The road cycling season begins in just 2 days: These riders will compete for the Australian title in Perth
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Follow us on GoogleFor 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.
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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.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - I’m still learning how cyclocross works: when he says he messed up the start at the Europeans, can a bad start really make that much difference?patriciaw14-11-2026
- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
- I’m still learning how cyclocross works—does leading the Superprestige mean Mason is top of that race series, rather than the World Cup? Either way, winning in Belgium sounds like a massive result.cadencekingm13-11-2026
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- Great to see Dickson’s route from triathlon to the WorldTour getting recognition. Scottish cycling has plenty to be proud of, and the 2027 Grand Départ could give the next generation a real lift.patriciaw13-11-2026
- The article makes a good case for clubs and small teams doing the groundwork, rather than one big development pipeline. Thornley’s Vuelta time trials were seriously impressive too; missing a stage win by two seconds is brutal.davidm13-11-2026
- Mason winning in Niel is huge—beating that kind of Belgian field in the mud takes serious class. The Kelvingrove World Cup could be an unforgettable homecoming.breakawaybikerd13-11-2026
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026