The road cycling season begins in just 2 days: These riders will compete for the Australian title in Perth

For many fans, the road cycling season kicks off with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The more avid followers start with the Tour Down Under, and the true diehards eagerly anticipate the Australian Championship. This week marks the first official races of the 2025 cycling year, held in Perth, where Australian riders will battle for their national titles.

For years, the Australian Championship was traditionally held in Buninyong, located in the state of Victoria. However, the country’s national cycling federation is heading further west this year, as Perth, the capital of Western Australia, becomes the new host. The national time trial titles will be decided on Thursday, with the road races for both men and women scheduled for the weekend.

So... What can we expect? The time trial course is a 9.8-kilometer circuit around Bold Park, which includes some hidden elevation changes. The men will complete four laps, totaling 39.2 kilometers, while the women will race three laps, covering 29.4 kilometers in total.

The weekend will feature the road races, which will be held outside Buninyong for the first time in nearly two decades. In Perth, the riders will tackle a 13.6-kilometer circuit with sections through King’s Park and along the Swan River. With a climb just 400 meters from the finish, the course should suit a wide variety of riders.

Read more below the photo!

Jayco AlUla missing key leaders in the race for the Australian title

The men’s time trial is expected to be a showdown among the WorldTour riders on the start list, including Jay Vine (UAE-Team Emirates), Luke Plapp, Michael Hepburn, Luke Durbridge, and Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla). On the women’s side, notable participants include Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) and Amber Pate from Liv AlUla Jayco.

In the road race, Jayco AlUla will field some riders, but finisher Michael Matthews and silver World Championship medalist Ben O’Connor will not participate, as they are already (or, in the latter's case, still) in Europe. However, Kelland O’Brien will join the team’s four time trial participants, while Luke Plapp will aim to defend his three most recent titles. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe brings Sam Welsford and Jai Hindley, with Hindley, a home favorite, having already expressed ambitions for the national title. Other notable participants include Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious) and Patrick Eddy (dsm-firmenich PostNL).

In the women’s road race, riders such as Lauretta Hanson, Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco), Alexandra Manly (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step), and Sarah Roy (EF Education Oatly) will compete.

Click here for the full start lists of the Australian Championship, with results expected early from Thursday through Sunday morning.

Read also

There was no doping culture at all at US Postal and Armstrong, claims teammate Azevedo: "I never saw it"

LeMond opens up about doping and his feud with Armstrong: "Bizarre that the Armstrong era was even worse than the '90s"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe