Italian Filippo Pozzato showed he is one of the favourites for the elite men's world road race in Geelong next Sunday after winning the Herald Sun World Cycling Classic Ballarat yesterday.

Pozzato infamously announced last month that he would abstain from sex until he won the world title, and of course the first question asked on the post-race podium was about ending his pledge of celibacy since May to win the world race title in Geelong.

"Yes, it's possible," a smiling Pozzato said.

The Italian outsprinted Maciej Bodnar (POL) and surprise third placing, Chile's Carlos Guinez to win the 130km race around Buninyong in three hours, one minute and nine seconds.

Another favourite for world’s success, Fabian Cancellara (SUI), finished in fourth place. Australian world championships representative Simon Gerrans finished in a strong fifteenth position.

The Italian team dictated the race from the first lap with five men in an initial breakaway of 13 riders before the leading group expanded to 25 riders including Pozzato, Cancellara and Gerrans in the second half of the classic.

In the second last lap of seven, the top four finishers broke from the leading group to hear the bell 48 seconds ahead of the peloton before Pozzato prevailed on the downhill finish.

"I was confident before this race because in the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) I was very strong," Pozzato said. "This race was important for all the team to stay together and to do a race together without radio systems and find the right positions for the team."

Riders will not use radios for the first time in years at the world championships. The Italian's win showed the strength and intent of his national team to triumph in Geelong on October 3 in memory of former team director Franco Ballerini. Ballerini died in a rally accident in February. Pozzato and his fellow countrymen wore stickers on their jerseys saying 'Franco, you will always be with us'.

Cancellara said he was still feeling the effects of jet lag after arriving in Geelong on Friday. "That's normal," the Olympic and triple world time trial champion said. "I need some more days but that's okay."

Gerrans placed 15th on Sunday in a bid to gain racing time after his professional team, Team Sky, withdrew one week into the Tour of Spain due to the death of a masseur.

"I went out there and did what I had to do, it was a good really incident free hit out," Gerrans said. "It didn't feel fantastic out there but that was why I was there to blow a few cobwebs."

Earlier in the day, Trixie Worrack displayed the strength of the German team ahead of next week's world cycling road championships winning the women's event. Worrack outsprinted Belgian Liesilot Decroix and South Africa's Carla Swart to win the 90km race in two hours 26 minutes and 50 seconds around Buninyong in central Victoria.

The German and Decroix broke from the peloton in the first of five laps with Swart and Katheryn Curi Mattis (USA) joining the leaders in the next lap to build a maximum lead of four minutes, 30 seconds.

Judith Ardnt (GER), 2004 world road champion, led a group with Sharon Laws (GBR) and Grace Verbeke (BEL) to leave the peloton in the third lap to chase the leaders but were six seconds adrift at the finish. Joanne Hogan was Australia's best placed rider in 11th spot, as part of the peloton that finished three minutes nine seconds behind Worrack.

The leaders encountered a feature of cycling in Australia during spring, with a magpie swooping the riders in the final lap.

Several riders left the race early following a crash on lap three involving Germany's Sarah Duster and current Australian road champion Ruth Corset. Corset, a 33- year-old Queenslander, said there were some cuts and bruises on her right hand but the fall would not stop her from competing in Geelong.

The 2010 UCI Road World Championships will be the biggest cycling event ever seen in Australia. Held from Wednesday 29 September to Sunday 3 October, it will include road races and individual time trials for elite men and women and under-23 men.

UCI 2010 World Championship Release