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“I don’t like being a bit of a dick out there, just sitting on, but I played the cards and waited and I just can’t believe it paid off,” he said.<\/p>\n
Plapp beat Whelan by 45 seconds, with Brendan Johnston third at one minute 50 seconds.<\/p>\n
Kane Richards was either at the front of the race or among the key riders throughout and deservedly took fourth place, leading home the chase group of six riders at 3:13. Durbridge took seventh place and Harper was ninth.<\/p>\n
It was brutal race of attrition, with only 21 of the 94 starters finishing. Two-time defending champion Cam Meyer and time trial champion Rohan Dennis were among those who did not finish.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, Tasmanian Nicole Frain scored the biggest win of her career when she took out the elite women’s road race.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old launched a perfectly timed solo attack with three kilometres left and stayed clear to the finish.<\/p>\n
Pre-race favourite Grace Brown won the reduced bunch sprint four seconds later to finish runner-up for the second-straight year.<\/p>\n
Alyssa Polites finished third to also win the under-23 category.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n