Australian Cycling Team athletes in action at the 2021 AusCycling Madison National Championships in Adelaide (Saturday 27 February) with less than 150 days until the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

Australian Cycling Team athletes will continue their countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on the track in Adelaide this Saturday when they contest the 2021 AusCycling Madison National Championships.  

The Madison is one of only six track cycling disciplines on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games program, with the women's event set for its Olympic debut. The event features two-riders teams looking to secure points throughout the race, including exciting changeovers between the pairings completed by a hand-sling. 
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With just five months until the Games, and after a 2020 season that offered little racing opportunities, Australia's athletes are eager to hit the track after a summer on the road at the Santos Festival and Cycling and the AusCycling Road National Championships.  ​

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Dual reigning Madison national champion Kelland O'Brien (VIC) will be gunning for a third straight crown and will partner with two-time champion Cameron Meyer (WA). Just three weeks ago, the pair produced an epic battle in the men’s road race where Meyer edged O'Brien on the line to claim the crown.  
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The Championships, the first elite AusCycling Nationals for 2021, was relocated from O'Brien's hometown of Melbourne to the Adelaide Super-Drome due to the recent COVID-19 situation in Victoria.  

"Although itis always a good event at Melbourne Arena, I'm quite excited about racing in Adelaide! Change of scenery, and I think the different track will create a different race,” O’Brien added.  

"This weekend will be one the last track races before the Olympics, so obviously, there's a bit of natural pressure to get some good sensations out there! We (athletes) love that feeling, though!"  

Key teams to watch include Samuel Welsford, who paired with O'Brien to claim the 2020 title - and three-time world champion Leigh Howard (VIC), plus the young gun pairing of Luke Plapp (VIC) and Jensen Plowright (VIC).  

Cameron Meyer (Team Bike Exchange) secured back-to-back victories in a thrilling photo finish to end an epic 185-kilometre men’s road race, the final event at the 2021 Federation University Road National Championships, in Buninyong on Sunday.  

In one of the most exciting finishes to a men’s road race in the Championship’s history, Meyer, 33, reeled in his Australian Cycling team and Tokyo Olympic track teammate Kelland O’Brien (InForm TMX Make) on the finish line to take the gold.  Scott Bowden (Tasmania) rounded out the podium.  
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“I drew every bit of thirteen years’ experience to pull that one off,” said Meyer. “Every lap I thought I was in trouble feeling like this wasn’t going to happen. 
“That finish is one of the hardest to get right, everyone was legless, I was legless.  

“I had to bring everything out there today because I had some shocking laps in there and I was hurting! But you never know what you can pull off.” 

There was plenty of action in the early laps of the 16-lap race, with O’Brien featuring in the early breakaway of ten riders. Sam Welsford bridged the gap to the group at the halfway mark with Brendan Johnston and the pair blazing away to form a decent lead. 

Kell O’Brien and Team Bike Exchange’s Alex Edmondson formed a chasing duo, however, it was individual time trial gold medalist Luke Plapp (InForm TMX Make) and Chris Harper (Team Jumbo Visma) who caught the leaders.  

It was there when 20-year-old Plapp, Tokyo Olympic Track teammates with Meyer, Welsford, and O’Brien, took the road race lead with six laps remaining.  

Harper then set his sights on Plapp, with O’Brien sticking close by to protect his teammate. The leading group turned into four as Harper, O’Brien and Seb Berwick (Israel Start Up Nation) joined Plapp as they hit the climb for the third last time.  

By the bell lap, it was Harper leading O’Brien with a 37–second gap on the chase group featuring Plapp, Meyer, Durbridge, Nick White (Team BridgeLane), Seb Berwick, and Bowden. The group became one on the final lap, and produced an enthralling game of cat and mouse over the final few kilometres, before a thrilling finish in front of the crowds lining the streets of Buninyong. 

“Oh my god, I get to keep the (green and gold) jersey for another year, I can’t believe it!” said Meyer. “I pulled that off because of Luke Durbridge!” 

“He is unbelievable, somehow, we just pulled off a miracle. I thought we were gone and buried; I have no idea how to explain that. 

“That was a nail-biting race, somehow it panned out for us. We thought we were done, the team committed to me and I didn’t feel that good with four to go but somehow, we dug deep and pulled off the miracle.” 

Meyer is hoping to have more opportunities to wear the green and gold after COVID heavily impacted the racing calendar in 2020. 

“Last year was such a highlight after I finally ticked this off the list,” Meyer said. “This was my thirteenth time in the seniors in the elites. I didn’t get to race in the green and gold as much as I would’ve liked last year so fingers crossed the pandemic goes away so I can get a few more races in.” 

