Australian cycling star Caleb Ewan was at a loss to explain his crash in Sunday's opening race of the Bay Classic.
The 22-year-old landed heavily after he appeared to overcook the last corner on Geelong's Ritchie Boulevard circuit.
Caleb Ewan: At a loss to understand his crash on the opening day of the Bay Classic.Credit: Getty Images
The two-time series defending champion suffered road rash to his left shoulder and hip and, after slowly riding to the finish, he immediately rode to the team hotel for treatment.
Ewan is a three-time race winner at Ritchie Boulevard and has won the series three times all together.
"I'm not exactly sure what happened. I have hit that corner so many times in exactly the same way, if not faster, and haven't had an issue," Ewan said.
"It's frustrating to be in that position, wanting to deliver for the team who chased all race to support me, and to crash.
"There's no major damage, just a bit of skin. There are more days to come, so we will keep trying."
The crash means Ewan, who first won the series in 2013, will not join Robbie McEwen as the only riders to win the Bay Classic series three times in a row.
There are only three races in this year's series and, because he has missed out on the points in the opening round, it puts the two-time defending champion out of contention.
Ewan's Orica-Scott team controlled the race perfectly for him, and the young sprint ace hit out by himself on the back straight of the last lap.
Fellow sprinter Brenton Jones was on Ewan's wheel and the Condor JLT team leader also crashed out of contention.
Ewan's crash disrupted the sprint finish and British rider Ian Bibby took advantage for a surprise win.
Orica-Scott rider Mitch Docker led Ewan into the last lap.
"What I could see, from my position, was he went through that last corner a couple of bike lengths in front ... I just think he was probably carrying one or two km/h too much speed for this course," Docker said.
"It's a real shame because he was fresh; he was sitting there the whole [race] very easy.
"The boys did heaps of work and I think he would have loved to have repaid the favour.
"He would have come out of the corner a couple of bike lengths in front and he would have won easily.
"It was the right move, everything was correct, just what can you say? A bit of bad luck."
IsoWhey's Cameron Bayly led by himself for about half the race with an outstanding ride, but Orica-Scott and the other sprint teams made sure he was caught two laps from the finish.
Earlier, Italian sprinter Valentina Scandolara beat her former Orica- Scott teammates to win race one of the women's series.
Last year's winner at Portarlington was part of a key breakaway of three riders who took control inside the last 10 minutes of the opening criterium at the Ritchie Boulevard circuit.
Scandolara sprinted clear with ease on the home straight to beat Victorian Shannon Malseed and Orica-Scott rider Jessica Allen.
Orica-Scott were prominent throughout the race with a succession of attacks, but Scandolara and her Ale cycling teammate Chloe Hosking answered every move.
Hosking, the defending women's series champion, won the bunch sprint for fourth.
AAP