State of the nation: Analysing Australia's 2024 Highway World Championships groups

Forward of the 2024 UCI Highway World Championships, Cyclingnews is taking a deep dive into the important thing groups for the elite highway races, beginning with Australia.

Historical past

It’s been a while since Australia has walked away from a UCI Highway World Championships with an elite gold medal, because the nation hasn’t taken to the highest step within the senior ranks at Highway Worlds for the reason that now-retired Rohan Dennis claimed the lads’s time trial title in 2018 and 2019. Earlier than that, it was Cadel Evans who in 2009 grew to become the primary Australian ever to win a person elite highway world title when he claimed the highway race.

Michael Matthews, who claimed the U23 males’s world title again in 2010, has additionally been on the highway race podium as just lately as 2022 the place he took third and it was additionally bronze in 2017 and silver in 2015, plus he was a part of the third-place combined time trial crew in 2022. Within the ladies’s elite highway race, it has been Amanda Spratt who has ventured into the medals for the nation most just lately, taking third in 2019 and second in 2018.

The junior ranks have been the strongest space for Australia in latest editions, with Oscar Chamberlain and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden sweeping up the U19 time trial rainbow stripes for the nation final 12 months.

After profitable gold on the Paris Olympic Video games it’s arduous to look past Grace Brown as the point of interest for the Australian crew’s elite title hopes. It doesn’t matter what occurs in Zürich the Victorian has already delivered a spectacular farewell season however including a rainbow jersey to the the 2 silver medals she has claimed within the time trial over the previous two editions of the World Championships would make it the last word send-off.

Then there may be additionally Michael Matthews, who did not have the Olympics he might have been hoping for however a 3rd win on the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec in opposition to a robust area is an effective indication that the rider who has risen to the rostrum on a number of events on the Highway World Championships is heading towards Zürich with some highly effective type. Ought to the 4,470m of elevation achieve throughout the 273.9km be an excessive amount of for Matthews, Australia has that base properly coated between Ben O’Connor, Jai Hindley, Jack Haig and Jay Vine.

The choices for Australia additionally prolong past the elite ranks, with one other sturdy time trial card in Hamish Mackenzie within the U23 males, the rider having taken bronze within the class in 2023. Then there may be Neve Bradbury – who was on the Giro d’Italia Girls’s podium and gained the brutal Blockhaus stage – as whereas she’s clearly earned her place on the elite ladies’s crew she can also be nonetheless under-23 so qualifies for that title as properly, which is awarded to the highest participant from that class within the mixed elite and U23 ladies’s highway race.

Between a golden effort on the Olympic Video games and looming retirement, motivation and confidence could not be a lot greater for Brown within the time trial. A closing world title tilt might ratchet up the stress, significantly given the 32-year-old has simply been one step away from that coveted rainbow jersey the final two years, however after gold in Paris Brown is already strolling away with nothing left to show. Throw in Brodie Chapman, who has stepped onto 4 particular person time trial podiums this season, as one other challenger within the race in opposition to the clock plus Isabelle Carnes as a U23 possibility and the ladies’s time trial is an occasion to not miss for the Australian followers.

The punchy highway race additionally gives one other likelihood for Brown to ship an attacking effort, very similar to the one which netted her Liège-Bastogne-Liège this 12 months and she or he’ll have the expertise of two former commerce squad teammates, Amanda Spratt and Chapman, to name on for help. Plus the ladies’s crew has its bases coated on the unpredictable course, with Ruby Roseman-Gannon a strong card if a decreased bunch dash ought to eventuate whereas Neve Bradbury and Sarah Gigante shall be at dwelling on the climbs.

The elite males’s highway race crew can also be large on choices, with Matthews having confirmed simply how sturdy he might be on the finish of a testing day of racing as soon as once more in Canada and in addition having a formidable historical past of performing within the rainbow race. Nonetheless, if the amped-up degree of climbing in Zürich proves a step too far, the options are laid on thick given the squad has three riders who’ve stepped onto a Grand Tour general podium in Hindley, O’Connor and Haig. In addition they have Vuelta a España mountains classification winner Jay Vine. The unfold of choices will preserve the rivals guessing and with the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel as such sturdy favourites, the stress is more likely to go on different groups to manage the race.

The U23 and junior males’s classes of the time trial are additionally areas the place there are clear alternatives for Australia, with Hamish Mackenzie – who got here second within the junior time trial in 2022 – stepping straight onto the rostrum when he made the transfer into the U23 ranks final 12 months. With one other 12 months of expertise and improvement with Hagens Berman Jayco and the shift to Jayco-AlUla slated for subsequent 12 months, he’ll possible be trying to shift up a step or two this time round. The junior class, the place Australia swept up each time trial titles final 12 months, additionally gives up one other severe contender in Wil Holmes, who final month on the observe set a brand new junior males’s 3,000m particular person pursuit world report.

The time trial might general be a energy for the nation however within the males’s elite race in opposition to the clock, it hasn’t been in any respect clean crusing. Luke Plapp, who had been laser focussed on the self-discipline by the season with Paris and Zürich in thoughts had a horrible crash within the Olympic Video games race in opposition to the clock so in the end needed to bow out of the highway race in Paris and was additionally later changed on the World Championships squad. Jay Vine was subsequent in line and whereas the 2023 Australian champion is clearly a worthy substitute, he definitely hasn’t had the chance to focus and construct towards the time trial like his predecessor, as he suffered spinal accidents in a brutal crash in April. A Vuelta a España efficiency that left him with the polka-dot jersey is evident proof of a powerful bounce again however a query stays over how a lot of a toll the less-than-ideal season run-in will take throughout the 46.1km race in opposition to the clock.

Within the elite highway races, Australia have what is just not a lot a weak point to take care of, however a transparent energy from their opposition to attempt to counter. Within the ladies’s race 12 months after 12 months, it doesn’t matter what the terrain, the Dutch are in a position to line up with a crew stuffed with potential winners such is the energy of that nation in ladies’s biking. They’ve gained six of the final eight world highway race titles and with Demi Vollering main the best way look as sturdy as ever. Within the males’s highway race, the overwhelming situation is how one can counter the energy of some stand-out people reminiscent of Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) – who has already gained each the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this season and is now steaming towards a possible triple crown – and twin Paris gold medallist Remco Evenepoel (Belgium). Australia has a powerful group of riders however, simply as is the case for the overwhelming majority of the peloton, the chances would not be of their favour on the subject of going toe to toe with Pogačar or Evenepoel.

Australia – with its awkward midnight time zone for watching European-based biking occasions – might have had its tolerance for late evening biking viewing stretched a bit of late between the Olympic Video games, the place Brown most likely prompted just a few family waking shouts when she claimed gold, and Ben O’Connor’s tenacious effort to carry crimson on the Vuelta. Nonetheless, the highly effective exhibiting may have fanned hopes of extra so many shall be braving the in a single day viewing as soon as once more.

Biking will not be the largest of attracts in Australia however the nation which is ready to ship public holidays in honour of an Australian Guidelines Soccer closing and a horse race is fast to get on board it doesn’t matter what the game if the nation is on high. Given latest outcomes, one other work out for the espresso machine might assist gas some unforgettable biking viewing. A rainbow jersey might even be sufficient to get biking to interrupt by onto the sports activities pages of the mainstream media within the midst of soccer finals fever.