Meyer also paid tribute to his Australian Cycling Team track squadmates after the race.   

“I need to retire soon before they get any better because they were unbelievable here,” he said. “I am hearing Welsford is off the front, then Plapp, then Kell. 

“I’ve been training within the last month and I knew they had great form. You saw that at Santos Festival a couple of weeks ago. Today they fell short, but they’re going to be around for many years and I’m sure you’re going to see them on the podium say a few times.” 

2019 team pursuit world champion O’Brien was pleased with his performance on one of road cycling’s biggest stages.  

“I think the Australian Track riders get pigeonholed a little bit, but I think this week we really showed everyone that the track riders can perform on the road as well,” said O’Brien.  

“I’m happy with the overall results of the weekend. I wanted to win, and I came here with the mindset of winning. So, it’s a bit bittersweet running second, but I’ll now use that to motivate me for the future.” 

2016 Olympic mountain biker Scott Bowden, contesting his first race in twelve months after a year of injury and illness, was over the moon with bronze while riding as an individual without the support of teammates. 

“It was super brutal out there, but I was pretty keen for a hard race given I was racing as an individual,” Bowden explained. 
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“I haven’t contested a bike race in over 12 months, so I just wanted to come over and give it a crack and in the end I’m glad I did.” ​

Team Bike Exchange’s Sarah Roy, 34, stole the show on Sunday with a phenomenal victory in the women’s elite road race at the 2021 Federation University Road National Championships in Buninyong. 

Roy’s teammate Grace Brown secured a one-two for Australia’s Women’s WorldTour outfit Team Bike Exchange, with Trek Segafredo’s Lauretta Hanson completing the podium with bronze. 
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“I am feeling a sense of disbelief because I didn’t expect this today,” said Roy, who claimed the national criterium crown in Ballarat in 2014. “But I think that’s what makes it more exciting and makes you more emotional, I can’t believe it.” 

Beginning in near-freezing conditions, a field of 94 women set out on the 104.4km race, with the action warming up from the first of nine laps when Hanson attacked as the peloton hit the Mt Buninyong climb.  

Joining her was Roy, 2015 champion Peta Mullens (Roxsolt Liv SRAM), Matilda Raynolds (Specialized Women’s Racing), Kathryn McInerney, and Georgia Baker (Australian Cycling Team).  

The group opened a gap of nearly five minutes on the peloton before Roy attacked over the top of the climb at the midway point of the race.  

As the lead group splintered, Roy and Hanson moved to a lead of two minutes to the main chasing group, before Roy then shook clear of Hanson with three laps remaining and rode solo to a maiden road crown. 

“I still can’t believe it, I honestly didn’t expect this coming here today especially with the summer I’ve had, it just wasn’t a consideration for me at all to take the jersey,” said Roy, who will now wear the green and gold champion’s jersey in 2021.  

Despite the Team Bike Exchange car letting their rider know the title was hers inside the final kilometre, Roy never let up. 
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“You can never have confidence on this course, anything can happen. You can just get pipped on the line so it’s not one to ride around feeling like you’ve got it.  

“So, I never felt that way even when with one kilometre to go when my car came up and said ‘you’ve got it’. But with 200 metres to go, I’m still checking my shoulder just in case. I never thought I had it in the bag until I crossed that line,” Roy added. 

After winning the Australian criterium championships in 2014, Roy was signed by Orica-Greededge, now Team Bike Exchange. Despite collecting several wins on the women’s tour over the past few seasons, Roy had spent previous women’s road national championships in support roles to former winners such as Amanda Spratt.  

“People have just presumed this course doesn’t suit me, but I’ve always thought it can suit me,” Roy said. “But I’ve always had this quiet little self-belief with thiscourse that one day I want to crack it. 

“I didn’t think it was going to be today, but I took advantage of my team role and that was to be in the break. I pushed the breakaway out a bit further and it paid off.” 

Team Bike Exchange made it a gold and silver double after a brilliant supporting ride from Grace Brown who stayed in the peloton with Lucy Kennedy and marked the dangerous riders such as 2019 champion Sarah Gigante (Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank) and ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast young gun Ruby Roseman-Gannon.  

After a successful team effort to protect Roy’s lead, Brown dashed the podium as she outsprinted Lauretta Hanson, Emily Watts (KOM Financial Knights of Suburbia) and SASI’s Amber Pate in the battle for the podium.  

“It’s always awesome to be up on the podium with your teammate,” said Brown, the 2018 and 2020 bronze medalist. “I’ve come third here twice, so it’s nice to increase that too. Hopefully, one year I can actually be on the top step, but I’m pretty stoked for my teammates to have won this today.” 

