Cameron Meyer has finally secured the title he has so desperately wanted for more than a decade - the Cycling Australia Road National Championship elite men's road race.
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The West Australian was overwhelmed by his commanding gold medal performance at Buninyong on Sunday, saying words could not describe how he felt.
"This is the main jersey - the one everyone wants. This is the one I really wanted," he said.
Meyer stamped his authority on the tortuous 185.6km in the last lap - establishing a winning break on the final climb.
He said one of the most challenging aspects of the day was keeping it all together late in the race, with emotions running high once he knew with 3km to go he had the title in his keeping.
Meyer's Mitchelton Scott teammate Lucas Hamilton was second, with relative unknown Marcus Culey third after being part of a breakaway for most of the race.
Meyer paid credit to Hamilton, who is from Ararat and a former Ballarat Clarendon College student, for having helped set up the win with an attack leading into the final lap.
What made getting his hands on the green and gold jersey all the more sweeter for Meyer was the frustration he had gone through in going so close to winning since finishing fourth on debut 12 years ago.
He finished second in 2016 and third last year after watching his brother Travis Meyer take out the road race in 2010.
Cameron Meyer now has the distinction winning all three major national road titles, adding to the 2010 and 2011 time trials, and criterium in 2013.
For Meyer, most of the day was a waiting game in the peloton while a two, then four and later three-man breakaway made the pace.
Just 35 of the 111 riders to start completed the race.