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The 26-year-old spent a month in a coma and an extra three months in hospital after a March 2008 car accident in France, where he was riding with the Cote d’mor team.

He was suffering from concussion, a punctured lung, broken ribs and a broken arm. When he was recovering, he suffered a lung infection, and at one point a respirator was doing 100 per cent of his breathing.

“Rehabilitation was very hard,” he said.

“I wanted to return to fitness, but my injuries wouldn’t allow that to work.”

Pearson got back on his bike in July 2008 and back into competition in September of that year.

The dark times were all but forgotten as he charged to victory in the 114th running of the race.

“It’s the biggest win of all time for me,” he said.

Pearson got into a breakaway group at the 10km mark, and they managed to hold off the rest of the field.

In the 150m sprint to the finish, he was just too quick, beating home his nearest opponent by 10 metres.

This was the fifth time Pearson had competed in the race, and the win was made all the more sweet by the fact that victory wasn’t his main aim.

He was there to back up and support his Savings & Loans team mate David Pell, who was heavily backed to win.

“He has been in really good form, but I got in the right breakaway group,” Pearson said.

Pell finished 11th.

Composure was a major factor in Pearson’s win.

“I didn’t have time to get excited because I was too worried about losing the race,” he said.

“I knew I had to stay focused because I have been in a good position in it a couple of times and stuffed up,” he said.

Pearson won’t have much time to soak up the glory, because by Monday he will commence a nine-day tour of China.

In 2010 he will form a new team with his 22-year-old brother Mitchell to compete in Australia.

Mitchell, who is currently based at the Gold Coast, finished second in the young riders classification in the Herald Sun Tour this year.