“It’s a fantastic feeling, the field at the end was pretty good and speaking to some of the older members of the club, they rate it (Dean Carter Memorial) as one of the most valuable trophies in the area to win,” Clancy said.

Clancy, who still calls himself a newcomer to the sport despite racing for more than three years, said the scratch bunch working together made the fast journey home that much easier than it may have been.

“What made the difference this year was the positive attitude many of the guys had, all of them were willing to do their fair share of the work,” he said.

“And when it came to the sprint finish I just backed my instincts, because I don’t actually remember what was going through my mind.

“I got out to a two or three length lead, but I could feel them breathing down my neck.”

That early break, with the help of some local knowledge, was enough for Clancy to flash across the line and take the thrilling win by a bike-length.

Starting with six other scratch riders, Clancy were chasing the limit group who had a 14-minute start.

The scratch group caught the chopping block, which included Griffith rider Jason Minato, by the 10 kilometre mark, and the bunch worked well together to be six minutes behind the lead group by the turn

Scratch caught the leaders with 12 kilometres to travel with a mass of local riders including Frank Mastrobattista, Jeff Stoll, Steve Bertoldo, Rob Hall, Steve Graham, and Phil Twigg, Minato and Clancy all in the mix to take line honours.

While Clancy was the highlight for the local club, Hall and Minato finished ninth and 10th respectively.

Griffith’s female contingent continues to swell with five riders making the trip, with Jenni Massey, Leanne Kennedy, Jen Blake, Wendy Aitken and Jo Polkinghorne making up the largest female field ever put forward by the local club.

Kennedy was the first home for Griffith, while Blake battled hard by herself for 50 kilometres. Clancy’s win has moved him into fifth place in the Tour de Riverina point score with one round remaining, while Jenni Massey holds down second place in the female race with Wendy Aitken in fifth place.