IT was called the screamer handicap and a screamer of a ride was a exactly what Luke Tuckwell produced in Sunday's Bathurst Cycling Club race.
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After starting off scratch alongside members of the Avantias Pro Racing Team who are in Bathurst on a camp, Tuckwell joined them in riding through the field before fighting it out for the honours.
He crossed the line in second position, one second after Avantias' Finley Moutter who won in a record 22 minutes, 57 seconds for the 18-kilometre course.
But shortly after Tuckwell was declared the victor and the record holder. Ebony Robinson and Xavier Bland joined him on the podium.
"I was pretty happy, I crossed the line second, but the winner got DQ'd," he said.
"So I thought I was second until basically we got to the presentation and they said he was disqualified, so it was quite the surprise.
"There's a right-hander and double white lines and the rule is you can't cross over the double white lines until they disappear.
"I actually led into the corner and I did it all correctly. Everyone was thinking 'Why has Luke gone so wide?', but I actually took it right and they all dived on the inside across the double whites and that's why they got disqualified."
Tuckwell's performance off the 16:15 handicap was a mighty effort and reflects the hard work the under 19s talent has put into preparing for next week's Cycling Australia Road National Championships.
"It was good considering we are at the business end of the season ... it's good to know I can go hard and I can still perform well," he said.
For the Avantias team, missing out on the win did not really trouble team manager Simon Forrest. He was happy for his visiting riders Moutter, Steve Cuff, Josh Brody, Taylor Forrest and Malachi Covington to get some good competition as they too prepare for nationals.
"We brought the boys out from Sydney to make sure they're outside the COVID area and got some nice training here in the country for two weeks before going down to nationals at Ballarat," he said. "I'm having a blast, the boys are having a great time, it's terrific.
"They're looking forward to it. The biggest thing is they get out of Sydney, they get out of the traffic, they get acclimatised because it's going to be less humid in Ballarat, it's more that dry heat."
The Avantias team had better luck in the BCC's Australia Day race, with Cuff clocking the fastest time. Steve Bennett took the win ahead of Vanessa Bennett and Cadel Lovett.
