MTB on SBS Screens
Normally, I’d write this piece after the conclusion of the road racing, as that’s when the SBS cycling broadcasts shift to overseas events, but starting this year we had the Mountain Bike XCO and DH Nationals live streaming and highlights from the opening rounds of the National Series. They opened my eyes to the Australian community around these events and the Downhill in particular makes for some great watching.
We’ve been taking some notes about how best to improve coverage in the future, but if you have any suggestions, let us know in the social media comments for this piece.
Henderson 10 out of 10 perfomance
Rebecca Henderson has an absolutely phenomenal record at National Championships, she’s now taken the last 10 Elite Women’s XCO titles for a total of 19 National gold medals to display in the pool room.
It wasn’t hard to see why she’s one of the best in the world as she spent no time lingering in the pack on the tough climb on the Thredbo course, immediately breaking away and steadily increasing her lead all the way to the finish, ending up with nearly a three-minute gap over Commonwealth Games medallist Zoe Cuthbert.
A special mention to new men’s XCO champion Sam Fox as well, his skill on the technical sections outshone his more seasoned competitors and was the difference between him and Dan McConnell in this battle for the green and gold bands.
Australia’s best go head-to-head
I think anyone talking about Australia’s best female road cyclists has to be a pick of two at present between Grace Brown and Amanda Spratt. Brown has been the star performer in recent years, but Spratt has years of experience winning and podiuming races before Brown turned professional.
Spratt’s recent season have been hampered by iliac artery endo fibrosis and then recovery from the operation to fix the problem. This summer has shown that she’s back for good, hopefully she’s got a few more per cent improvement in her for the climbing races, but the signs are already very good.
Spratt was strong during the Bay Crits, played a brilliant foil for Brodie Chapman’s winning ride at nationals, was 2nd to Brown at the Tour Down Under and 2nd again behind two-time Cycling Esports World Champion Loes Adegaast at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The pick of those battles was undoubtedly the TDU match-up, with Spratt jumping clear on the climb, Brown descending like a peregrine falcon and then taking the win in the sprint into Campbelltown.
That’s probably going to be how races play out in future, Spratt favoured where the balance tips to her only longer climbs, with Brown’s punchy style and combativity to the fore in the classics and similar races. Both are out of the Greenedge (now Jayco-AlUla) team and will pull leadership duty for some major races so it will be fascinating to follow their 2023 seasons.
Vine Time
It's been a privilege to have been at some of the key points of the journey of Jay Vine's career, coming through the National Road Series, finding a way to the professional ranks with the Zwift Academy and then excelling at WorldTour level.
His 2022 Vuelta a Espana established him as a world-class climber with two stage wins and what should have been a king of the mountains victory had he not crashed out. Early 2022 looks to have been another step, his emergence as a time triallist and stage race winner with his performances in the Nationals time and the Tour Down Under.
I actually came upon him on the hill at nationals still looking out of breath after pulling out of the Nationals Road Race, I asked if he was doing ok given that he looked pretty peaked, he just gave me a look and said 'it's January'. It turned out to be a pretty good January regardless but his sights are clearly set down the road, and from later conversations it's clear that the Giro d'Italia is a major goal for the Canberran, you would think for the general classification.
Revelations
Alastair Mackellar’s ride for the Under 23 double at Nationals was my pick for the most impressive of the championships, and he dominated what was a pretty strong field with great depth. It maybe appeared to lack a star or two compared to previous years, but Mackellar showed that he was the star to emerge from a promising crop with a phenomenal climbing performance in the road race to drag back the break then power away solo, dropping the highly-regarded Brady Gilmore (ARA Skip Capital) in the process.
To show that was no fluke, he backed it up with another heaping of ridiculous performance in the TT, winning by a minute and 26 seconds over Oliver Bleddyn (ARA Skip Capital). There were rumours that Mackellar wanted to step it up to Elites at Nationals this year, and clearly, he wouldn’t have been out of place in that company.
Just a year out of being an Under 23 for race registration purposes, Tristan Saunders (Team Bridgelane) has been one the most impressive of the domestic cycling crop for the start of 2023. I always like shining a light on riders who do the job as a domestique, and Saunders’ ride for Blake Quick’s victory in the 2022 Under 23 National Road Race really was the reason that Quick was able to take the win in a situation where Matt Dinham looked the stronger rider.
Saunders got his own opportunity this year in the elites at nationals and was in the finishing straight at the same the winner crossed the line, ending up in 10th place eight seconds back from Luke Plapp.
He then went out and showed how good he was over 267 kilometres in the Melbourne to Warrnambool, fighting to make his way over to the big early break, before looking by far the strongest as the move splintered in the final 60 kilometres, breaking away with 20 kilometres left and pushing out his lead to an impressive two minutes by the finish in Warrnambool.
She didn’t climb onto the podium as a top-three finisher, but Dani De Francesco (Zaaf Cycling) was all over the place during the summer impressing with her consistency no matter the terrain. She was fifth at the Cadel Evans Road Race when just a few metres shy of taking her late attack to the line for third. She was sixth overall at the Tour Down Under, including fourth on two of the stages, and collected two fifth places at nationals in the time trial and the road race.
She’s provided an immediate return for her UCI-level Zaaf team and she surely must be one of the first names on the team sheet for the big race, maybe after the decorated pair Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Maggie Coles-Lyster at this stage.
Finally, I have to acknowledge the incredible depth of talent coming through the Womens Under 23 ranks at present.
Keely Bennett (2nd in Bay Crits, has some serious power), Lucie Fityus (4th Women’s Warrnambool Classic, good sprint and all-round abilities), Sophie Edwards (1st Women’s Warrnambool, very good sprinter), Issy Carnes (1st U23 National Womens TT), Mia Hayden (24th at Cadels, good climber), Lucie Stewart (1st U23 National Crierium, good sprint and very adaptable) and Ella Simpson (1st U23 National Road Race, ridiculous performance to finish front group) all caught the eye with their performances at times over the summer of cycling.
I don’t think any of those performances by themselves will garner international attention, but if they can package them with good showings in the National Road Series or over in Europe, where a number will be heading, then teams will quickly get interested.
There are a few other names to throw in there as well with Ella Sibley, Alli Anderson, Haylee Fuller, Lillee Pollock and Bronte Stewart all looking likely at points in their young careers so far to make a career out of cycling. It’s a fruitful time to be a Under 23, there’s no need to look any further than Alyssa Polites and Neve Bradbury who still fit the category, but are now plying their trade as professionals in the Womens WorldTour.
A special mention to Felicity Wilson-Haffenden's all-conquering junior womens performances at nationals as well, she looked a class above and also displayed a good head on her shoulders.
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