The Team Rauland scratch group passed every other bunch in the Bathurst Cycling Club's premier handicap event on the calendar before Chester saw off challenges from teammates Devraj Grewal and local hope Luke Tuckwell.

"I think the handicapper did an excellent job. They certainly knew what they were doing. We worked really well together, because we're all part of the same team, but we had to ride pretty hard to get up for the win today," Chester said.

"We spent those last five kilometres riding really hard to catch everyone. We didn't catch many people up until the bottom of that last climb up to Rockley Mount," Tuckwell added.

"We closed up the gaps all the way up that climb and we didn't catch the last of the riders until there was about 500 metres left. We timed it perfectly."

Six of the seven Rauland riders who started together in the scratch group were still there together when they began eating up their rivals on the final climb - their only loss in personnel due to a mechanical issue.

With strength in numbers they flew past all remaining groups ahead of them and sorted themselves out for the final climb to the top.

Sam Greenwood took the group into the last climb on a strong tempo before Grewal lifted to what looked like a potential winning move.

But Chester was there to cover.

"Everyone was there at the same time and it was just a case of who had the best legs," Chester said.

"Luke was on my wheel and I was just waiting for someone to launch, which ended up being Dev, but I had just enough in the legs to come around and win it.

"We were giving it everything. No-one was pushing pedals today. We've been in lockdown for a long time so it was great to get back together as a team, especially with such a hard ride.

"The whole team was in the back three bunches so we all grouped together on the last climb and fought out the finish together."

Orange native Tuckwell now has just one last ride before he moves on to InForm TMX MAKE for the 2022 season.

"This is one of my last races with the team," he said.

"I'll be extremely sad to move on because the last 18 months have been incredible. We have great team chemistry and we all get along really well.

"For a great race like this to be my penultimate one is nice."

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