Sam Jenner produced a ride fitting of a national championship on Saturday, adding his name to an honour roll jam-packed with champions of the sport.
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During a day of blistering heat, the New South Wales youngster proved the toughest around the Mount Buninyong circuit to claim the under-23 men’s road race.
The 19-year-old Subaru-NSWIS rider made a well-timed attack and raced the last three laps of the course on his own before securing a decisive victory.
On the line, his time of 3:27:52hr was 47 seconds clear of the chasing bunch, which saw Alexander Porter and former Ballarat schoolboy Lucas Hamilton grab second and third respectively.
“I’ve dreamed of this for years now. Obviously, I’ve worked really hard for it and when you pull it off, nothing beats it,” Jenner said after he was presented with the gold medal.
“I knew I was in good form and I thought it was possible for a top 10. And the more the day came closer and the more I was riding around here, I felt really good so I thought I could do it.
“To pull it off is just unbelievable.”
Jenner said he is aware of some of the past under-23 champions, which include household cycling names like Caleb Ewan, Rohan Dennis, Jack Bobridge and Simon Gerrans.
“Obviously, there’s some great names there so hopefully I can be as good as one of them one day,” he said.
Despite not winning the race as one of the fancies for the title, Hamilton said he is still pleased with his third placing with eyes towards a number of big events in the near future.
While he finished 25th, Ballarat’s Nicholas White picked up the King of the Mountain jersey for his brilliant climbing display.
The 19-year-old claimed 16 points from the race to top Jenner (13 points) and early race leader Daniel Fitter (12 points).
White said the King of the Mountain success exceeded his expectations.
“Standing on the podium in a national championships is something pretty surreal, so it was pretty awesome to be able to do it,” he said.
White said the home crowd helped him during the grueling ride.
“A lot of guys I knew and train with and just know around the club were out there supporting and (it) definitely helped me get through the last couple of laps having them on the side of the road yelling and screaming,” he said.
Fellow Ballarat rider Angus Lyons would have also been pleased with his efforts on Saturday. He was part of the chasing bunch that crossed the line behind Jenner and officially finished 10th.
