When Simons Gerrans last won a national road race title he had the better of Australian cycling royalty.
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Gerrans led Tour de France champion Cadel Evans and Richie Porte across the line in the 2014 MARS Cycling Australia Road National Championships in Buninyong.
Evans and Porte, two of the biggest names on the WorldTour of the day, were the star attractions that year.
However, it was the durable Gerrans – a winner of stages in each of the three Grand Tours – who stole the limelight on the biggest day in the history of the championships.
That was Gerrans’ second road race gold medal after success in 2012.
The Victorian looked in a great position to don the green and gold jersey for a third time in 2015, but just weeks before the titles broke a collarbone in a training mishap.
Then last year, like the rest of the field, Gerrans was caught out by a masterly solo breakaway by Jack Bobridge and had to settle for sixth.
At 36 years of age, opportunities for a third road race championship are running out, but with the right preparation and the might of the Orica-Scott team behind him Gerrans is favoured to complete a treble at Buninyong on Sunday.
Everything will need to go his way, but this is always the case around the 10.2km circuit at Buninyong.
Luck can play a major role in this 183.6km event, but it is more than that – something Gerrans can testify to having experienced the highs and lows on the mountain course.
Gerrans will have the team support of 2013 champion Luke Durbridge, Michael Hepburn, Damien Howson, Mitch Docker and Caleb Ewan – who have already shown their worth across the criterium and time trial in these championships in Ballarat.
It is the smallest team Orica-Scott has had in the national road race.
Team sporting director Matt White is predicting a break will provide the winner.
“Teams like IsoWhey Sports have twice as many riders as us and can put numbers into the break.
“We will look to be represented, but also to have options should the commitment to make it work not be there.”
One of Gerrans’ biggest dangers might come from within his own camp, with criterium champion Ewan a big show in the 127-strong line-up. Other names to watch include Nathan Haas, Lachlan Morton, Ben O'Connor, Adam Hansen, Brendan Canty, Will Clarke, Jay McCarthy, Cameron Meyer, Zak Dempster, Sam Spokes and Nathan Earle.
The men’s under-23 road race will take centre stage at Buninyong on Saturday.