Third-placed Lauretta Hanson (Trek-Segafredo) was surprised but ecstatic with her podium appearance.  

“This a really tough course. Buninyong is a challenging climb and I’m not necessarily known for my climbing,” Hanson said. “My tactic was to get ahead of the race, and my teammate Chloe Hosking and I both wanted to be aggressive and see what opportunities unfolded. 

“I’m really excited to get a medal today. It’s not something I expected from a race like this.” 

A superb effort from rising star Emily Watts saw her cross the line in fifth place to claim the under 23 national title.  
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“I feel pretty stoked because I’ve never felt like this before,” Watts explained. “As I crossed the line, I had no idea I had won the under 23s category, so when I notified of it, I was pretty shocked.” ​

An Olympic medallist, three-time world and seventeen-time national champion on the track, Annette Edmondson added a maiden road title to her resume after winning the elite women’s criterium at the 2021 Federation University Road National Championships in Ballarat.

As they have multiple times on the track in the team pursuit, Edmondson worked in unison with her Australian Cycling Team women’s track endurance teammates in Alex Manly, Georgia Baker and Ashlee Ankudinoff to seal the win.

“I really wanted to make this one work; I didn’t know if it might be my last opportunity,” Edmondson said. “So, I put my hand up to be the lead-out and luckily I had a really strong team in Ash Ankudinoff, Alex Manly and Georgia Baker who allowed me to just focus on myself at the back, relax as much as possible and trust they would control the bunch and luckily my legs were good enough at the finish.”

Edmondson was ahead of a crash which brought down several riders in the sprint to the finish, and after holding the wheel of Manly, an impeccably timed sprint to the line saw Edmondson take the win ahead of ARA’s Ruby Roseman-Gannon, with reigning champion Chloe Hosking (Trek Segafredo) rounding out a stunning podium.

“I didn’t see the crash as I was on second-wheel behind Alex but I looked back and there was quite a big gap so that meant there wasn’t going to be a big swarm at the finish line,” Edmondson explained. “We were able to stall it and wait as long as we could then Ruby kicked, and I had to go.”

The win even more special for Edmondson following a tough year which saw the cancellation of racing and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“It’s been a really tough twelve months so we’ve just tried to keep the head on as much as we can and keep pushing each week to week and train as if everything is going ahead,” said Edmondson. “I’m at the end now, I didn’t realise I was at the end until the Olympics got postponed and since then it’s just been really tough to try and motivate ourselves without any racing when that’s all we used to do.”

Maeve Plouffe was awarded gold in the under 23 classification after finishing fourth across the line behind the three elite podium placegetters, amazingly recovering from a crash early in the race. 

“It’s a really hectic race when we combine the elite women and the under-23 It adds a whole new dynamic to it because you’re potentially sprinting for fourth like it’s first which is what I was doing today,” said Plouffe.
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“I was a little bit shaken after that crash I’m not going to lie, especially around that bottom corner, but I’m super happy I didn’t give up in the last straight”

Once rising stars, now leading stars.  Sarah Gigante and Luke Plapp, products of the Brunswick Cycling Club junior development program, claimed the elite individual time trials at the 2021 Federation University Road National Championships in Ballarat.  
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ELITE MEN 

Dreams became a reality for 20-year-old Luke Plapp (InForm TMX Make) when he clinched his maiden elite time trial crown at the 2021 Federation University Road National Championships in Ballarat on Wednesday.  

“I dreamed of it, but I saw this coming,“ said Plapp, the reigning champion in the under 23 category who elected to race in the elite ranks as he continues his rapid rise in the sport.  

“It’s been a massive goal of mine, and I’m just proud to cross the line in first because this is pretty special.“ 

It was a triple treat for Plapp who not only claimed the green and gold champion’s jersey and gold medal, but the course record after blistering the 37.5–kilometre course in a time of 46minutes 0.73 seconds. 

Plapp finished 42 seconds ahead of defending champion Luke Durbridge, with Kelland O’Brien completing the podium.  

“After the first lap, I was told that I was up on most of my competitors and really close with Durbridge, which was within five seconds,“ said Plapp. “So, it did all come down to the last split and for the last lap, I was just told it was really close and to keep going.“ 

“It was a pretty nervous few minutes when I came in because I didn’t have a time yet.“ 

Plapp, who started his cycling journey with Melbourne’s Brunswick Cycling Club junior development program as a nine-year-old, was selected to the Australian Olympic Track Team for the Tokyo Olympic Games at 19.  

Last month he shone at the Santos Festival of Cycling with a superb stage victory while also riding in support of Tour de France star Richie Porte.  

