West Australian Jessica Allen vindicated her decision to resist giving cycling away by taking out the national elite women's criterium title in Ballarat on Wednesday night.
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Allen gave a masterly display to ride away from her rivals by 41 seconds – the length of the Sturt Street home straight – in the opening session of the Mars Cycling Australia Road National Championships.
The 2011 world junior time trial champion made her winning move with 5km in the 33km race - jumping off the front of a five-strong break away and never being challenged.
Kendelle Hodges (NSW) was second, with Ballarat-based Shannon Malseed third.
Allen reinforced her domination by taking out the sprint title.
The 23-year-old said it had only been in the past year that she had regained her passion for cycling.
She said she had almost given cycling away after a stint in Europe as a 19 and 20-year-old.
"That really cracked me, to be honest - at the end of the season I wasn't really sure where I was going with my cycling," Allen said.
"I was a bit too young to be over there for that long.”
Allen said she had felt lonely and isolated.
"I didn't know what my future was."
Allen said a stint in the United States had helped rediscover her desire for cycling.
She selected in the Orica-Scott squad had fulfilled a long-held dream.
She said she was starting the new year on the back of a strong, structured training program and was looking forward to joining the team in the spring classics in Europe.
Allen, who also won the last leg of the Bay Crits in Williamstown on Tuesday, said she had no choice but to be aggressive and break up the criterium.
She said was never going to be able to match it with sprinters in the breakaway.
NSW's Nicola Macdonald took out the under-23 title from Josie Talbot and Jessica Pratt.
