Cyclists have turned out in their hundreds to remember rising Australian star Jason Lowndes.
His mother Trudie tearfully thanked the riders before they set off on Thursday morning's Lap For Lowndesy.
The social ride around the Australian road championships circuit at Buninyong comes a fortnight after Lowndes' tragic death.
The 23-year-old was hit by a car on a training ride near Bendigo while preparing for this week's nationals.
His parents Graeme and Trudie were at Thursday morning's ride, which pro rider Brenton Jones helped organise.
Fellow top Australians such as Cameron Meyer also were at the start of the ride to show their support.
"I'm just blown away - this is amazing," Trudie said of the rider turnout.
The weather was perfect and while it was a sombre occasion, the riders were asked to remember Lowndes with happy stories.
"This is Jason ... this is what he loved," Trudie said.
Lowndes was a formidable talent, finishing sixth in the under-23 road race at the 2016 world championships.
He was also 10th in the road race in last year's nationals at Buninyong, on the same circuit as Thursday morning's ride.
A minute's silence will be observed on Sunday before the starts of the women's and men's road races at the nationals.
"It's tragic for the sport and a tough time for me as a teammate of mine for the last few seasons," organiser Jones said.
"It's really sad. It's close to home."
Lowndes' death highlights the inherent dangers of life as a fulltime cyclist.
"It's pretty scary. A lot of other sports, you're safe on a court or you're safe in a field," Jones said.
"But riding a bike, your (safety) is in the hands of others, it's a dangerous sport."
Police helped marshal Thursday morning's ride, which was also supported by prominent cycling safety group The Amy Gillett Foundation.
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