Ballarat-Sebastopol cyclist on top of the world at Glasgow

Forster, competing in the C5 scratch race at the World Championship currently underway at Glasgow, scored a brilliant win, taking off with five laps remaining, not guaranteeing her win until the final corner.

With every lap that passed it seemed a foregone conclusion that the 37-year-old would be swept up by the bunch behind, but at every chance they had, they sat up. And while they did, Forster drove on.

When the finish came, Forster couldn't believe what she had just achieved.

"It feels pretty surreal, the crowd is pretty amazing out there. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that. It's a roar every time you go past," she said.

"I knew I probably had one, maybe two chances, and the pace was pretty high and a few of the girls started chopping and it just makes you a bit mad, and that's probably a good impetus to get even.

"So, just had to use the bank as much as possible and I knew I couldn't go too long because they'd mow me down, but I knew they'd probably wait a bit to chase.

"With three to go my legs were screaming and I looked back and I had a bit of a gap and there was no point looking back anymore so just kept spinning the legs and probably broke a few cadence records.

"Nick (Owen), my coach, said get angry and use my road skills to my advantage."

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It has been an incredible recovery for Forster who feared she may never ride again after the head-on collision on a country road at 100km/h.

Forster's win caps off a remarkable week for Ballarat athletes which has included a fifth placing for triathlete Oscar Wootton at the Youth Commonwealth Games, the selection of javelin thrower Kathryn Mitchell in the Australian World Championship team, a bronze medal to rowers Katie Jackson and Lucy Richardson at the world under-19 championships, Matt Short named in the Australian Twenty20 team, and victory to cycling Liam White in the prestigious Rob Vernon Memorial Handicap in Bendigo

It was also a golden night for Australia with Emily Petricola winning the women's C4 individual pursuit.

Australia also won a silver medal in the Madison through Georgia Baker and Alexandra Manly, while Gordon Allan won a bronze in the men's C2 1000m time trial.

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