The Sydney-based former local led for the most of the race of 50 minutes and two laps, with young Inverell rider Ethan Kimmince finishing second and another former Armidalian and last year’s winner, Geoff Straub, coming in third.

McDonald also won the first two intermediate sprints with Kimmince taking the third.

The race was stopped briefly at the half-hour mark when a number of riders came down at the corner of Moore and Dangar Sts.

Armidale cyclist Mick Hoult was treated by St Johns Ambulance officers but resumed his spot in the saddle to applause from the large and vocal crowd.

All but one of the riders were able to continue.

Once McDonald and Kimmince had broken away the pair were barely troubled, with McDonald in front for all but the final sprint lap before he pulled away with three laps to go.

The Armidale race is fast becoming a pet event for McDonald, who said he will continue to return to his hometown each year.

“Being my hometown it’s good to show the colours,” he said.

“It’s good to come back and race here.”

Next on the agenda for McDonald is a well-earned rest before he heads to Belgium at the end of May with his team Drapac-Porsche, where they will spend a few months racing there and in France.

“I’ll be having a little break and then training for that,” he said.

The main race, which was contested in both A and B+ grades, was the final event on the six-race program.

Winner of the B+ division was Inverell’s Ben Fox ahead of 17-year-old Armidale cyclist Mitch Sozou.

The novice race was won by Kirk Burton, with Kyle O’Hara finishing second for a local quinella.

A similar result followed in E grade with Cody Burton and Angus Swan finishing first and second ahead of Gunnedah’s Tom Apthorpe, who took out the sprint stage.

Grafton’s Rikki Corcoran won D grade ahead of Gunnedah’s Graham Lee, while a win in the sprint for Armidale’s Andrew Swan wasn’t enough to lift him into the C grade placings.