Matt Heath has taken out the 55th Bob Robson Memorial Anzac Day criterium at Williamstown.
The main race was never going to run at the allotted hour due to darkening skies and falling rain.
Brad Erickson made the most of the first sprint, jumping into an early break with Heath and club champion Dom Dudkiewicz.
Heath, a 34-year-old from Altona, spoke of how he wanted to get away from the bunch as fast as he could.
“I wanted to pick my own lines through the corners and get out of the wheelspray,” he said.
“It took me a few laps to feel comfortable. The rear wheel would kick out every now and then, so I had to keep concentrating on taking the best line through corners.
“I kept attacking and expected Dom to bridge to me, but I looked around and saw that I was clear and on my own.”
What Heath didn’t know as he pushed himself to the limit, totally focused on his breakaway effort, was that there was some drama in the race behind him.
Dudkiewicz and Erickson had an unwanted diversion at the roundabout and the bunch hadn’t chased him as hard as it needed.
By the closing stages of the race, with Heath on a 22-second lead, rain started falling harder and the commissaire decided to give riders three remaining laps to get the race finished.
With the bunch split into two and rain pouring down, it was a relieved and ecstatic Heath who crossed the line to take the win in this coveted race, while Erickson cemented his place in A-grade by taking the bunch sprint, ahead of Leigh Kelly and brothers Ben and Jason Costin.
Later, at Williamstown RSL, Heath spoke of how much his win meant.
“That’s a race I have been wanting to win for 15 years and, looking at the winners’ honour board on the wall, that’s a board that I’m very proud to have my name on,” he said.
“Anzac Day means so much to all of us and it makes this race so special.”
In the support race, Vlad Djuric came in first, ahead of Bernie O’Sullivan, Dean Maclennan and Mark Micallef.