Plapp moved to Adelaide in 2018 to join the Australian Cycling Team track endurance program and was ecstatic to share today’s moment in person with teammates, coaches and friends. 

“I had all of my team around me including my best mate Blake, and it was really good to give him a hug right at the end,“ he said. “I would like to thank my family for coming down, they have always been supportive of me, particularly when I was in Adelaide as well.“ 
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“Timmy (Decker), my coach, has done everything for me, he lives and breathes it with us, to Ken and Nick who helped build my bike, the team from AusCycling, and my teammates.“ ​

ELITE WOMEN 
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Sarah Gigante defended her elite and under 23–time trial crowns in resounding style by scorching her personal best time on the Federation University campus in Mount Helen, Ballarat.  
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20-year-old Gigante posted a time of 40mins 41.12secs, seventeen seconds ahead of the 2019 champion Grace Brown (Team Bike Exchange). The pair dominated the field, with Nicole Frain (Sydney Uni – Staminade) rounding out the podium a further four minutes behind. 

Gigante signed with WorldTour outfit Team Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank for the 2020 season which cut short due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The strong start to 2021 started her domination of the Santos Festival of Cycling in Adelaide.  

However, Gigante revealed multiple reconnaissance trips aided in her success on the Ballarat Road Nationals course.  

“I love coming to Ballarat and Buninyong; it’s like my second home. I’ve been up here quite a lot over the last couple of months doing some national simulations on the courses,“ said Gigante.  

“I did about three (race) simulations, and I was pretty happy when I completed the course a couple of weeks ago when I beat my race time from last year“. 

As for her effort, Gigante was even faster on what is quickly becoming her favourite course.  

“I think I heard someone say my time was two minutes quicker than last year, which I’m pretty stoked about, but it’s lucky I levelled up because Grace (Brown) also levelled up,“ said Gigante. 

Beginning her cycling journey with the Brunswick Cycling Club as a youngster, Gigante launched herself onto the radar at 2018 Championships by winning all three national titles on offer in the under 19 classifications. Twelve months later she stunned the cycling world by winning the elite road crown as an 18-year-old, before winning her first time trial title last year.  

Understandably, Gigante is enjoying her cycling more than ever.  

“I think it’s just super important to love what you do,“ said Gigante. 
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“Obviously, I wouldn’t be standing here if I didn’t love what I do. It’s true you have to push through some difficult times and some pain, but if you love your bike and riding with your mates, that’s the key“. 

UNDER 23 MEN’S  

Conor Leahy (InForm TMX Make) took bronze behind teammate Carter Turnbull (InForm TMX Make) who dominated the under 23 men’s individual time trial event at the 2021 Federation University Road National Championships in Ballarat. 

Turnbull completed the 28.6km course in a time of 36 minutes 50.52 secs to claim the gold medal, 45 seconds ahead of teammate Leahy (InForm TMX Make) and Patrick Eddy (Team BridgeLane). 
 
EVENT GUIDE   

More than 1400 cyclists from across Australia will descend on Ballarat this week for the AusCycling 2021 Federation University Road National Championships.   
The five days of action in Ballarat and Buninyong from February 3-7 will feature the time trial, criterium, road race, plus Gran Fondo events.   
In all, 151 AusCycling national champions will be crowned across the elite, under 23, under 19, para, deaf, club and intellectual impairment categories. 40 UCI gold medals will be awarded in the UCI Gran Fondo World Qualifier events in the road race and time trial.   

SCHEDULE  
The coveted green and gold national champion’s jerseys on offer in the criterium, road race and time trial, plus Gran Fondo, across five days of action.  >>> roadnationals.org.au/schedule   

START LISTS & LIVE RESULTS  
Visit the website’s official live timing page to stay up–to–date with all the action live from the Championships. >>> roadnationals.org.au/startlist-results 

BROADCAST/LIVE STREAM   
The AusCycling 2021 Federation University Road National Championships will feature domestic coverage on SBS and FoxSports Australia, and for the first time, international broadcast coverage through the Global Cycling Network. >>> roadnationals.org.au/tv-live-stream-guide    

SPECTATOR GUIDE  
To ensure everyone’s safety in attendance, we’ve taken steps to safeguard The Federation University Road National Championships is a COVID Safe event. >>> roadnationals.org.au/spectate/   ​

AusCycling is pleased to release the selection criteria for the 2021 Junior Road World Championships and the 2021 Road World Championships, scheduled to be held in Flanders - Belgium in September of this year. 

To learn more about the specifics, please consult the Selection Criteria section of this website which is to be read in unison with the UCI selection and appeals policy. 

Visit the Selection Criteria section of this website to view documents.