Bike champs go out with a bang

A THREE-peat and a double-up from two cycling stars capped off a successful Federation University Road National Championships in Ballarat and Buninyong last weekend.

Elite men’s road race winner Lucas Plapp became national champ for the third consecutive year, this time in wet weather, crossing the line alongside Jayco–AlUla teammate Chris Harper.

Liv AlUla Jayco racer Ruby Roseman-Gannon won both the elite women’s criterium and road race national titles, while another Jayco–AlUla rider, Caleb Ewan, won the elite men’s criterium.

Plapp said achieving gold on the mount three times in three years was “surreal.”

“It’s just an amazing way to start with this team and it’s been great fun this week,” he said.

“Harps is amazing. He told me very early on that it’s mine and I can’t thank him enough. He’s such a class act and such a gentleman.

“We had everything under control and me and Harps had a great time out there, can’t thank him enough.”

Roseman-Gannon said she was “in shock” after crossing the road race finish line on Warrenheip Street.

“Last couple of years I’ve wanted this so bad and every year I’ve finished a bit disappointed, and I just can’t believe it,” she said.

“I just wanted to do it so badly today and I had amazing legs. It helped that I was always up the road on the climb but couldn’t thank my team enough, this is the best group and I’m just shocked.

“I wasn’t really thinking. It was one of those moments where you are just in flow, just in race mode, what you’ve done 1000 times before and I can’t even really articulate what happened.

“It just doesn’t feel real. It feels like a dream. I’ve done a lot of work for this moment.”

Reflecting on another well-supported year of cycling action on the mount and in the village, Buninyong and District Community Association president Sue Yorston said most residents valued and enjoyed it.

“Buninyong has really appreciated having this event for the last 18 consecutive years, and Ballarat council have done a great job in preparing and monitoring this event,” she said.

“The free kids’ film in the park on Saturday evening was great. People living in Buninyong could still go to the shops and come home again because there were lots of openings and it was well managed.

“Over the years, it’s been a great way to bring people together.”

While picking up some dinner at Buninyong’s Red Door Pizzeria on Saturday night, Ms Yorston met a lady from Euroa who was visiting in support of her son, a RoadNats athlete.

“She said what a beautiful place it was with its old buildings, lovely shops and cafes, and that they would come back with their caravan,” Ms Yorston said.

“That’s been the great value of having the race in Buninyong; it’s attracted new people to the area and it’s given it a national profile, and that will last.”

The RoadNats are set to move to a new yet-to-be announced location in 2025, following 18 consecutive years in Ballarat and Buninyong.

Ms Yorston said it’s “on everyone’s agenda” to bring it back to the mount.

“Lots of people have asked where it’s going, and what’s going to happen, and from what I know, it’s going to do a rotation of a few years, maybe move on, and there’s talk of it coming back,” she said.

“For the cyclists, it’s just such a great track.”

After conversations with AusCycling, City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson said he also expects the event to return to Ballarat in coming years.

But councillors and municipal staff are now looking to the city’s next major sporting event, the inaugural Ballarat Marathon in April, which is expected to get local people active, and attract a new market of elite and amateur athletes from across Australia to compete.