Ballarat was buzzing with activity for five days as tourists and locals enjoyed the Aus Cycling 2022 Federation University Road National Championships.
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The event series began with time trials followed by the criterium in central Ballarat, with riders cycling up the iconic Sturt Street on Friday afternoon to the delight of hundreds of spectators.
On Saturday the road races kicked off in Buninyong with the para-cycling and intellectually impaired event at 7.30am, followed by the under-19 men and women, under-23 men and then the Gran Fondo in the afternoon.
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Crowds descended on Buninyong from early on Sunday morning with hopes of staking out a prime viewing point to watch the elite cycling road races, which included the challenge of riding up Mount Buninyong.
Blessed with clear blue skies, elite female cyclists and under-23 women raced for nine laps on an 11.6-kilometre course (104.4-kilometres) on Sunday morning. They were followed by the elite men at 12.30pm, who competed during 16 laps (185.6-kilometres) of the course.
SBS cycling host and former national cycling champion, Katherine Bates, had keenly "watched every minute" and commentated each event.
She said there was some nervousness leading up to the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic but that it had turned out to be a "really positive" and "safe" event for both the riders and fans.
"The organisers have done an incredible job with this event - all of the courses are sensational and the community has really got behind it and so have the fans," she told The Courier.
Cafes and restaurants were full as the mercury creeped to a high of 31 degrees on Sunday and crowds gathered along the course to see all the action.
"We've had pretty huge crowds turn up and it has been bigger than any of us expected. It's been really good racing and all of the wins have been in real style," Bates said.
She said the weather was quite a contrast over the weekend. It was a "bit rough" on Saturday, with it being quite cold and rainy in the morning.
Bates commended the inclusivity of the championships and the efforts of the "incredible group of inspiring athletes" who participated in the para-cycling and intellectually impaired cycling event that morning.
"It's one of my personal favourites because I know a lot of the athletes and I see them year after year and get to know their stories," she said.
Bates said these athletes not only inspired other young para-athletes but also able-bodied athletes.
"They are an incredible group of athletes and are resilient, not only as athletes, and also inspire the younger ones coming through by sharing their stories and being mentors."
She said the number of bike sales in the last 18 months had proved how much joy and freedom cycling gave people and that there was room for these inclusive events to grow.
Bates described the weather as "blistering hot" for the events on Sunday, providing an extra challenge for the elite athletes.
"It certainly comes into play in terms of how the racing plays out, but anybody who has spent any time in Ballarat over the last 15 years it has been here knows it really can be four seasons in one day," she said.
"Everyone knows you need to bring sunscreen and a rain jacket.
"But a lot of events in the cycling world travel around each year so it's quite unusual to have a championship held at the same place each year, but I think the cycling community has certainly grown to love Ballarat and they've certainly turned it on for us again this year."
Buninyong Pizza and Hamburger House manager Megan Harvour said the business had been "flat out" on Sunday.
After a difficult few years for hospitality businesses, she said it was great to see people out and about and enjoying the event and the town.
Ms Harvour said it was an event many of the town's businesses looked forward to and had planned for. She said the decision to set-up an ice-cream stall out the front of the shop had proved exceptionally popular with the warmer weather over the weekend.
Meanwhile, while conceding it was possibly not as busy as other years, Leah Rae, manager of Espresso Depot on Learmonth Street, said business had also been "fantastic" at the cafe during the championships and that there had been a steady stream of customers filtering into the cafe throughout.
