As the sun sets over a sunbaked course through Perth’s city, so does another successful year of Australian Road National Championships for Victorian cyclists.
Previously held in Victoria’s rural city of Ballarat, ‘RoadNats’ shifted west in 2025 bringing a fresh course and new strategies to consider for riders.
The glory of winning a national championship means the winner gets to wear the Australian champions jersey for the year, making them stand out from the peloton as the champion of Australian cycling.
The honour attracts more media and bigger cheers from enthusiastic crowds at all the major races throughout the calendar and, no doubt, extra rivalry between riders and teams.
It’s a feeling that 20-year-old Lucinda Stewart will now become familiar with, upsetting the favourites in the Elite Women’s Road Race to sprint to her national title after a long breakaway.
Stewart claimed double titles, taking the U23 Road Race at the same time, becoming the first rider since VIS cyclist Sarah Gigante in 2019 to win both Australian titles in the same race.
She missed out on last year’s RoadNats due to a broken collar bone and more recently has recovered from a crash at the Tour of Bright, making her win even more impressive.
"I still can't believe it honestly. I'm just so happy and stoked and pleasantly surprised that I was able to pull it off," Stewart said.
"I know how hard the girls have worked for this and as an Australian team it's really special to be able to take the jersey back to Europe."
While celebrating the successes of the next generation of Australian cyclists, the weekend also saw Australia bid farewell to a legend in Para-cycling.
Three-time Paralympic gold medallist and nine-time World Champion, Carol Cooke AM, raced in her final national championship bringing the curtain down on her illustrious career.
"It's great and I have no qualms about finishing up. It's time and I'm really happy that I get to be in beautiful Perth and somewhere different to finish it off," said Cooke.
“I hope I leave a legacy of ‘it’s never too late’ to do things new or that you love. You never know where it will take you!”
VIS General Manager High Performance for the cycling program, Harry Brennan, complimented Cooke’s impact on advocating for Para sport throughout her time as an athlete.
“Carol has been a real catalyst for engaging other athletes with disabilities to realise their potential pathways into Para sports,” said Brennan.
“A lot of that has been down to her determination to enhance Para sport, it’s visibility and opportunities for Para athletes.”
More VIS Para-cyclists dominated across the competition, with Emma Mickle and Tahlia Clayton-Goodie also claiming double national titles in both their respective Time Trial and Road Race disciplines and Alana Forster finishing top of the table in the Women’s C5 Time Trial.
Returning to his first major Time Trial (TT) since crashing out of the Olympic Games last year, Luke Plapp performed a controlling race to win his third career Elite Men’s Time Trial national title and taking home another green and gold jersey.
"It's been a while since a good TT, especially since after the Games, so I wanted to get out early and get ahead of the race. I knew it would be better for my head if I was ahead of the race and then it was just a matter of holding on. I was super stoked to get it done in the end,” said Plapp.
Plapp’s Team Jayco AlUla teammate and fellow VIS cyclist Kelland O’Brien finished in bronze after Jay Vine, to round out the podium.
Plapp also played a role in helping his Western Australian teammate Luke Durbridge take gold in the Elite Men’s Road Race. In doing so, he gave up breaking the record for four consecutive Road Race titles.
"I'm lost for words. True class from the champion. I had a good ride today. I mean, I blew up, Plappy helped me out. Without Plappy I probably wouldn't have won today. Not just Plappy, my teammates back there, they helped me out,” said Durbridge.
17-year-old Max Goold also finished on top, taking home the green and gold jersey with a win in the Junior Men’s Time Trial national champion.
"I knew that I could actually go pretty good, so coming into it I was pretty nervous because I had pressure on myself [but] I thought I was in good form for this and I’m just super happy to get the win,” he said.
Eighteen VIS athletes hit the road throughout the competition with a further three finishing on the podium.
Both Fergus Browning and Alyssa Polites saw the podium twice, Browning claiming silver in both the U23 Time Trial and Road Race and Polites taking silver in the U23 Criterium and bronze in the U23 Road Race.
Ruby Taylor also finished the Junior Women’s Criterium with a bronze medal around her neck.
“We’re extremely pleased with all the athletes’ performances at RoadNats. It’s great to see the likes of Ruby Taylor on the podium and finishing fourth in the Junior Women’s Road Race, and also Blake Agnoletto’s seventh place in the Elite Men’s Road Race really demonstrates his progression,” said Brennan.
“The results show the depth across the board, especially with some of our Paris Paralympic medallists on break.
“Emma Mickle’s performance claiming both titles bodes well for what she can achieve over the next four years, so it’s a really exciting time for the VIS cycling program." he said.
