Former race director John Craven, also founder of event management company Caribou which ran the Road Nationals for a number of years, said from the moment he first laid eyes on Mount Buninyong he knew it was destined for great things.

“The championships were founded in 1999 and started out as a one-day event for men in Portarlington,” Mr Craven said.

“(After three years) I approached the City of Ballarat after one of our crew members Frank McCaig, who was our company's technical manager, asked me to have a look at a potential course he had located in Buninyong.

“When I first saw it my immediate reaction was that it was a fantastic circuit. It had everything in terms of testing the riders, but also located in a splendid area with a great little town in Bunintong and had potential support from Ballarat.

“We gradually developed the concept to include time trials and criterium in Sturt Street and I’m well aware that it's become a great event for Australia.

“I finished up fighting a long-running battle with some people who should have known better on the retention of the Buninyong circuit.”

The location of the nationals has always been a hot topic throughout its history, with the event’s future for 2018 and beyond still undecided as Cycling Australia looks to expand its make-up.

Mr Craven said while other locations in Australia could also host the nationals, such as Tasmania and parts of the Corangamite Shire, the event is intrinsically linked to Ballarat.

“There are other top class circuits around Australia that could easily host the championships and maybe do it as well if not better,” he said.

“But right throughout we used the comparison of Bathurst hosting the car race every year as a permanent location. We pushed with stakeholders that Buninyong should stay synonymous with the road championships.

“I'm well aware of a couple of other states which would swoop on it if it became available.”