The former Bathurst Cycling Club rider who now represents Sydney University crossed the finish line eight minutes and nine seconds down on victor Sarah Gigante (1:45.28), the Brunswick star who made it three gold medals for the week.

Not only did Watts add that top five result result to her bronze medal in the criterium, but she placed third in the road race’s sprint competition as well.

She also produced that result a day after she felt below her best in the time trial, an event in which she still managed to place 12^th.

“I was super happy,” Watts said.

“There was a lot in recovery, but also just mindset, knowing that yes, I didn’t get what I wanted yesterday [Friday’s time trial] but doesn’t mean that’s it for today’s race, I just wanted to go out there and thrash it.”

While the start time was brought forward to 6.35am and reduced from 69.6 kilometres to 58 due to the hot conditions, the temperature still sat in the high 20s and riders had to battle wind gusts of up to 40km/hr on the Mount Buninyong circuit.

Watts handled the testing circuit well – even while enduring a period of discomfort when she “got a tummy ache and I felt like I was going to vomit”  – and got herself in a three-rider chase group.

“It was tough for the legs, but it wasn’t as hard as what I thought it was going to be,” she said.

“I think being from where I am living in Hartley where there’s a lot of hills around, I didn’t find it too bad, but fourth and fifth [laps], I was just like I want to cross the finish line and sit down.

“Jemma [Eastwood] went halfway through the first lap and we thought ‘Well, we’ve got five laps so we’ll get that back up the road’ and then Sarah went the second time up Buninyong and I wasn’t in the lead positions. I was fighting around everyone trying to get up the slope.

“I ended up on Anya’s [Louw] wheel and I was like yes, Anya’s a really good rider, she’s a really strong, we’ll be able to get back. We caught up to Sophie Edwards and there were three of us there to the end.

“The atmosphere is definitely different to what I’ve been used to, riding along and actually having signs that say athlete toilet … and having so many people that probably don’t even know you but they are still cheering for you anyway as you head around the course, that keeps you going.”

Watts offered her thanks to her coach Nat Bates, the Bathurst Cycling and Bathurst Wallabies Triathlon Clubs and The Scots School for their support. She also thanked her sponsors Anytime Fitness Lithgow, Ray White Lithgow, Reliance and Panorama Road Safety.