The heavy weather early in the morning kept some of the entrants away from the Nowra Velo Club's B and D grade road championships.
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However, the rain stopped and racing went ahead on wet roads with a hard day ahead over the 54-kilometre course on Braidwood Road.
Most of the top contenders were there for the B grade race that came down to a two-way sprint finish that gave the win the Mark Williams by two bike lengths ahead of Elliot Ashby.
Williams had featured in a 10-kilometre solo breakaway move in the first half of the race but the seven leaders were together again into the second lap and onto the long drag up from Hames Road.
Phil Rice was attacking the field on this climb and the gaps were appearing between the riders. Williams kept it going and opened a longer gap.
Ashby saw the move and jumped across to Williams and they were then going further ahead.
Rice was holding third position when Josh Henry joined him in the chase.
On the fast run back down to the finish, Williams and Ashby extended their lead.
Ashby launched his final attack with 300 metres remaining and opened a gap as he raced towards the line.
However, that is a long sprint and he was fading as Williams chased him down.
Williams closed the gap and forged ahead to take the win.
Rice and Henry had worked together into the final four kilometres where Rice jumped away to cross the line in third position and two minutes behind Williams.
Henry finished fourth just thirty seconds later.
Brad Oaten and Godfrey Green had teamed up to chase the riders ahead and Green grabbed a close decision over Oaten for fifth.
Geoff Maguire was the last rider to finish, in seventh position.
The really keen D grade riders lined up in the wet for their race over the same 54 kilometres.
John Cullity, Kate Darke and Martyn Smith pushed the pace on the early climbs and reduced the field to four after just six kilometres.
These riders, along with Hubert Driehuis shared the pace making into the final 20 kilometres where Driehuis dropped back.
Into the finish straight, Cullity took the lead early and raced ahead to a four-length margin over Smith to take the win.
Kate Darke was close up in third position while Driehuis finished solo, some five minutes later.
Cullity had won this grade's road championship in 2020 and backed up well for a consecutive win.
Criterium racing resumes next weekend for the Nowra Velo Club with round eleven of the 2021 Optus team series, to be held on the Albatross Aviation Tech Park circuit.
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