IT came down a final sprint to the line, but in the end it was Kalinda Robinson who nudged out fellow Bathurst rider Eliza Bennett to win the women’s crown at the Orange Track Open on Saturday
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Robinson out-sprinted Bennett in the final event on the card to win the title by one point, with the finale fittingly as close as the overall margin.
The pair were shoulder-to-shoulder heading down the final straight, with Robinson just edging her club-mate out.
Bennett had 13 points heading into the final stanza, ahead of Robinson’s 11, but the Win and Out proved the latter’s strong point in blistering heat at the Moulder Park velodrome.
Meanwhile, it took a countback for Dubbo’s Luke Ensor to claim the men’s title over former Bathurst Cycling Club rider Harry Bryant.
Bryant, now riding with Sydney Uni Velo Club, claimed one point in the final race to ensure he couldn’t be passed by the fast-finishing Ensor.
But Ensor was handed the title on countback after he claimed two wins and a third in his final three races.
It was a good battle between the pair across the program as Bryant won the first race – the head starter.
Ensor then claimed the elimination before Bryant won the Keirin, setting with Win and Out up as the decider, with Byrant four points ahead.
He claimed fifth in the race to ensure Ensor couldn’t overtake him, but the Dubbo sprinter did all he could to take equal top spot ahead of his stablemate Trent Hines.
Orange Cycle Club president Mitch Bland said “the day went off like a frog in a sock” despite the heat.
“It was hot but with plenty of water and sunscreen the first-aid bags were untouched,” he said.