If Stage 5 tested the legs, Stage 6 of the 7 Crits in 7 Days challenge at Albert Park was a test of pure nerves.

Hosted by the St Kilda Cycling Club, we were racing the iconic “Hot Dog” Grand Prix circuit—an out-and-back course with flat-out straightaways, a subtle S-bend, and two hairpin U-turns. On this circuit, you’re constantly dropping to 20 km/h before punching back up over 40 km/h out of every bend.

Add in hot conditions, a relentless headwind on the way down, and six days of heavy racing legs, and it was guaranteed chaos from the gun.

Non-Stop Attacks From the Gun

Right from the opening 10 minutes, the race erupted into relentless moves off the front. The riders from Team Just Pedal came in with a clear directive: make the race as hard as humanly possible by launching flyer after flyer.

It quickly turned into a high-stakes game of marking every break. The heavy hitters of domestic Australian cycling were all in the mix:

• Dean Madden
• Josh Brooker
• Alex Edney
• Tynan Shannon (the human diesel engine cruising at 450W nose-breathing)

Around 20 minutes in, Tynan and I managed to snap elastic with a counter-attack, building a solid gap over the bunch while pushing 55+ km/h in the tailwind section. But with 28 km still to go and my heart rate sitting at a cooked 178 bpm, we were reeled back in.

Between trusting plugged GP5000 tires through high-speed cornering and matching repeated 1,000-watt accelerations out of the hairpins, every single match in the box was burnt heading into the final lap.

The 4-Up Sprint & Bar-Banging Finish

Coming through the final hairpin into the last kilometer, the tension in the remaining front group was electric. With 500 meters to go, Dean Madden opened up a long lead-out into the gentle left-hand curve—the critical inside line everyone wanted.

Josh Brooker launched early. As I tried to latch onto his wheel, Alex Edney squeezed through, and Tynan Shannon surged from the right side to shut the door.

At over 55 km/h, our handlebars slammed directly into each other.

For a split second, it was total heart-in-mouth territory. Fortunate enough to keep the bike upright without crashing out, I lost a full bike length in the contact. I dug into whatever reserve watts were left, launching a desperate bike throw for the line.

Josh Brooker faded late, allowing me to nick past him right on the wire to secure a podium spot in one of the sketchiest, most furious sprint finishes of the entire challenge.

Stage 6 Final Results

One stage left to cap off the 7-in-7—time to see what’s left in the tank for the final overall points shakeup!