Rising star Ruby Roseman-Gannon has successfully defended her Bay Crits crown despite missing a clean sweep of stages in Geelong while Brenton Jones bowed out with second men's title.
Victorian Roseman-Gannon finished 10th in the third and final race on Tuesday but it was enough to seal a dominant overall victory after winning the previous two stages.
Jones, the 2014 champion, won the stage and the overall classification on a countback from Graeme Frislie after they both finished level on points.
Roseman-Gannon finished well clear on 25 points ahead of her Bayside Citroen teammate, triple Commonwealth Games champion Georgia Baker, on 18 points, while Chloe Hosking (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) was third a further point back.
The 24-year-old Roseman-Gannon also edged Dani De Francesco by one point to claim the sprint title in a commanding show.
The performance sets her up perfectly to defend her criterium title at this week's Australian championships in Ballarat as well as challenge in the road race.
Matilda Raynolds took the stage victory around the 650m Ritchie Boulevard course, known as the Hot Dog due to its rectangular circuit with tight corners.
Also riding with Bayside Citroen, Raynolds was part of a group of four who lapped the peloton and won the surge to the finish, pipping Valentina Scandolara, followed by Tilly Field and Alicia Wells.
Roseman-Gannon, who was a first-year rider last year in Europe with Team BikeExchange Jayco, was happy to hang back with the peloton and give her teammate the chance to shine.
"I know Matilda really well and last year in the last stage we were in a break together, sprinting against each other and I know how good she is," Roseman-Gannon told reporters.
"She's such a talented rider, so strong and so fast, so I backed her all the way and she pulled it off and it's an amazing day."
Raynolds said it was a relief to secure a win after "more second places than dinners".
"Anyone that knows me and has raced with me knows how close I've come so many times and I was close yesterday but I'd burned too many matches and Ruby just said, 'Back yourself, back yourself'," said Raynolds, who was fifth overall.
Raynolds, 35, doesn't have a professional team for this year and hoped her performance could help secure her future.
"I just had to back myself and go with my gut that if I had the performances, I could hopefully sign with someone worthwhile that I think I'm worthy of, and to get the win is huge here now."
In the men's race confusion reigned before Jones, riding with Bayside Citroen, was declared the victor after taking out two stages to Commonwealth Games representative Frislie's one.
Frislie finished third in the final stage in a heart-stopping sprint to the line and if he had edged ahead of Blake Agnoletto (ARA Skip Capital) and into second place, he would have won the overall standings.
Jones, who announced pre-race his plans to retire, instead got his fairytale finish.
"That was incredible, just amazing - I felt good all race, just comfortable," Jones told reporters.
"I'm in really good form but I can't do it without the Bayside Citroen team, they did an incredible job."
