BRITISH open road champion Kristian House is desperately hoping for a change of fortune in his fifth assault on Saturday's Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic.
House, 30, said he enjoyed a love-hate relationship with the Classic which was officially launched in Werribee yesterday.
He finished down the track in his 2005 debut, was an honourable 12th the following year and surrendered at the 140km mark with a broken wheel in 2007.
Last year House blew-up after about 200 kilometres and pedalled wearily into Warrnambool more than 13 minutes behind the race winner, Bendigo's Zak Dempster.
"It frustrates me that I haven't done better in the Warrnambool because it's such a special race,'' House said yesterday.
"The Classic is well-known around the world. I often get asked about it in England. It has a great reputation and is a race I want to win.''
House, with more than 30 victories on the international professional circuit, reached the pinnacle of his nomadic career in June this year with a win in the British open road title.
His scalps included Mark Cavendish, who went on to win six stages of the Tour de France this year, and Bradley Wiggins, who finished fourth in the Tour de France and claimed victory in last week's Herald Sun Tour.
House will ride with the small Rapha-Condor contingent in the Classic which has attracted 195 entries and is the final event of Cycling Australia's 2009 National Teams Series.
His partners will be 2008 Australian road champion Darren Lapthorne and seasoned English campaigner Tom Southam.
House and Lapthorne contested the gruelling Tour of Tasmania earlier this month, then backed it up in the Herald Sun Tour and will line up in the Classic full of great expectations.
"Both of us are pretty keen to win it,'' House said.
"It would be a great way to finish off the year with another big victory.''
Race director John Craven said this year's Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic had undergone substantial changes.
The race will now start at 7.30am from the Werribee racecourse.
The distance has been cut from 299 kilometres to 261 kilometres and will take in a long section of the Hamilton Highway before turning south at Lismore and heading through the challenging Lake Bullen Merri hills after leaving Camperdown.
The final 69 kilometres will be raced on the Princes Highway and the winner is expected to cross the finish line in Warrnambool's Raglan Parade about 2pm.
Craven said the course changes were necessary to comply with Victoria Police safety requirements.
"The Classic is an Australian sports institution and the Warrnambool Citizens' Road Race Committee works exceptionally hard to preserve and guarantee its future," he said.
Craven said the committee had introduced a new initiative this year with the running of the inaugural Shipwreck Coast Classic on Sunday.
The 117-kilometre Ship?wreck Coast Classic has attracted 90 starters and will begin at 11.30am at Warrnambool's Flagstaff Hill and finish about 2.15pm at Cheeseworld, Allansford.
The Classic will also double as the Victorian men's and women's open road championships.
Craven said the addition of the Shipwreck Coast Classic, which is supported by Tourism Victoria, would boost the one-day Classic to a weekend cycling extravaganza.
He said he was delighted with both the number and quality of entries for both events. "Warrnambool City Council has been a fantastic supporter of the Classic," he said.
"The committee understands the desire to expand what has been a one-day race to a full weekend of action.
''As well as House and Lapthorne, winners from the past couple of years Dempster and Tim Decker are back. It's the best field that has gone around for years. Any one of 30 riders could win without surprising," he said.
"The race has really built up in the past few years. "
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