Following a dangerous late move put Scott in a position to launch his own attack, and when he looked back and saw daylight with just the undulating final straight to ride, the former track world champion in the teams pursuit put in an all-out solo effort to reach the finish line first.
“After I saw James Whelan and Liam Johnston go with about a kilometre and a half to go, I knew I couldn’t let that happen and jumped across to them,” said Scott. “I looked back and saw there was a bit of a gap and I just committed.”
“As far as road results go, it’s probably the best one for me. It wasn’t a typical way of winning, by myself as opposed to a bunch sprint, really happy I could pull something off.”
Scott had a big lead entering the final few hundred metres, but he faded noticeably just before the finish, and with the peloton charging home behind, it was only a matter of metres on the line that proved to be his margin of victory. So close was it that second and third on the day, Brenton Jones (Inform TMX Make) and Myles Stewart (Nero Continental) respectively, had to swerve to avoid him as they sped past just metres after the line to complete the podium.
“They had definitely run out,” said Scott of his legs in the approach to the line. “I tried to get out of the saddle and give it everything I had and luckily I had enough to just hang on in the end.”
It was a race that looked to play into the sprinter’s hands from early in the race, with the early stages raced at a steady tempo, and importantly without any significant breakaway forming.
The most dangerous moment looked to be when Willunga stage winner at the recent Festival of Cycling Angus Lyons (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) and former ‘Warrny’ podium-getter Mark O’Brien (Inform TMX Make) launched a stinging attack up the first categorised mountain climb. It was shut down but it wasn’t long after that where the early move was formed.
68 kilometres into the race, Aidan Buttigieg (Nero Continental) surged clear, followed by seven others who caught him as the peloton took a natural break behind and let them gain a lead.
Cyrus Monk and Terrance Hore (CycleHouse), Aidan Buttigieg (Nero Continental), Matt Sherwin, Edwin Britts (Oliver’s Real Food Racing), Tim Cutler (CCS Cycling), Jason Thomason (Butterfield p/b Van D’am), Callum Pearce (Onyva Racing) formed a good working partnership and started pushing out their lead.
It peaked at a maximum of six minutes and 20 seconds, and Inform TMX Make went to the front of the peloton to make sure the leader’s advantage didn’t get out of hand, with a bit of assistance from ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast. The gap fell to five minutes before the break redoubled their efforts, keeping their lead stable.
Crashes back in the peloton were an issue for a number of riders, with most picking themselves up to continue, but some requiring further medical attention.
Through the SRAM Mountain climbs it was Britts who was the strongest, just edging out Thomason, with Buttigieg the fastest in the sprints as he took out the Deakin sprint jersey and the 3YB Coast FM Victorian 200 kilometre championship by being the nippiest in the dashes to the line on the flat.
The peloton was rapidly closing by this point as attacks at the front of the bunch in the windy sections of the beautiful Great Ocean road saw riders dropped and teams scramble to make sure they were represented in any move that went away.
The increased pressure saw the strongest riders in the break assert themselves and attack, with Cutler leading the aggression, Monk and Buttigieg the only ones able to follow. The trio upped the pace, able to hold onto their three minute advantage. Cutler and Monk were the strongest, with Buttigieg unable to contribute to the hard pace.
Behind them, a series of attacks from the peloton attacked on the windy run-in, Ben Hill (CCS Cycling), Kane Richards (ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast), Mark O'Brien, Tristan Saunders (Inform TMX Make), Scott and the CycleHouse team at large prominent in the moves.
The decisive attack came as Scott followed a dangerous late attack containing James Whelan (Team Bridgelane) and Liam Johnston (Inform TMX Make), then saw the opportunity to make his own surge and he railed his way along the barricades into the finish. He faded as he approached the line, but it was too late for the fast-finishing peloton to catch him and Scott secured the historic victory.
Scott was nearly nabbed on the line by Brenton Jones with the sprinter disappointed to have ridden so well but not be rewarded with a victory.
“That’s the closest I’ve ever been and it hurts a bit knowing that I was the fastest there in the finish,” said Jones. “Cam did a pretty nice attack there, maybe I could have done a similar thing, but we were all together and I thought I’d trust my legs this year to win the sprint. And I did, but second in the end… came very close to catching him on the line.
“Good work for Cam, but I’ve finished second to him enough times, no more, I’ll have to try and take the top step next time.”
Stewart was very happy with his third-place finish, which along with his recent Tour of Gippsland results is showing a healthy progression for the Nero Continental rider, who his team believes is the first Indigenous rider to podium in the Powercor Melbourne to Warrnambool.
“I’m over the moon. The last 50 kilometres I went with a couple of moves, but I knew it was pretty crucial to look after myself as I knew I had it within myself today. Brenton and I were neck-and-neck into the finish, pretty close top three. It was awesome.
“Next race, I want to be on top of the podium, there’ll be some hard training by I reckon I’ll get there.”
Stewart's team believes their rider is the first indigenous cyclist to podium at the historic race, with his background including Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi heritage.
The first-ever exclusive women's event as part of the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Festival will be on SBS On tomorrow, with the Lochard Energy Women's Warrnambool Cycling Classic set to be the longest road race in the world. Watch from 10.30am on SBS On Demand and the SBS Cycling Central Facebook page with Gracie Elvin and Matt Keenan in commentary.
