the Tour de Mumbai with RusVelo (the Russian team) at the end of the month, before jetting off for Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi – one of Asia’s biggest races.

From then the world tour will start again, although like Fly V, RusVelo competes in the second tier of professional cycling, behind the UCI Tour, which takes place generally in Europe.

The main aim of RusVelo is track racing, but they also compete in open road tours for endurance purposes.

“The dream I suppose is to get to the pro tour but I am certainly happy where I am now,” Sanders said.

And as for Sanders’ hot tip for the men’s road race on Sunday – none other than 2002 winner Robbie McEwen.

“I think Robbie is pretty hungry to wear that green and gold jersey. He’s such a tough rider and it’s hard to keep a tough rider down.”