Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) could not have wished a better start to his 2014 season than the one he got today when he beat Caleb Ewan to not win the Eastern Gardens Criterium and take over the overall lead in the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic. Having won the exact same race in the build-up to his magnificent 2011 season, the Australian sprinter is hopeful that the win is a sign of things to come after having endured to disastrous seasons.

When the team was created in 2012, Orica-GreenEDGE signed Matthew Goss to lead the charge in the sprints but the 2011 Milan-Sanremo winner and Worlds silver medalist has had two disappointing seasons as a leader of his home team. Stage wins in the 2012 Giro d'Italia and 2013 Tirreno-Adriatico are what he has come up with in his first two years with the squad.

When Goss had his best season in 2011, winning the Milan-Sanremo and finishing 2nd at the World Championships in what was generally an exceptional year for the then HTC-Highroad rider, he kicked off his season by winning the Eastern Gardens Criterium in the traditional opener of the Australian summer season, the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic. Today he repeated that performance in the second race of this year's series that consists of four fast criteriums in the Geelong area in Australia.

Orica-GreenEDGE is the major team in the Australian series and bears the weight of expectations to animate the race. Yesterday was an off-day for the favourite team as Luke Durbridge and Goss could only manage 5th and 6th respectively, despite making it into the decisive 7-rider breakaway.

On that occasion, Goss had run out of legs at the end of a hard race and the team had been forced to play the card Durbridge, a non-sprinter, in the fast finale. Today Goss was back in his traditional sprinters' role, saving himself for the bunch sprint while teammates Durbridge, Michael Hepburn and Leigh Howard tried to split things up.

That mission ultimately failed and during the last four laps, the team switched its focus to Goss, keeping things in control before delivering their fast finisher perfectly to the line. He had no problem holding off defending champion Caleb Ewan while Howard could hold onto 3rd despite working as the final lead-out man for Goss.

 “It’s really great to get a win so early in the season," Goss said. "We’ve got a super strong team here, the guys rode so well today that it was easy for me, I just had to step up in last 150 metres or so and finish it off. Yesterday I jumped across to the break, and I really struggled to recover after that effort. That kind of intensity is a shock to the system at this stage of the season. I didn’t feel bad, but I just wasn’t good enough to capitalise on my position. I’m really happy to change that today.”

“It’s perfect,” he added. “Yesterday the lungs definitely got opened up but today it was not just me. I know I crossed the line first, but we had five guys there with a lap to go. The team was incredible and thanks to them for having the confidence in me the last couple of years and still sticking with me.

“We were a bit in two minds about whether it was going to be a breakaway or a bunch sprint and we were in every move, same as yesterday. The other guys went with the moves and my plan was to stay and hope for the sprint. I got the guys together with about four or five laps and said ‘alright, let’s do it fellas we will have a crack at the sprint.’”

“The guys here, it is a very young team, I am the veteran in the team nearly at only 27, so to have a young team of them ride like they did, they covered everything, there wasn’t a thing they did wrong and its always an honour to have five guys lined up in front of you at any bike race and the way they delivered me to the last few hundred (metres) was as good as any I have had," Goss continued his praise of his team.

“The whole team is going super strong here and they’re the ones that really set me up for the win today. Durbo [Durbridge] was attacking his own shadow today, he’s going so well. I actually had to get him to slow down for me in the break yesterday.”

Durbridge going well

Sports director Matt Wilson was equally impressed with the way the team bounced back from yesterday's disappointment and was happy to see everyone stick to the plan.

“We had a plan today," he said. "We knew there were no big sprinters in the top ten after day one, which gave us a great chance at the jersey. Our plan was to be aggressive and use our other guys so we could save Gossy for the finish.

"Hepburn, Howard and especially Durbridge were very aggressive throughout the race," he added. "Once it became apparent that it wasn’t a day for the breakaway, they switched focus to the sprint for Gossy. They did the perfect lead out; you always know you’ve nailed it when your lead out man runs third.”

Like Goss, Wilson was especially happy to see Durbridge being going so well with the Australian national championships coming up in a week's time. The young Australian has two titles to defend as he is both the reigning time trial and road race champion.

“The guys were all exemplary today,” he said. “Durbo in particular is in super form, he was in every move today, attacked constantly and in the final he did the last three to four laps virtually solo for Gossy. So he was a huge part of the win today, and he obviously has super form going into the Nationals.”

Sign of things to come?

Although it did not come in a UCI registered race and so doesn't count in the official statistics, the win had a special meaning for Goss. Prior to the season, he had stated his intention to go back to the formula that had worked so well in 2011 and to repeat his first win of the season could indicate that the new strategy is already paying dividends.

“Finally,” he said “It seemed to be a long time between drinks but it’s a great start and I won this exact crit in 2011 so hopefully it is a sign of something similar. The second race day of 2014 and to already have a win is a perfect start.  It only takes one win to get the confidence up and to keep it going is a lot easier than to get that first one.

“It’s nice to compare my win today with 2011, and I certainly hope it’s a sign of things to come,” he added. “I’m confident that my preparation has been right this year, but I’m looking forward to the next month of racing to see if things work out the way I’ve planned them, before I really start to draw any comparisons.”

Wilson is hopeful that the win will put his star sprinter back on track

“Today’s win is fantastic for Gossy, since it was a win at the Bay Crits that started his best ever season in 2011,” he said. “We’re really happy that he’s on track with such good form at this time of year. Emulating his 2011 season would obviously be the ultimate for Gossy and for the team, so we’re hopeful that we’re on track for that after this win.”

Defending the overall lead

With the win, Goss took over the leader's jersey from race 1 winner Zakkari Dempster (SASI). He will take a narrow 2-point lead over Brenton Jones into tomorrow's Portarlington criterium which is the toughest of the four-race series.

“It’s great to have the lead and we’ll try to keep the overall,” he said. “Mostly, I’m looking forward to getting out and racing in the jersey tomorrow, and I’ll do my best to hold it to the finish now. Tomorrow is a really hard day, but Durbo has won on the Portarlington circuit before, so we have a few good options on that course.”

Wilson is confident that his team will be strong enough to control the race.

“Tomorrow’s stage isn’t typically one for a bunch sprint, but it has finished that way before,” he said. “It’s very hard to control, but given the way the guys rode today, we’re confident we can control it and hold onto the jersey. Now with Gossy in such a strong position overall, and Leigh (Howard) also up there, we are in an ideal position to go for the overall win in the series.”

Durbridge won in Portarlington in 2013.