'It sucks to be so close' – Favourites miss out in Melbourne to Warrnambool as upset winner snares sought-after victory

There was a flip side to the elation of surprise winner Josh Beikoff (RCA Bikes Online) at the Powercor Melbourne to Warrnambool, and that was the disappointment of so many others who had thought they were in with a strong shot of claiming victory at a race that looms large in the Australian cycling landscape.

The most obvious example was, perhaps, Australian road champion Patrick Eddy (Team Brennan) who, for good reason, had come into the race – which first ran in 1895 – as one of the key favourites.

Just as Jayco-AlUla always go into the Australian National Championships with onlookers seeing it as their race to lose – Eddy upset the apple cart in 2026 – in this case it was Team Brennan that was the one to beat. They had a stacked team for the race that would play out as the third round of the Hertz ProVelo Super League.

That ran right from the riders that were number one and two in the series so far - Levi Hone and Paris Olympic gold medallist Oliver Bleddyn - plus regular top-ten rider Brendon David, former winner Tristan Saunders and of course the in-form Eddy, who up until last year was racing the WorldTour and is highly motivated to make his way back there.

That led to something akin to a game of chicken out on the road. When asked on the SBS broadcast if the stacked roster of the team would get any help to chase the break, team founder and former race winner Tim Decker chuckled and quipped: "Come on, you are joking, aren't you?"

Ultimately, the race ended in a situation that meant all the favourites missed out on the podium, although the competition was probably accurate in their assessment that Team Brennan had the strongest cards to play, had they only been in a position to show their hand at the end of the race.

Unfortunately for Eddy, even dropping all his key rivals and every single one of the pre-race favourites by ultimately launching out on his own in the finale was not enough as the podium spots were beyond reach.

The remnants of the break, who had carved out a gap of over 12 minutes around halfway through the race, managed to lock up the top three positions minutes before the Australian champion was in sight of the finish line. That meant despite a strong showing, fourth was the best Eddy - or anyone else who was not off the front at 20km into the 267km race - could hope for.

"It sucks a bit to be so close. I felt like I was the strongest guy out there today, and even though I was a marked man, I still played my cards as best as I could," Eddy said to Cyclingnews after the finish line on Raglan Parade. "It just wasn't meant to be."

Still, he was taking nothing away from the riders who managed to stay out front despite the efforts to haul them in.

"We committed to the chase early but, you know, credit to the breakaway," Eddy said. "They were super strong today. I think they were aided a bit by the wind but even though we put the pressure on from pretty early on, the gap just stayed out."

Though even in the break that feeling of coming so painfully close could not be escaped, particularly not when the difference between second and getting a revered win in the 267km race came down to just centimetres.

The difference those centimetres made could be seen in the faces of the riders. There was no question Beikoff was still feeling every one of the 267km, but nothing could wipe the grin from his face or the extra bit of pep in the step that achieving something that, until that morning, had not even seemed possible in his "wildest dreams" delivered.

On the other hand, the second-placed Oliver Stenning (Falcons-Pedal Mafia) was every bit the gracious runner-up and quick to express his admiration for the seamless work of his breakaway companions, but fatigue was writ more heavily across his face. The satisfaction of an unexpected podium place was not quite the same balm as a victory, which for a moment had looked like it could be his.

"I knew Josh was super fast, he wins a lot of crits, so I thought I would just try and go really long and just see what happens and I got around him for a little bit, and then my legs just crumbled with 20 metres to go unfortunately," Stenning told Cyclingnews after being beaten on the line to the top spot by such a small margin that the riders had to wait for a verdict on who had won to be sure.

"That is bike racing," Stenning said with a shrug. "It is frustrating to come second by so close, but I am really happy to come away with a podium… it is an honour."