You will enjoy it. Guaranteed. Next week’s MARS Cycling Australia Road National Championships, will even play right out in the heart of Ballarat, tearing up and down Sturt Street.

So much attention is on the Battle of Buninyong road race: the course’s notoriously gruelling climb that wears down well-trained thighs; the European-like atmosphere complete with the odd Teletubbie and cowbell-ringing fans ambling up to the summit; and, big screens beaming a live feed so crowds know exactly when to press to the fence for the next fly-by.

Buninyong is the championships’ big climax.

The criterium is an awesome introduction.

Like any sport, cycling has its own lingo and impressive array of tactics. But it can be as simple as watching who attacks for the lead and who hunts them down. 

Crits are about speed, power and the smarts to know when and how to use these. This basic formula stirs up excitement, especially among the nation’s best who truly know what they are doing and how to really push the limit.

Races are shorter, usually only lasting an hour, and adrenaline filled. A little like Big Bash is to Test cricket. Technical skills are still imperative, like being able to take a sharp corner smooth and fast, riding safely in a large, tight group and repeatedly being able to sprint.

Most elite riders set for Ballarat will have made a criterium focused build-up via the four-stage Bay Cycling Classic, which started in Geelong on New Year’s Day. They will definitely be primed for Sturt Street.

This is an Olympic year. Australian champion colours are on the line, an honour the champion can wear for a whole year’s racing. Buninyong may be where the attention is centred, and the two UCI-sanctioned events that follow (Tour Down Under in South Australia and Cadel Evans’ Great Ocean Road Race), but the criterium is where is starts.

The crits is a chance to make a massive statement. Most will tell you their focus is on Buninyong but the look of determination and fierce competitiveness is plain on their face when on Sturt Street. They want the win. 

Usually, racing is close with a bunch sprint finish. Cam Meyer obliterated this common scenario in 2013, when he broke clear about 10 minutes into racing and held a 20-second gap on the field to the finish. That was gutsy.

Spectators are in the thick of action the whole time – and that is not logistically possible at Buninyong. Sturt Street’s natural slope lends itself as the perfect viewing arena. You can watch the whole race unfurl from one spot. Picnic on the grassy in-field, sip lattes from the outer cafes or mingle with VIPs on the Golden City Hotel balcony by the finish line.

Crowd cheers are like a moving, vocal Mexican wave about the course as riders pass. You can hardly help but get lured into the festive vibe.

Cyclists respect Ballarat as the place to launch their year in a fight for a coveted crown. You should know, and should feel, what this is all about. Start with Sturt Street on Wednesday evening.