Bendigo's Isaac Buckell capped off a big weekend of cycling with a strong win in the Men's Victorian 10 mile Motor-Paced Championship.
Buckell set himself up for a strong win with smart placement during the 40-lap race, the final event of the two-day Bendigo and District Cycling Club's Christmas Carnival.
"The trick is to conserve energy, try pick a good wheel to follow and watch for any good spots that open up," Buckell said.
"I was just counting down the laps and was making sure I wasn't too far out the back or too far to the front."
As the bell rang on the final lap, it was Buckell and Luke Wight battling wheel-to-wheel.
Buckell snapped into form and surged ahead of Wight on the back straight to secure the victory by approximately 10 metres.
Also on the podium was Ballarat's Daniel Bucknall in second, Isaac's brother Sam Buckell in third and Jackson Hadden in fourth.
"He(Wight) is always good competition, we've been racing against each other for years," Buckell said.
"It's always good to have someone to race against that pushes you to do your best."
Earlier in the night, Buckell and Wight who are both off scratch, had a tight finish in the 2000 metre Lindsay Harrington Memorial Wheelrace.
However, this time it was Wight who claimed victory, thanks to a well-timed sprint which edged out Buckell.
One of the challenges for the riders at the event was approaching the final bend from the back straight, where they had a tailwind into a strong headwind which slowed them down.
"Turning onto the front straight was like hitting a brick wall," Buckell laughed.
All-in-all Buckell was pleased to compete in multiple events at the two-day carnival on his home track at the Tom Flood Sports Centre.
"It's been a good hit out that's for sure with great fields of riders," Buckell said.
"Thanks for everyone who came out, it has been great to see the support for our local carnival."
Looking ahead Buckell is now training for the 2020 RoadNats in Ballarat.
"Now I will focus on the road nationals in Ballarat, it's a race we're all preparing for and looking forward to," he said.
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