Spokes combined stamina, enterprise and cycling smarts to win the 30-minute plus three laps criterium on the quick new venue.

He had broken away early from a peleton of seven and stayed around 100m in front for all but a few minutes of the 30 minute period.

The peloton did catch him with a lap to go before the final three-lap burst of the 830m course, however Spokes then out sprinted his opponents to beat Mitch Carrington and Peter Schultz with the likes of Wayne Toomey, Luke Stevenson, Ty Tucker and Mark Jarvis following on. “Sam was too strong for us,” said TCC publicity officer and runner-up Mitch Carrington.

“We tried to leave him out for a while and pick him at the end but he was too good. Everyone switched off a cat and mouse plan and in the end he out-foxed us all. He is riding well though.”

Carrington said the new, fast surface at Goddard’s Lane is proving popular and making for fast-paced racing.

Michael Swain won the B grade race (25mins plus 2 laps) from Darren Trail and Shawn Leary while Matt Carrington beat Grant Prowse in the junior race.

“That (B grade) race was a good one too,” Carrington said.

“There were a lot of good attacks in that. Michael rode a real cool race, sat back and then bombed them all at the end.”

Twelve-year-old Matt Carrington is also riding well.

“He’s only been riding the last six months or so and is starting to get a bit stronger,” Mitch Carrington said of his younger brother.

“All the work he’s been doing at the Tuesday training sessions (at AELEC) is paying off.

“Grant Prowse is also coming through that Tuesday afternoon coaching and had his first race ride today. He rode well today. Hopefully we’ll have a lot more juniors here next week.”

A number of the Tamworth juniors were away at Country titles on the weekend.