Ballarat, Aus - Rory Sutherland of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis finished second in the Australian National Time Trial Championship Thursday, 0:56 behind gold medalist Adam Hansen (Team High Road). It was the second consecutive year, and third time overall, the rider from Canbera has finished second in the Australian TT nationals.

Sutherland covered the difficult 39 km, run under hot and windy conditions, in 52:37.

"There was a massive headwind on the back 20 km stretch of the course," Sutherland said. "Plus it was 40 degrees (celcius). That made it all pretty tough."

The course opened with a tough 3 km climb, and Sutherland got on it strong. By the time he topped out, he'd already taken back 0:30 on his minute man. Not long after coming off the descent, he'd caught his minute man, settled into a strong cadence and began picking off others ahead of him, eventually catching and passing two more riders.

"I felt good," he said. "I was trying out a new position and felt strong in it. It still needs some work, but we're on the way."

When it came time for Hansen to hit the course, it was apparent that he was on a good day. By the time he reached the first time check, Hansen was 0:20 up on first Sutherland's split time.

"The best guy on the day won," Sutherland said. "It was a great ride by Adam, and he prepared really well for the race."

Overall, Sutherland was quite happy with his ride. "I think if you can podium in a National Championship these days you should be very happy," he said. "I was happy with how I felt on the bike and how I'm going."

The result came on the heels of a ninth overall finish in the sprinter-dominated Jayco Bay Series. Sutherland rode the five-race series in support of overall race winner Mark Renshaw on the composite Geelong Mazda team.

"It's been a good start to the year," he said. "The Bay Series always helps my speed for the time trial. It's early in the season. I'm still a ways from my top form, so it's nice to feel good on the bike."