Australian Grand Prix of Cycling

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Victoria’s world champion pursuiter Katie Mactier used the women’s race over 91.8 km as preparation for what lies ahead on the track. That preparation resulted in her destroying the heart and souls of her opponents, winning by 3.49 minutes from fellow Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club members Briana James and Maryam Rogers.

Mactier dedicated the win to her parents Alexis and Bruce, who were at Mt Buninyong to enjoy her exploits.

“Dad hasn’t been well lately, so hopefully my win will cheer him up a bit,” she said. “I really enjoyed the race, although it was very tough. I spent the first five or six laps just sussing out who was riding well and who to watch. But when an opportunity came up with three laps to go, I thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t expect to win by so much, but I kept thinking if I’m hurting this much, then the others must be hurting as well.”

Mactier summed up the difficulty of the course at Mt Buninyong with a simple statement, “This isn’t a lucky course – you’ve got to judge it right and then execute that judgement.”

Briana James was the star performer in the women’s racing throughout the ACPG, snaring three podium placings and the overall aggregate.