Sam Campbell put in a strong effort in the Junior 20km handicap race to hold off Dylan Starkey, who started on scratch, until the last few kilometers when he was caught with Starkey first to the line.

Alex Bradbury was the only novice rider this week and completed his 10km race in a time of 33.45mins and averaging 18km/hr.

Limit rider Darryl Fulton pulled away from Hayden Gill and Aaron Shore before Middleback Station on the way out to take the lead.

Kelvin Rohrlach, Adrian Wilson, Nicole Goldring, Tim Fulton, Mark Hellowell and Ben Young had made up the three minute gap to Graeme Fargher, Melissa Drogemuller, Peter Werner, Gary Anderson and Don Barratt before they reached the Station.

This large group caught and passed Gill and Shore and then steadily reeled in D Fulton to be just two minutes behind him at the turn around.

Scratch and chopping block had their work cut out to reel in the three groups in front of them before the line but this was made harder once the group of 11 was formed.

Scratch riders Malcolm Clasohm, Ron Versteegh, Matthew Daum and Paul Berkett had made up five and a half of the six minute gap to Ryan Ware, Steve Brown and Rhyse Carpenter at the turn around.

The three chopping block riders held off the scratch bunch until the top of the hill after they turned and then the seven worked hard to try to reel in the groups in front.

The big bunch caught D Fulton 1km past Middleback Station and although he struggled to match their pace at times he stayed with them until the last kilometre.

It was a large bunch sprint finish with just seven seconds separating first and tenth places.

Young was first to finish ahead of T Fulton, Rohrlach, Wilson, Goldring, Fargher, Hellowell, Barratt, Anderson and D Fulton.

There was another close sprint finish between the scratch and chopping block riders three minutes later.

Clasohm won that sprint, and fastest time, followed by Berkett, Versteegh, Carpenter, Ware, Daum and Brown.