Central Victorian cyclist Jesse Norton wins Mark Symons Memorial

The Ballarat rider off scratch took the top of the podium and the fastest time (1:50:00) ahead of Bendigo's Nate Hadden (+3) in second and Stuart Darling (+3) in third.

The conditions for the 82km circuit race on Sunday which started and finished at the Bagshot Hall were near perfect with no wind and pleasant sunshine.

The field of 25 starters included racers with a range of different time handicaps which saw a staggered start.

The first group out were overtaken quickly by the 16 minute group, followed by the eight minute markers who were led by Brent Gibson

The scratch racers, which included Norton, were up to the three minute markers around the back of the Dingee-Rochester Road and by the time they'd covered 50km there was just a six-minute gap to the lead pack.

During the final stretch of rolling hills on the Bendigo-Tennyson Road to Bagshot saw local mountain bike expert Tasman Nankervis kick into gear and catch up to the final group with just a few kilometres left.

However, the final sprint saw Norton perform at his best to take an impressive win.

Also in action were the juniors who took on a 32km circuit.

Finbar O'Sullivan (Seymour and Broadford Cycling Club) took the win and fastest time from his club-mate Archie Davis in second and Lucy Hall rounded off the podium in third.

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