Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Rebecca Henderson (Orbea Manufacturing facility) and Brendan Johnston (Big) will goal a green-and-gold Australian nationwide champions jersey on Saturday on the AusCycling Gravel Nationwide Championships. This 12 months’s occasion will probably be held at Ponderosa Pines in South Australia.
Final 12 months Johnston and Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz) claimed the titles in Tasmania, on the Satan’s Cardigan. Each are racing the Life Time Grand Prix sequence this season and Sherwell will probably be staying on within the US, leaving the way in which open for one more to chase the ladies’s title.
Johnston, who’s in his third 12 months within the US-based competitors, is again residence as he targets a 3rd nationwide gravel title after having additionally claimed the jersey in 2022.
Different riders coming back from worldwide racing embody Cromwell, who’s simply constructing again after breaking her collarbone in a crash at Milan-San Remo.
Rebecca Henderson can be coming back from harm, which has meant she has spent far longer at residence in Canberra this 12 months than traditional after a crash on the AusCycling Mountain Bike Nationwide Championships in March left her with a fractured shoulder and thumb.
She missed the opening rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Sequence in Brazil and after progressing from the coach to the gravel bike by means of her restoration she is making her re-entry into competitors at Ponderosa.
“Will probably be my first gravel race,” mentioned Henderson in an Instagram publish.
“It was really a part of my plan earlier than I obtained injured and I simply did not cancel it and simply remained optimistic I might be capable of do it and clearly I like racing so I am eager to provide it a go.”
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It might be a change to her traditional self-discipline however Henderson is a ferocious competitor, scooping up her twelfth elite XCO Australian title in a row regardless of the March crash. Her presence is certain to make her rivals somewhat nervous.
Others on the preliminary elite begin lists embody Ella Bloor, Cameron Scott (CCACHExBodywrap), 2024 Melbourne to Warrnambool winner Mark O’Brien and Talia Appleton (Praties), who was second general within the inaugural ProVelo Tremendous League.
The Australian gravel title race is without doubt one of the earliest nationwide gravel jersey battles of the season, with this 12 months’s late April time slot between the Life Time Grand Prix’s Sea Otter Gravel opener and Unbound. It additionally follows the conclusion of racing within the top-tier home street sequence, ProVelo Tremendous League and the Mountain Bike Nationwide Sequence.
The terrain riders will probably be taking over at Ponderosa Pines (Picture credit score: James Raison)
The race will play out on totally off-road course within the Mt Crawford Forest in South Australia, which incorporates single-track, trails and a steep and technical hill with surfaces that vary from rocky creek crossings, sandy stretches and compact gravel.
The 102km race takes in two laps of a 51km course with 622m of elevation acquire every lap.
Worldwide gravel racing additionally kicked off in South Australia in 2025, with RADL GRVL – received by Cromwell and Johnston – enjoying out alongside the Tour Down Beneath in January.
After the Australian title race lots of the high riders will then head to Tasmania for the Satan’s Cardigan in Derby. After two years of internet hosting the Australian Championships, Derby will host a spherical of the UCI Gravel World Sequence on Might 10.
On Might 17 it’s SEVEN’s flip with a troublesome 125km UCI World Sequence race in Nannup Western Australia, which is able to subsequent 12 months host the UCI Gravel World Championships.
