Young Penguin rider Dalton Stretton added another string to his bow on Wednesday, taking out the men's wheel race at the George Town Christmas Carnival.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 17-year-old, riding off 100m held off Australian scratch race champion Luke Plapp (scratch) and City of Burnie Cycling Club teammate William Eaves (160m) .
"I wasn't too sure where they were to be honest," he said.
"I had a look back with about a lap and a half to go and saw there was a bit of a gap so I sort of dropped the hammer from there and came around the top corner hoping they weren't coming around and got to the line and I was pretty happy.
"I knew Luke would have been coming very hard and they had four or five boys at the back and I knew they'd be coming pretty quick so when I got to the line and they didn't come around I was very happy."
A member of the Australian Cycling Team pathway as an emerging endurance athlete, Stretton will have his focus on March's track nationals following the Christmas Carnivals.
In taking out the carnival's main race, the up-and-coming star thanked his Burnie teammates.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
"Them guys over at Burnie are so good, we are building an awesome group down there and it's good to have a few of the blokes showing up today and picking up some results.
"We got one and three in the wheel there, so there's some good results."
He wasn't the only member of his family achieving success with brother Mitchell taking out the under-13 scratch race and sister Rory finishing second in the under-13 wheel.
In the other major men's races of the day, Plapp finished one better in the 1000m handicap final after pulling away from the pack before the final bell despite starting off scratch.
He would finish ahead of world championship bronze medallist Mathew Richardson and Victorian Sam Gallagher, who won the Devonport Wheel last year.
FULL GALLERY: Pictures by Phillip Biggs
Richardson would be replaced by Stephen Hall on the podium of the A-grade elimination race as the in-form future Olympian Plapp took the honour ahead of Hall and Gallagher.
The carnival came to a premature end during the men's A-grade scratch race with only seven riders left on their bikes following a collision approaching the final corner.
After making his first-ever Wheel final, Nathan Earle's fortunes changed with the international cyclist sent over the fence in the crash, which saw all involved responsive and in reasonable spirits afterwards.
The next stop for the Christmas Carnival Series is Burnie's on Thursday
WOMEN'S WRAP
Georgia Baker proved to be too strong in her Tasmanian return, taking out the women's wheel race at the George Town carnival in fine style.
Starting off scratch alongside Alexandra Manly, the 26-year-old Launceston-born team pursuit world champion made her move with a lap remaining and blitzed past the field, cruising to what looked like an easy victory.
But Baker was quick to downplay her performance and credit Manly and fellow Tasmanian Lauren Perry.
"I don't think a wheel race is ever easy, it's definitely full gas otherwise we won't catch the front markers - I had a few good teammates that helped me get to the front markers as well," she said.
"I didn't know what was behind me either, who was there, so I just went out as hard as I could and just looked for the finish line."
Describing the Christmas Carnival Series as a huge part of her journey to the Australian Cycling Team, Baker admitted she hadn't raced too much at George Town before Wednesday's event.
CARNIVALS AT A GLANCE
"It's a little bit different especially like the gear ratios, you have to under-gear a little bit given the corner behind me (finish straight turn).
"It's different but it's a bit of fun."
Already confirmed for the Tokyo Olympics, the wheel winner turns her focus towards a block of road events - the Tour Down Under and national championships - following the Christmas Carnivals, where she aims to win her first Burnie Wheel on Thursday.
While Manly contributed to Baker's wheel race success, the 24-year-old Western Australian had a victory of her own in the A-grade scratch race.
It looked to be a four-horse race as Baker and Hobart Wheel winner Isla Carr broke away from the pack with seven laps remaining before Perry and young Tasmanian Amalia Langham joined the fray a lap later.
Manly worked her way to the group over the course of the following laps as Carr dropped back - leaving the carnival's three pedigree riders to battle it out with Langham.
Sticking with the group up until the final lap, it became too much for Langham as Manly, Baker and Perry crossed the line one, two, three.
Hobart Wheelers member Suzanne Strates won the 1000m handicap ahead of Launceston's Emily Walker and Southern teammate Jessie Sawyer before also taking out the B-grade elimination race.
Baker was also too good in the A-grade elimination, beating out Perry and Queenslander Lili McLennan.