Bathurst’s Mark Windsor claimed the spoils in the men’s sprint race while Dubbo’s Julie Graham was sensational in her victory in the women’s sprint race, which was a 750m swim, a 20 kilometre bike leg and a 5km run.

But Orange’s work in the enticer race – a shorter 400m swim/10km bike/2.5km run event – won the day, with young guns Lauren Kerwick, Tom Tudor and Ben Broadley filling all three places on the podium.

Pirnahas Kim Dale and Estelle Dean also placed in the women’s main race, while Jack Bilton finished second in the men’s sprint, with Matt Webster, from Mudgee, in third.

“What a great day it was. The racing was sensational,” Orange Cycle and Triathlon Club president Mick Lockyer said.

VIDEO: Check out the start of the sprint race at Lake Canobolas on Sunday:

“Jack really came of age as a racer today.

‘Mark Windsor rode the wheels off his bike, but Jack ran him down in the run. There was 20 metres in it by the end.

“And Matt Webster from Mudgee had a great run to finish third as well.”

Predictably given home ground advantage, the Orange club sits in the box seat after round one having accrued five points out of the first leg of the series.

This season, points are awarded to clubs based on a holistic result, with Orange (5 points), ahead of the next best performing clubs Mudgee (4 points), Dubbo (3 points), Bathurst (2 points) and Cowra (1 point) after the series opener.

Lockyer said the new system meant the bigger clubs, like his own, weren’t putting a massive gap on the field early in the season.

“With the points system the way it is, clubs are going to be in the race all season,” Lockyer said, adding the talent on show across 150 individual racers on Sunday incredible for such an early start to the season.

“I thought Julie’s race was sensational. She ran past us on the run and we all turned to each other and said ‘wow’. She looked great.”

The next stage of the series is at Dubbo on December 11.