Savings & Loans, David Pell broke through for one of his most cherished victories in yesterday's Australian Cycling Grand Prix road race

Pell, overcame a last lap challenge from fellow Victorian Pip Grinter to claim line honours in the arduous 153 km race on the famed Buninyong circuit, just out of Ballarat. Before yesterday, Pell's other major victories had been in the 2001 Australian Under 23 national road race and the Bendigo to Nagambie stage of the 2007 Herald Sun Tour.

In 2006 he was beaten into second place in the time honoured Melbourne to Warrnambool 300 km Classic, but yesterday belonged to Pell. He was part of a 12 man breakaway group that put significant time into the large peloton, from the original field of 109 starters.

The "Dirty Dozen" included the likes of Sydney's Peter Herzig, who was concentrating on winning points in the king of the mountain championship, Adelaide mountain biker Chris Jongewaard, Grinter's Drapac Porsche team-mates Mark O'Brien and Daniel Braunsteins, in-form Queensland rider Michael England and Brunswick's Dylan Newell, a recent winner of the Tour of Gippsland.

One by one, members of the dozen escapees tried to splinter the group with further breaks, but on each occasion their challenge was thwarted. However on the third last lap, Braunsteins made a significant move, getting 50 seconds up the road on his fellow breakaways.

Braunsteins, however, was reeled in on the penultimate lap when Grinter and Pell put considerable distance into the lead group. At the bell, Grinter and Pell had a lead of 1:09 but the cavalry was coming.

Grinter hit Pell going up the Midland Hwy hill for the last time, but the latter saved his best for last. On the Fisken Road descent, a treacherous part of the Buninyong circuit, Pell hit top gear, took Grinter in his stride and set sail for home.

The home straight at Buninyonng is made for sprinters and a delight for spectators with 500m of clear view on a flat open road. Pell was able to sit up and savour his victory, three seconds ahead of Grinter while teenage Geelong sensation Leigh Howard, winner of the previous day's criterium, led the bunch for third place.

Just as significantly for Howard, his performances in Ballarat over the weekend catapulted him into the lead in the Scody Cup, which doubles as the national road series. The series includes multi stage tours of Gippsland, Murray River and Tasmania and three separate races at the Ballarat Grand Prix. Howard has amassed 82 points from 11 races so far and is level with Tasmanian Bernard Sulzberger, but ahead on a countback, courtesy of more stage wins.

The overall winner of the Grand Prix was Jongewaard, who would otherwise have been racing in Beijing if he had not been omitted from the Australian Olympic mountain bike team. Jongewaard won Friday's time trial, placed in Saturday's criterium and was fourth home in the road race.

(article courtesy of cyclingnews.com)

refer to the link for race photos

www.thecourier.com.au/slideshowplayer.aspx

Tim Roe finished safley in 15th position and remains in the Top 5 overall in the Scody Series and importantly hold his overall lead the National Road Series.