Meyer held off a chase group featuring some of Australian cycling's best to win after a punishing race.

Australian legend Amanda Spratt took home her third national title in the women's race.

A throng of spectators made plenty of noise on Mount Buninyong - one, Charlie Farren from Melbourne, said she was glad the sun had come out.

"I love the event, and being on the hill is the closest thing to being in Europe," she said, showing off custom bicycle earrings to match her scarf.

She said she was glad to hear the race would stay in Ballarat for the next three years.

READ MORE:

"It seems to work, and when you're on a winner, don't change it," she said.

Another hill climb stalwart, Malcolm Powell, said it was always exciting to watch - Mr Powell was a Victorian champion in 1959 and 1963, and knows exactly what the riders were going through.

"I would have loved to have ridden this when I was riding seriously," he said.

Kevin Howell was a rider with the Sebastopol Amateur Cycling Club and won his first road race on the Mount Buninyong course.

He was sitting in a prime spot near the Yendon Number One Road corner with his wife.

"As a young fella, on the hill, I just sat in the bunch and got over it, then I won in the sprint finish down Eureka Street," he said.

"I would have been about 16 or 17 - the whole cycling scene has changed dramatically, really, not only because of the bikes and technology, but also the popularity of cycling is incredibly really.

"It's nice to be here to see it happen - it was a great sport for me, and I still enjoy it recreationally."

Mike Boyle, from the Carji Club, a group of die-hard footy fans, was handing out party pies from a genuine Four and Twenty 1971 MCG pie box just before the King of the Mountain section.

"It came up for auction and I thought, I've got to have that," he said, adding the race was a highlight every year.

"You won't get anything like this unless you go to the Tour de France," he said.

"This is a bit of fun, it's all about community."

In town, food vendors were making the most of the crowds - several shopkeepers said it was at least as busy, if not more so, than last year.

Selling ice cream outside the Buninyong Pizza and Hamburger House, Matt Eren and Kerem Ozdokuma were very happy with the weather.

"It's extremely good for us - a lot of people are out, people are happy," Mr Ozdokuma said.

"This year and last year were probably our busiest (of the last five)."

"Once a year, it's a bit of a boost," Mr Eren added.

"Last year, there were all the food caravans (in Buninyong), and they're not here this year which is good for us."

In fact, their main competition was the CFA's sausage sizzle, run by the cheerful firies from the Buninyong-Mount Helen brigade. First lieutenant Gareth Smith said it was a great opportunity to raise some money for the brigade and get safety messages out.

"The community's so great, they're always really supportive, and there's a lot of regional visitors that have come through to support us," he said.

That's echoed by the volunteers at the Buninyong Lions Club's second-hand bookshop.

Coordinator Cathy Maguire added she'd seen people from across Australia.

"There was a lady from the Torres Strait Islands in before," she said.

"Overall, I think it's a great event."

Saturday's para-cyclists met surprising conditions on the mountain - women's champ Carol Cooke said she spent the first lap of her race warming up in the cold.

She added the addition of cyclists with an intellectual impairment had added plenty of enthusiasm to the morning.

"They were just so excited," she said.

"Having 60 athletes across all disability categories is just huge."

The Gran Fondo mass participation event, on Saturday afternoon, also attracted a record-high number of riders to have a crack at the challenging course.

Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.