The ride began from the clubrooms out along the Port Augusta and Point Lowly roads to Telecom Tower and return to finish just before the OneSteel lights.

With a small field due to several riders competing in Adelaide, groups were small at the start and riders couldn't much of a break at the front.

First off were Dylan Starkey and Peter Werner, and after Starkey broke a spoke at the flood bend forcing him to retire Werner had to try to hold off the rest of the field on his own.

Two minutes separated Wil Symons, Ben Young and Adrian Wilson from scratch riders Malcolm Clasohm and Neil Paterson as they started, and Clasohm and Paterson put in a strong effort to be a minute behind at the flood bend with Chopping Block in their sights.

Scratch and Chopping Block were together at the Fitzgerald Bay turnoff, but the climb up to the tower saw the pair strung out.

Clasohm reached the turn almost four and a half minutes after Werner.

Young and Wilson made the turn 10 seconds later, with Paterson a further 10 seconds behind, followed 17 seconds after that by Symons.

As Young lifted the pace to try to reel in Clasohm on the downhill, Wilson dropped off the back and was soon joined by Paterson.

Behind the pair, Symons began closing the gap, while Clasohm was working hard to hold off Young when he punctured and was offered a spare wheel from the follow-car.

The offering saved him precious time, although he rejoined the race in last place and set out to catch the rest of the field.

Wilson, Paterson, Symons and Young caught Werner around the flood bend and while he jumped on the back as they passed he wasn't able to keep the pace.

Clasohm was a minute behind the leaders as they turned onto the Port Augusta road, having caught Werner with a welcomed tailwind for the last 10kms of the race.

Young ran out of steam at the dairy bend, dropping off the back of his bunch, and was caught by Clasohm on the last bend as they crossed the railway line.