Ballarat cyclist Daniel Bucknall has taken out the Melbourne to Ballarat road race with a thrilling sprint finish on Saturday.
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Bucknall entered the race with little expectation, having focused on track and criterium throughout the year. But in the 107th year of the race, the 32-year-old rode strongly and timed his run perfectly to prevail over a strong group of riders at the Buninyong finish line.
“All this year I’ve been training for track and criterium, this is the first open road race,” Bucknall said.
“Being a sprint rider the finish really suited me.
“I just made sure I kept them at my hip and did enough to make it stick.”
Bucknall said the conditions suited him and with about five kilometres to the finish line he felt he was in a good position – but the result still took him by surprise.
“A combination of the conditions and the bunch.
“We had a couple of strong riders in the bunch that worked really well together and were able to keep a decent average speed to stay away from the scratch riders.
“About four or five k’s (kilometres) out I knew I could do some damage.”
Fellow Ballarat/Sebastopol Cycling Club rider Nick White recorded the fastest time.