The 102nd Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic, starting in Werribee and finishing on Raglan Parade in the capital of the Great South Coast, was a good outing for me, my first ever top 20 in the National Road Series. Thanks in part to the work I’ve done with Tony Sephton from Melbourne Uni Sport over the last few months, I felt strong during an unusually fast edition of the race – the 280 kilometres was covered in just 6 hours and 42 minutes. After catching up with Cyrus Monk and Damian Laing, the other two MUCYC members on the start line, I spent the next few hours looking at joining a potential breakaway (almost had a go with Cyrus at one stage!) and then focussed all my energies on the expected sprint in Warrnambool. Some crashes and punctures made the finish unpredictable, but Cyrus and I were lucky to avoid the carnage and both finished behind the first few sprinters that couldn’t quite chase down Nathan Elliot’s incredibly impressive solo win. While Cyrus is off to the Japan Cup this weekend, I’m taking a short break and looking forward to starting my prep for the upcoming Tour of Bright and the U23 National Championships in Ballarat this January. Author  David Randall Melbourne University Cycling club