Warrnambool Mountain Bike Club (WMTBC) held a similar event last year.

"They had one in November and I turned up late and missed the start," McMahon said.

"I made sure I was better prepared this time.

"Getting there was my main priority."

McMahon arrived at Brucknell Scout Camp on time before taking out the event after completing nine laps of the seven-kilometre circuit. The solo rider was out on the track for three hours, 13 minutes and 13 seconds.

"I thought I had a pretty good chance but there were a couple of guys there who I wasn't really familiar with," he said.

McMahon said four riders were continually snatching the lead from each other.

"Then me and another guy took off towards the end," McMahon recalled.

"I made a move on the last three corners, then it was a sprint to the finish.

"I only won by a couple of seconds."

The 33-year-old said the event was good preparation for the 100km Otway Odyssey on February 20.

"That's the main event we've been training for," he said.

"I did it last year and it was very tough.

"There were lots of hill climbs.

"I ended up pushing the bike a lot," he laughed.

"I did it around 6:27. I'll just be happy if I can beat last year's time."

Warrnambool's Belinda Hartwich was the solo female winner (3:02:56) on Sunday.

"I just wanted to be consistent in my laps, which I was," Hartwich said.

"My lap times ranged between 25:07 and 26:57 minutes per lap.

"I finished with seven laps.

"Jo Hand, who came second, and Alissa Rogers, who came third, finished with six laps."

Hartwich is also preparing for the Otway Odyssey but will tackle the 50km ride.

"I did it in 2008 and finished fifth," she said.

"I'm hoping to get top 10 this year."

The 30-year-old's training schedule includes road cycling, personal training and a pump session.

She rides her mountain bike on weekends, pedalling for several hours.

Port Fairy's Colleen Hughson and Luke Foster took out the mixed pairs (six laps in 3:21:35) on Sunday while Harrison Ernst won the junior solo.

The Warrnambool rider completed seven laps in 3:03:46.

Race director and WMTBC president Darren Shiell said the weekend's event was one of the biggest the club had hosted.