Don't bounce Buninyong

If it's OK for a Leopard to change its spots, then perhaps it's fine for this hard-headed TV guy to change his mind.

The nature of the course for the Men's Elite Road Race at the National Championships has been a bone of contetion for some riders in recent years.

But after witnessing what I regard as the best one-day race ever held on Australian soil at Buninyong at the weekend, I feel the issue should be laid to rest - for the time being at least.

What television viewers across the nation saw during SBS's inaugural live coverage of domestic cycling's showpiece event was a classic showdown of road racing at its most intense and aggressive best.

Taking the titles to Buninyong each year since 2002 (apart from two years when they were held in South Australia) doesn't seem to sit well with supporters outside Victoria.

Some view the nationals as being too Victoria-centric - they argue the festival must be spread across all states and raced over different parcours to suit a variety of riders.

It might be a valid argument, but I wonder whether the crowds that were thrilled by the Battle of Buninyong would have been lured if the Championships were held in any other regional centre let alone major capital city?

An estimated crowd of 25,000 people lined the 10.2 km course.

It was the largest gathering for a men's road race - challenged only by the numbers that turned out on the final day of the 2010 UCI Road World Championships in Geelong.

Why would Cycling Australia move the titles when there is so much commitment and enthusiasm to keep them in Ballarat by the local city council and naming rights sponsor, Mars Chocolates?

I agree negotiating the climb to the Mount Buninyong summit on 16 occasions may not suit a pure sprinter, but the traditional fast men of the peloton have come close to jagging the gold medal and green-and-gold jersey.

Last year Matt Goss missed out by a whisker on clinching the national jersey, losing only to Jack Bobridge for a place on the top podium.

This year sprinters such as Chris Sutton and Steel von Hoff were in the mix until the final climb, only to be shaken with a final surge by eventual place-getters of Simon Gerrans, Matthew Lloyd and Richie Porte.

I understand Cycling Australia is being pressured to bow to the request of some riders by making next year's Men's Elite Road Race "easier", Mark Renshaw among them.

Yesterday the new Rabobank recruit again reiterated his calls from last year to give the sprinters a real chance at the title.

That would potentially mean keeping the racing at it's traditional home but reducing the summit climbs to half. But wouldn't that take away from the tremendous spectacle we saw on Sunday?

I once called for change, but I admit the buzz of the men's race has forced me to re-evaluate my original thoughts.

To use a tired old cliche - if it ain't broke why fix it?

The crowds love it, the TV viewing audience adored it and apart from a small handful who claim "it's too hard", so do the riders.

Ballarat is a cycling city filled with a knowledgable and appreciative cycling community - one that is blessed with a natural course that would be hard to replace.