INSIDE KNOWLEDGE SECURES VICTORY

THE plan came together and Blake Quick was in the “perfect” position to prove the “inside always wins” and claim a dual Bay Crits win.

Quick (InForm TMX Make) matched the feat of Ruby Roseman-Gannon in the women’s event, winning races on Saturday and Sunday and consequently the overall title.

The race began with leader Bentley Niquet-Olden (Oliver’s Racing) losing balance on a turn and crashing, leading to his retirement from the race as he suffered lacerations up his right side.

After Simon Clarke (All Stars) attempted a breakaway from the peloton heading into the final lap of Sunday’s race, the group hauled him in, leaving Quick in the middle of a “washing machine”. Some advice and action from teammate Brenton Jones helped the Queenslander get on the inside on the final turn at Eastern Gardens.

“It was very, very chaotic, everyone was racing for the last corner,” Quick said.

“The run in didn’t go according to play, it got a bit chaotic, and with the wind down the back straight, it got a bit hard, but coming into the last corner was perfect.

“’BJ’ and I spoke before the race and he has obviously won this before and he basically said, ‘you have to be first or second coming into that last corner and the inside always wins’.

“I had a bit of work to do, I was a bit nervous coming into the end because it had that really bad washing machine effect, there were people going everywhere and ‘BJ’ managed to push through and I managed to follow him through and he took me in upright.”

Having watched the Bay Crits online over the years, Quick had no trouble adapting to the Geelong course in his first attempt at the event.

He said the win would put him “up with some big hitters”.

“It’s really big. I am super, super happy, I definitely wanted to come here and prove myself,” he said.

“It’s probably my first time to show myself against these guys … hopefully this shows what I am capable of and where I stand.”