Two-time Australian champion Kimberley Wells will take a study break from her medical studies as the doctor looks to capture her third national criterium title in Ballarat on Wednesday.
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And the Canberra cyclist says the "A Metre Matters" legislation has made a difference on ACT roads and she hopes Victoria will fall in line after the cycling world was rocked by the death of Canadian Ellen Watters last week.
Wells has retired from international racing to focus on her studies as she looks to specialise as a sports physician.
She's currently studying for an exam, which will hopefully be the beginning of a four-year journey, and she has been forced to hang up the international cleats.
But the 31-year-old will look to add a third Aussie title to the crits ones she won in 2013 and '15.
"I'm just trying to move on with the medical side of my life, so the riding's taken a bit of a hit," Wells said.
"I'm not racing overseas this year, I'm going to stay home. I'm looking to move into a specialist pathway so I've got to spend this year working towards that.
"[I'm] trying to go down the sports physicians pathway, hopefully combining two things I really like ... I think riding is the [study] break."
She admitted the nationals would be tough given she doesn't have any team backing, unlike the Aussie Orica-Scott team, which has eight riders - including fellow Canberran Gracie Elvin - in the field.
Wells likened it to roulette and said she loved the risk-reward nature of the fast-paced criterium racing, which perfectly suited her sprinting capabilities.
"I'm always going to aim at the crit title ... I'd love to win a third national crit title. I haven't had the same run into it this year as what I'd usually have in terms of training time," she said.
"You've got to be patient, but you've got to gamble a little bit too. You've got to play a bit of roulette with the other people - see who's willing to lose the most to win."
Wells rode for Colavita Bianchi last year before she called time on her international career, which has included wins in Australia, North America and Europe.
It's the team Watters was joining for 2017 before she was hit by a car while training in her native Canada two days before Christmas. The 28-year-old died in hospital five days later.
The ACT introduced road rules ensuring motor vehicles kept a safe distance of at least one metre from cyclists last year and Wells said she'd noticed a difference on ACT roads.
But she said Victoria, where the nationals are held, was the only state yet to follow suit, but she hoped that would change.
She sent her condolences to her former teammates and the Watters family.
"Anyone that joins Colavita Bianchi becomes part of the family so it was pretty shocking news to hear that one of their future teammates has lost her life," Wells said.
"Things are getting better in Australia with road safety, just hope that it continues with the Metre Matters passing laws in the different states."
The women's and men's criterium champs are on Wednesday at 5.30pm and 7.30pm respectively, with the individual time trials on Thursday and the road races on Sunday.
