By Bhawna
The stage is set for the 2023 road races at AusCycling National Championships. There are stacked fields and hot conditions. These will test how well the European-based professionals adapt to the summer conditions. With the Covid-19 pandemic coming to an end, the stage is set. It is one of the most competitive fields in years. There is a varied lineup of riders like sprinters, climbers, and GC contenders.
The race has the climb of Mount Buninyong Road as its main feature. The racing is going to be unpredictable. The riders have different skill sets.
So, let’s take a look at the most skillful riders to watch out for the 2023 Australian National Road Races:
Grace Brown
Image source: twitter.com
Grace Brown has been many times very close to taking the national title. She won the green and gold in the time trial but she had to withdraw herself to the bottom two steps of the podium in Buninyong. She would not have any teammates this year. But she has time-trialing strength. She has the ability to sustain a break while riding out the front solo. She also knows the art of knowing exactly when it is the right time to jump. The rider is not at Bay Crits this year. Her last race will be the World Championships in September.
Amanda Spratt
Image source: twitter.com
Amanda Spratt has won the elite road race title three times. The last time was in 2020. This was also her recent appearance at the event. She is returning under different conditions this year. She is moving from Australia’s WorldTour team to Trek-Segafredo. This means she won’t have the strength when it comes to numbers. But she has been working to again achieve some of the sprint speed. She suffered from iliac artery endofibrosis and had got surgery done. The teammates she had are reliable like Lauretta Hanson. Lauretta Hanson stood on the podium at the Nationals in 2021. Brodie Chapman is always relentless in chasing. A fourth national title is something that she will achieve.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon
Image source: heraldsun.com
Ruby had a tremendous performance in the National Championships in her neo-pro year in 2022. And now she is back again in 2023. She had done well at the Bay Crits for a second year running. She gave her teammates their chances as well. She is now participating in the Australian races championship with an experience of WorldTour with her. The rider won the title last year. She came seventh in the road race. Some of her teammates are not making the trip back. But now she is even more prepared. She has some new Australian events on the roster. It will be a team of seven that will participate in the roster.
Danielle De Francesco
Image source: twitter.com
Danielle De Francesco is a National Road Series 2022 winner. She was racing fiercely at Bay Crits. She displayed a form that was tremendous. This is an indication that her rivals should beware of her. She has signed up for the Spanish team Zaaf Cycling for the year 2023. She is on top of the positions in the domestic racing series. She displayed her talent at Buninyong in 2022. She took the fifth position in 2022 racing with ARA Pro Cycling. She doesn’t have many teammates this year. She has an ally, Elizabeth Stannard. Elizabeth Stannard has made a switch from Valcar-Travel&Service to Zaaf.
Luke Plapp
Image source: bicyclingaustralia.com
Luke Plapp took a solo victory in 2022. He took the first season in the professional ranks with a green and gold jersey and a Pinarello on his back. However, he may get his work cut out if he keeps it. It was an easy year for him. He has come up in the field this year with a raft of European-based professionals with a lot of preparation. Plapp is without teammates. This means he won’t be able to cover all the bases. But he will have to fight his battles wisely. On the other hand, he has now got a year of experience in the top ranks. So, this will help him achieve that.
He had a spill pre-Christmas as he took the skin off. He also had to take a week off the bike. So, he was hitting hard for some training this year at the Bay Crits. We would be able to see soon that if that interruption will affect him in the afternoon of racing that will be long and hot.
Michael Mathews
Image source: bicyclingaustralia.com
Michael Matthews raced in the Australian Championships in 2014. Since then, he hasn’t raced in the same. But with his evolution, now seems the perfect time to make an entry again in the event. The event is won solo or with a group of people crossing the final line. He made it to stage 14 in the Tour de France in 2022. There is a possibility that he will stay within reach of the front. If he maintains his stance and gets in a select group at the end, there would be few in the field who would rival his speed.
Caleb Ewan
Image source: dreamstime.com
Caleb Ewan has shown the strength to hold strong in the peloton when the road heads up. But the question is will it be enough for him to ride to 16 laps and 16 runs up to Mount Buninyong. Ewan says that the course is difficult but if his day is good, then he can win. Ewan hasn’t participated in the Road National Championships for 4 years. In 2018, he just missed it. In 2015, he got the second position and in 2014, he got the U23 jersey. Ewan has few teammates this year like Harry Sweeny and Jarrad Drizners. So, this means that he won’t be alone. Ewan is sure that they will do everything to avoid a sprint.
Chris Harper
Image source: twitter.com
Michael Matthews is the name that comes to mind when we think of Jayco AIUIa squad. But there is another name that is upcoming and cannot be ignored- Chris Harper. Chris Harper is a new member of the team. He is a former Jumbo-Visma rider. He rarely had any teammates over the past three years. But he has finished in the top ten every time. In 2019, while racing for Team BridgeLane, he got the second position.
