Brendan Johnston (Large) continued his roll at SEVEN in Nannup, Western Australia on Saturday including victory on the UCI Gravel World Collection elite males’s race to his mountain bike win of final weekend on the AusCycling Marathon Nationwide Championships. Within the elite ladies’s race reigning nationwide gravel champion Justine Barrow capitalised on the climb heavy course to take out the elite ladies’s title, delivering a transparent indicator of simply how far her kind rebuild had come after a troublesome shoulder harm restoration.
The winners, who had been each making their debut on the occasion with 3,200m of vertical ascent over a 125km course, crossed the road solo shedding the home-state second-placed riders, Mark Chong and Cassia Boglio (Liv Brazilian Butterfly Racing p/b Keen & Twin Peaks). Annabel Fisher was third forward of Peta Mullens (Liv Brazilian Butterfly).
Brendon Davids got here third within the elite males’s race, regardless of having to select himself up off the gravel after a crash, whereas Oliver Stenning (Blackshaw Racing) got here fourth forward of Nicolas Roche. Final 12 months’s winner, Tasman Nankervis (BMC-Shimano), misplaced his likelihood to defend the title early when he suffered from an early flat however then chased again to take twelfth.
“SEVEN Gravel was brutal,” mentioned winner Johnston in an Instagram put up, with the rider in the course of a quick return to his house nation within the midst of his Life Time Grand Prix commitments. “I made the distinction within the closing 30km of the powerful circuit. So stoked to complete this 4 week race block throughout 2 international locations and 4 states with one other win.
“Could be good to say I used to be heading house now for a few weeks relaxation nevertheless these legs must log some kilometres forward of Unbound in 3 brief weeks!”
Round 1500 riders lined up in Nannup – greater than the inhabitants of the small city itself – to pattern the terrain that may play host to the UCI Gravel World Championships in 2026. Whereas the rain settled the mud on the roads the day earlier than the occasion, the clouds cleared in time for the beginning at 7a.m, with riders heading out for the 125km occasion by pine plantations, state forests and farmland for something from the 4 hours, 5 minutes and 11 seconds it took for winner Johnston to the ten hour lower off.
Nannup is one in every of two UCI Gravel World Collection occasions in Australia, with Gravelista in Beechworth in October of 2023 one of many first races that riders might use to qualify for the 2024 Gravel World Championships in Belgium. Australian gravel champion Connor Sens and Courtney Sherwell claimed the victories on the Beechworth spherical.
The Western Australian race can be one in every of two rounds on this planet sequence this weekend, with one other subject which is packed to capability lining up for 3Rides in Germany on Sunday, with riders anticipated to begin together with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Greg van Avermaet, Lucinda Model (Lidl-Trek), Sanne Cant (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Ivar Slik (Wilier Triestina Manufacturing unit).
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