COMMONWEALTH Games cycling gold medallist Sean Finning is the class factor in the Melbourne to Ballarat Classic on Saturday.
The Castlemaine rider, who has been representing Australia since 2002, is not long back from a stint in Europe.
Finning, 21, claimed gold in the points race at this year's Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
In what has been a big year, Finning also took out a criterium in Canada to add to his 2005 Victorian open road championship.
The 93-kilometre handicap has attracted 196 entries, including former Australian 23-years champion David Pell from Bendigo, former world junior champion Michael Ford from Carnegie, reigning Victorian 100km champion Casey Munro, of Brunswick,
and Victorian Institute of Sport rider Mark O'Brien from Horsham.
Jason Hegert and past winner Dennis Shaw head a strong Ballarat-Sebastopol Cycling Club contingent also comprising Robert Braszell, Shane Butler, Andrew Cochrane, Guy Falla, Craig Fromhold, Dean Griffin, Gary Gullock, Matthew Ladner, David
Marriott, Tony Mirabella, David Ogilvie, Adam Smith, Damien Turner, Will Wettenhall and Phillip Orr.
The field has been handicapped into seven groups, with the limit bunch featuring nine women.
The classic is back on the Victoria cycling calendar after being cancelled last year owing to problems securing a permit from Victoria Police.
Race director Doug Armstrong said the quality of entries underlined the high standing of the event, which was first contested in 1908.
He said the Melbourne to Ballarat had started as a Brunswick Amateur Cycling Club training ride via Geelong.
Mr Armstrong said the ride had developed into a highly-regarded race through the 1920s and 1930s.
He said thanks to the support of the City of Ballarat, VicRoads and Victoria Police, the road race's long-term future as Australia's biggest open handicap looked assured.
The classic begins at Ted's Cafe on the Western Highway at noon, with the finish in Learmonth Road, Wendouree, where Ballarat mayor David Vendy will wave the chequered flag.
Unlike previous years, cycling will stay on the freeway rather than deviating into towns along the route.
Riders will contest elite, under-19 men and women and veteran categories.
BALLARAT-Sebastopol Cycling Club will host the Victorian club team championships at Miners Rest on Sunday.
The event on an out and back course begins at 11am.