Chris Froome felt so good on Sunday, he wished the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road race had kept going for another 40km.
The British cycling star's confidence looks ominous for the Colombian kangaroo Esteban Chaves and other overall contenders at the Herald Sun Tour.
Froome will start his title defence at the Victorian Tour with a Wednesday twilight time trial at Melbourne's Southbank, but the real fireworks will come on Thursday.
The opening road stage features a long climb to the summit finish at Falls Creek.
It is an ideal battleground where Froome and Chaves can test their early-season form.
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Froome, the three-time Tour de France champion and Chaves, who enjoyed a breakout season last year, are the two main contenders.
This is the second-straight season that Froome has started his racing in Australia, but unlike last year the Herald Sun Tour will not be his opening race.
After a hitout at the inaugural Race Melbourne last Thursday, Froome joined Chaves and Richie Porte as the big names in Sunday's Cadel Evans race.
All three were prominent in the last few kilometres on Sunday.
"Personally I would have liked to have seen another two laps - I felt as if I was getting better and better, the more laps we were doing," Froome said.
"I felt as if people were starting to slow down and I was keeping the same speed.
"The training's there, I still have a long way to go for sure until I'm in Tour de France shape, but the feeling's good and that's the main thing at this point.
"I'm where I need to be at this time of year."
The likelihood of a Froome v Chaves duel means Australian cycling star Simon Gerrans will temper his own goals this week.
Gerrans could still go for a stage win or two in the five-day race, but his main priority will be helping Chaves as the Orica-Scott road captain.
"We've seen him perform well already on courses that really don't suit his capabilities down to the ground," Gerrans said of Chaves.
"Once we get up into the big mountains, up in the Victorian Alps, we'll see Esteban come into his own.
"Orica-Scott and Team Sky will want a battle on Falls Creek, we'll both want our leaders right up there for that stage.
"From then on, whoever loses out on that stage, will be dishing it up to the other team for the rest of the week."
