It was a last-minute determination for Mark O’Brien to line up for the Powercor Melbourne to Warrnambool in 2024 and after 13 years of making an attempt to maneuver up a step following his second place in 2010, it simply occurred to be the version the place the items of the puzzle all fell collectively on the 269km race that began greater than a century in the past.
Although 2024 was the yr O’Brien had began to tug again slightly from biking, with the precedence extra focussed on work and household, that breakthrough victory has now made it even tougher to skip the race which runs on February 8 and 9 and in 2025 might be a part of the brand new ProVelo Tremendous League.
“Nobody asks a fisherman if he’s going to retire” was a line O’Brien earlier this yr advised Cyclingnews was one among his favorite responses when requested if he was going to cease racing and name it quits, as a result of in spite of everything why would you cease doing one thing that clearly delivers a lot enjoyment and is so entrenched within the rider’s DNA. That line got here in helpful once more this week because the rider stepped up on the 2025 race launch because the defending champion.
“I believe I first watched the Warrny once I was 8. I keep in mind being there when Dave McKenzie gained, when Simon Gerrans gained, Jamie Drew, I’ve been there many many occasions,” mentioned O’Brien on the launch of the following version of the Melbourne to Warrnambool on the DISC Velodrome this week.
“Then in fact I began doing it myself, acquired my head kicked in a few occasions, I used to be second in 2010 after which I’m going righto, ‘I’m going to win it the following yr. That is it I’m going to return’ and I simply saved making an attempt and making an attempt … it is simply an enormous occasion to me, one thing I’ve all the time watched and I’ve seen loads of my mates win it and go to the highest tier,” mentioned the 2024 solo winner.
“It’s not about that for me, it is extra only a factor I like to do and I like difficult myself on these exhausting races the place everybody begins falling aside and to lastly get my identify on the honour roll I used to be over the moon.”
The 37-year-old pastime bike owner now typically makes use of the commute to and from work to attempt to assist rack up his 16-18 hours per week of coaching on the bike and his evenings to meet up with his teaching shoppers, lots of who he’ll be driving alongside on the Melbourne to Warrnambool.
However regardless of the coaching time constraints, the rider is not going to be ready till the final minute to enroll in 2025, having already dedicated, as he seems ahead to profiting from the expertise of lining up because the defending champion.
“That might be an actual novelty truly,” mentioned O’Brien. “For a rider of my kind, I don’t win that often so I’m actually excited to be going there with the primary on my again. For the celebrities to align I’d in all probability have to attend one other 13 years however I’ll return as match as I could be and see what I can do.”
O’Brien, who additionally gained the primary version of the Sutton Grange Vineyard Uncorked Gravel in February of this yr, mentioned that being the newest winner of the Melbourne to Warrnambool would not change the best way he rode a lot given he was already focused as an excellent rider to comply with given sprinting is not precisely his robust go well with.
“They know they’ll beat me on the end in the event that they get away with me,” he mentioned, including that it could be simple to inform if he was in with an opportunity in 2025 as soon as the race acquired underway.
“If I’ve acquired good legs you’ll learn about it – I’ll attempt to assault and get away and if I’m not solo then I’ve already misplaced,” he laughed.
The Melbourne to Warrnambool will ship the second spherical of racing within the ProVelo Tremendous League, following on from the three-stage South Australia opener from January 18 to twenty. The race ending on Raglan Parade in Warrnambool would be the first of the one-day Classics nestled in among the many 4 three-day stage races.
