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THOUSANDS of fans watched Sunday's thrilling duel for the elite men's road race crown at the finale to the Cycling Australia road championships at Buninyong.
For a fleeting moment it looked like Bendigo's Darren Lapthorne would add a second national title as he made several spirited attacks on the final lap.
The national road champion in 2007, Lapthorne showed he is still a formidable competitor as he attacked, went again when caught, and then tried again to break clear.
It was not to be for the Drapac Professional Cycling team member as rivals chased him down and then surged clear.
Lapthorne's team-mate, Lachlan Norris from Barkers Creek would be best-placed of central Victoria's cycling stars in 16th place at the end of the gruelling 183.6km contest.
A great campaign for Norris included 10th placing in Thursday's time trial.
A field of 149 raced 18 laps of the Buninyong circuit.
Hot favourites included Tour de France champion Caleb Ewan, Richie Porte, Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn and young gun Caleb Ewan.
There were many attacks and counter-attacks.
One of the strongest teams, Drapac Professional Cycling motored along.
Haussler was part of a larger breakaway group which formed inside the final 40km before nine were left to fight it out.
Ewan and team-mate Michael Hepburn, Neil van der Ploeg, Campbell Flakemore on debut for BMC, Sam Spokes and Darren Lapthorne (Drapac), Jack Bobridge (Budget Forklifts), Angus Morton (Jelly Belly), and Hassuler (IAM Cycling) began to attack one another on the final climb.
A lull in the tempo meant Haussler returned to the fore and his sprint was too much for Ewan as Van der Ploeg took bronze.
Australia's only winner of the Tour de France, Cadel Evans was 11th.
Another Tour de France competitor, Zak Dempster was 20th in Sunday's battle at Buninyong.
From Castlemaine, Dempster's cycling career really kicked on once he moved to Bendigo.
Horsham's Mark O'Brien was 25th as Lapthorne rolled to 34th place and Bendigo's Robbie Hucker was 43rd.
On Saturday, South Australia's Miles Scotson won the under-23 men's road race ahead of South Australia Institute of Sport team-mate Alex Edmondson.
Bendigo's Jack Haig was eighth as clubmates Chris Hamilton, the national under-23 criterium champion and Sam Crome were 36th and 37th.
It was a titles double for Scotson who took out Thursday's time trial.
Scotson won the Merv Dean Memorial Bendigo and District Cycling Club three-day tour in 2012.