Dubbo Cycle Club president Matthew Gilbert thought it was a little bold when coach Gus Dawson made the prediction his under 15s women's side would win the weekend's team time trial event at the NSW State Road Championships.
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But the master coach was again proved right, as the team produced a clinical effort in what was another special weekend for the Dubbo club.
In what was the first major event for many riders since the COVID lockdown earlier in the year, Dubbo riders shone at the state championships in Wagga.
Emily Hines was in dominant form and was named NSW under 13 champion after winning both the road race and individual time trial.
Hines averaged 34km/hr in the time trial and finished 30 seconds ahead of the second-placed NSW competitor to take the gold.
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Isabelle Russell proved she had transferred her stunning form on the track onto the road when winning the under 15s individual time trial before teaming up with clubmates to deliver again in the teams event.
Imogen Fuller, Makayla Fuller and Georgia Farr had also impressed in the individual event and, alongside Russell, won in dominant fashion in the team event.
Not only did the team take gold and won by almost two minutes from their nearest rivals, they also produced a time faster than most male teams could produce on the day.
"I had a phone conversation with Gus the day before when he was on his way down there and her made the prdiciton the girls would win gold in the teams," Gilbert said.
"It was a bold prediction but I'm glad they had the confidence to go out and treat it like a lot of the training sessions where we know they bested other rivals.
"He (Dawson) just keep pumping out these champions."
The Dubbo team had a target on its back but it mattered little as it averaged 36km/hr in the event, something Gilbert described as "extraordinary".
The under 15 had a 30km road race on day two and came down to a fast sprint finish.
In a bunched finish, Russel was successful in coming second, making her weekend tally two gold medals and a silver. Imogen Fuller was also part of that bunch sprint that saw her come seventh in the state while Makayla Fuller and Georgia Farr were in the top 10.
There were also very good performances from Trent Hines, Cooper Farr and Zara Fuller at Wagga.
A fourth place in the road race would have been enough to see Fuller named in the NSW Road team had the national championships not been cancelled while Orange's Ben Anderson, who often trains with the Dubbo riders, finished extremely strongly to sprint for silver in the men's under 17 road race.
"There was a lot of firsts for the riders and it was a great performance," Gilbert added, the lead-up having been far from ideal.
"I had to break the news earlier in the year a lot of racing had ceased but they were invited to keep training and keep fit so when things opened up they were able to perform well and they've done that.
"There's been a lot of training and online virtual racing and there's been a lot of dedication and hard work and now they're reaping the rewards."
While it was a stunning weekend for the Dubbo club, there is a hint of disappointment now as the nationals which were planned for later this year have been cancelled because of COVID-19 and restrictions in place.
Dubbo Cycle Club races at Dubbo Regional Cycling facility at 6:30pm each Tuesday night.
There is Criterium training on road bikes at 6:30pm each Wednesday night while track bike training is on Thursday night, with juniors from 5:30pm and seniors from 6:30pm.
