Ewan secures Mitchelton Bay Cycle Classic title

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Mitch Docker (Orica GreenEdge) has won the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic finale in Williamstown in style while Caleb Ewan (BikeBug) maintained his position against his rivals to ensure he held on to overall honours having lead the series from race one earlier in the week.

Harry Carpenter (SASI) finished second behind Docker, while Greg Henderson (Degani Bakery Cafe) was third leading the bunch across the finish line.

Ewan bettered his 2012 result in the series, where he finished as runner up behind Allan Davis by just one point.

"I knew there would be more pressure on me and that I would be much more of a marked man coming into the race but after the first stage it gave me the confidence for the rest of the series,"he explained.

The 18-year-old said that the result was "right up there" with his silver medal from the UCI Road World Championships late last year where he was runner up in the junior men's road race.

"To come here and race with the pros after they've been in Europe, you see then in the Tour [de France] and all these races and then you come here and beat them it's just... I can't really explain it but it's a real honour just to come here and race these guys.

"It was only four or five years ago now that my family came here on holiday to watch it [the Bay Crits] and I remember just thinking it was crazy how fast they were going so to come here and win it is really good.”

Ewan will ride with Cycling Australia's WorldTour Academy squad this season, with the aim of spending most of his time in Europe with his season reaching a crescendo with the World Championships in Italy.

Docker went on the attack within the first 10 minutes, quickly establishing a lead over the peloton. After taking out the first sprint, Docker was joined by Carpenter. Docker had been trailing Henderson and had even told the New Zealander that he need not worry about defending against him.

Once he had his gap on the field, which initially hovered around the 20 second mark, Docker's attention turned to the sprint classification.

"I wanted to make the breakaway worthwhile... At the end I saw that we had 30 seconds and both of us had been doing it fairly comfortably so we put a bit of extra effort in," he explained.

With Carpenter for company, the pair got out to a maximum lead of 44 seconds.

Docker benefitted from savvy teammates Jens Mouris and Luke Durbridge who with three laps remaining moved to the head of the bunch on the roundabout coming off the main straight of the course, and hit the breaks to give the race leaders some added comfort.

"Everyone ended up following their wheels which they probably shouldn't have so it gave us a little bit of extra time to muck around in the sprint as you always do," Docker laughed.

"[The green jersey] was really unexpected. I think it's great for the team."

Hoskins pushed all the way but secures women's title

In the women's event, Melissa Hoskins (Orica-AIS) finally got the stage win she'd been craving, rounding out her successful defence of her 2012 series title. Thursday's race win was her first in the seven races she'd contested in the series over two seasons.

A field of just 17 women were still on the course by the end of the 45 minute race in Williamstown, but the threat still loomed for Hoskins with Peta Mullens (Anytime Fitness / Trek) and Kimberley Wells (Specialized-Securitor) pushing the Orica-AIS rider all the way to finish.

Mullens opened up the sprint before the reduced field turned into the final straight but it was Hoskins who crossed the finish line in triumph. The West Australian only needed to finish in the top seven to secure her overall victory.

"What a way to finish," said a relieved Hoskins. "Huge thanks to the girls that led me out in the end and a great way to finish a tour and get the stage win that I'd been chasing for the last two years. I'm very happy.

"I always knew they [Mullens and Wells] were going to be all over me and they were with a lap to go. The only way I was going to win was if I was first into that last corner and that's what I did."

Elite men - Full Results

Elite Women - Full Results