FAYETTEVILLE -- What a difference a year made for Brad Huff of Springfield, Missouri in the final event of the Joe Martin Stage Races.

Last year, Huff walked away with a sour taste in his mouth after the Sunday Criterium race, but this time he flashed across the finish line first and raised his hands in triumph for the first time in 15 years of running in the event.

"Last year I had the lead with about 75 yards to go from the finish line, and I got out of line and the pack blew by me and I finished like 30th," Huff said. "That's just kind of how this sport goes. One bad move and you can go from first to nothing. You have to put yourself in the right spot at just the right time and hope you have enough left to get across the line first. I guess I hit just the right gear and was able to get it done today."

Despite a strong professional career over the past decade, Huff was never able to get the win here in the biggest race closest to his home town.

"I think I got a top three here, but it's been years ago," Huff said. "This is a great race with a lot of great competitors and the course is so technical and so tough. You really have to be on your game to do well here."

The Sunday Criterium wrapped up four days of racing at the Joe Martin Stage Races, and considering the dire weather forecasts hanging over the event on Sunday morning, race organizers were more than pleased that everything got in as scheduled.

"As a race director, you are kind of like a farmer," Joe Martin Stage Race Director Bruce Dunn said. "You spend hours and hours planning and trying to see every contingency and then you kind of have to put it in the Good Lord's hands and hope for the best."

Dunn said only minor adjustments had to be made for the event.

"We couldn't put up some of our displays and inflatables because of the wind," Dunn said. "But overall we can't complain. The weather is just a factor in cycling. I thought the wind was a big factor that affected the strategies on Saturday in our Road Race stages and as a result we got some really exciting races out of it. The teams that made the best adjustments are the ones that did the best."

Huff agreed the weather was a factor and as a veteran rider it may have helped him.

"It was very windy and you kind of had to figure out where you had your headwind and where you had your tailwind and adjust," Huff said. "And then it started to drizzle rain a little bit at the end of the race at it started getting slicker and slicker. I enjoy a tough course and a challenge like we had today."

Sports on 04/28/2014