Brenton Jones gets a golden opportunity to secure a second elite men's criterium title at the Fed Uni AusCycling Road National Championships in Ballarat on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jones conquered the tight Sturt Street circuit in 2019 and has had an impressive lead up the 2022 edition.
The Victorian has been one of the most consistent performers in the Ballarat CBD event.
He finished on the podium four times - one silver and three bronze medals - before breaking through to secure the green and gold jersey three years ago.
"It's massive. It's a race that everyone knows I go to every year wanting to try and do as best I can," he said after receiving what had proved to be an elusive gold medal.
And his form now suggests nothing has changed for him.
Jones dominated the last National Road Series event on the Sunshine Coast in December - winning three of the four stages and the general classification.
He was then part of the bunch sprints behind Blake Quick in the two stages of the Bay Crits at Geelong at the weekend, providing him with a perfect preparation for the 44km (40 laps of the 1.1km course).
Ballarat's Nick White can also be expected to be prominent in his bid for a first national elite men's title.
The former national under-23 road race champion finished second to Kaden Groves, who is not back to defend his title, last year and like Jones has been working up to something like his best form after a quiet domestic season.
White blew out some cobwebs on the Sunshine Coast and was not far away at the Bay Crits, also featuring in the bunch sprint finishes.
White will have a big band of fellow Team Bridgelane riders in the 50-strong field, which also includes past champion Cameron Meyer.
- First-time elite woman to be crowned, p31
- Elite men's and women's entries, p31
