Sprint rival Brenton Jones has taken a cheeky shot at Caleb Ewan, saying the Australian cycling star is not unbeatable.
Ewan started the biggest season of his skyrocketing career by winning Wednesday night's criterium on day one of the Australian road championships.
It was his third-straight national criterium title.
Ewan's team Mitchelton-Scott have confirmed the 23-year-old will make his much-anticipated Tour de France debut this July.
Jones was third on Wednesday behind runner-up Steele von Hoff, the last rider to win the Australian criterium title before Ewan's three-peat.
While Jones and von Hoff are no slouches, Ewan is the heir to Robbie McEwen as Australia's top sprinter.
Jones respects Ewan, but will not bow to him.
The last time they raced together was the September Tour of Britain, where Ewan won three stages.
But Ewan failed to finish the last stage and Jones finished fifth that day, behind Norwegian star Edvald Boassen Hagen.
"He's a hard man to beat on this Ballarat street course," Jones said of Ewan.
"But it's a long year and the last time we raced together in a road race, he was dropped on a climb.
"So I'm looking forward to going head-to-head with him again, I have a lot of respect for him, it was a great win (on Wednesday night)."
While Jones anticipates future sprint battles, von Hoff was full of praise for Ewan and said the young star's Tour de France future is bright.
"He was just way too fast," von Hoff said of Ewan's criterium win.
"Win the (Tour de France) green jersey? I reckon one day, for sure.
"He's definitely going to be one to watch and let's see what he can do on Sunday."
Ewan will compete in Sunday's road race at the nationals, but the Buninyong circuit it is not sprinter-friendly.
He was second behind Heinrich Haussler in 2015, the last time there was a head wind on the tough Buninyong climb.
Ewan did not finish in 2016 and was 43rd last year, when a tail wind on the climb made it harder for the sprinters.
"It really depends on the conditions, to how well I can go," he said.
Ewan would love nothing more than win the road race, meaning he could wear the national champion colours at his Tour de France debut.
"Obviously I think about wearing the green and gold a fair bit, but it's going to be hard again and hopefully it's a head wind up the climb," he said.
Two-time world track champion Rebecca Wiasak won the women's criterium on day one.
The championships continue on Thursday with the first day of individual time trials at Buninyong.
Rio Olympics track silver medallist Callum Scotson is aiming for his third-straight under-23 time trial championship.
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