IT was the bold, early move that ultimately paid dividends for Port Macquarie cyclist Brandon Conway at Bonville.
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In one of his return races following a horror crash at Bonny Hills 18 months ago that almost cost him his ability to walk, the 22-year-old was too good in the Eastern Northern Division Championships.
"It was five laps of the course and sure enough I attacked away on the second lap of all places and was riding solo for 45 kays basically," he said.
"It's a bold move and doesn't normally work in cycling, but I was happy to get that one."
Conway admitted he preferred to set the pace early.
"The longer my effort has to be, the bigger gap I can get and the better my chances are of winning because I'm a pure climber and time trialist," he said.
"A peloton would have the advantage so I had to use every strategy I could to make things optimal and win the race in that way.
"I had to stay fully aero and use the smoothest parts of the road so because I was by myself I could pick all those lines."
The race was "high-end" which provided Conway with the knowledge he was well on the path to recovery.
"I was happy that I was able to perform at a pretty high level and it makes me feel like I'm capable of being back in the sport," he said.
Conway has set himself the goal of returning to the Cycling NSW under-23 representative stage with the next step on that path set to take place at Kurri Kurri on October 24.
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