Grace Brown is a tough act to comply with within the time trial, having bowed out with an Olympic Gold medal and world title within the self-discipline, however the nation with a protracted historical past of highly effective riders within the race towards the clock has a transparent inheritor obvious in new Australian champion Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ).
The 33-year-old, who has up to now carved out an eight-year profession in skilled biking as a valued domestique, began out her profession alongside Brown with the duo crossing over at home squad Holden Team Gusto earlier than they each launched into the world {of professional} biking. They lined up for his or her first World Championships collectively in 2018 and have been additionally roommates for Brown’s final, the place she grew to become the primary Australian girl to seize the elite time trial rainbow stripes, however within the coming years, there’s hope one other might be added.
Chapman could have been within the shadow of Brown prior to now however now she’s stepped into the total glare of the highlight, strolling into the Perth time trial on the AusCycling Road National Championships because the favorite regardless of a bout of bronchitis within the run-in.
“It’s a reasonably cool feeling,” Chapman instructed Cyclingnews. “I suppose you could possibly positively take it certainly one of two methods. Be like, ‘Oh no, the strain’s on’. I feel a youthful me may need felt that approach, however I simply see it as such a privilege – how cool to enter the nationwide championships, one thing that I seemed as much as for therefore lengthy, and to be really focused because the favorite.”
“You really feel such as you need to strut round a bit bit,” mentioned Chapman, firmly tongue in cheek and laughing as she chatted over the telephone on Thursday night after laying all of it out on the road on the 38.4km course round Bold Park.
That favorite standing was vindicated, as Chapman sealed her development up the time trial ranks in Australia, shifting from third on her first try in 2023, to second in 2024 – simply seven seconds behind Brown regardless of some gear points alongside the way in which – and at last, first in 2025
Goal achieved, because the rider now provides the time trial title to her 2023 street race win, but it surely feels much more of a starting than an finish for Chapman, who set her sights on working her approach into the self-discipline just a few years in the past.
The newest race content material, interviews, options, evaluations and knowledgeable shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
“Certainly you are like, ‘Okay, I’ve carried out that, now I simply need to get higher, what’s subsequent?’ And clearly, the European competitors is an entire further large stage, and you have time trials in stage races, and you have the World Championships the place each single particular person on the time trial there’s of their high type,” mentioned Chapman.
“So I feel that the following step is attempting to be per my time trial in Europe, with the intention to be chosen for the World Championships after which show that I generally is a contender there.”
The trident of expertise, tools and alternative
The final Road World Championships have been an essential step in that journey. Chapman obtained a style of what it was wish to put on a rainbow jersey as a key a part of Australia’s profitable Team Time Trial Mixed Relay squad and as Brown’s roommate she obtained to see at shut vary what it takes to succeed in the highest step on the particular person time trial – “she’s simply such a all the way down to earth particular person, and so willingly shares her expertise and recommendation.”
Still, it wasn’t all easy crusing with eleventh place not the outcome Chapman hoped for within the particular person contest.
“Obviously, it left a little bit of a little bit of a bittersweet style in my mouth that particular person time trial final yr, simply because I had technological points – I did not have a pc and my radio dropped out after which I additionally let that get to me mentally a bit,” she mentioned, talking from Perth.
“I nonetheless suppose I executed a very good race, however now I do know I’ve superior tools and an entire different yr of expertise going into it as nicely.”
The time trial leaning was certainly a think about Chapman’s determination to modify to her new workforce, UAE Team ADQ, this season.
One motive was persevering with to work in assist of reigning Giro winner Elisa Longo Borghini – “she’s an absolute pleasure to journey for, and he or she makes all people round her a greater rider as nicely” – one other was her respect for the way in which the workforce races after which, importantly, was the truth that in addition they not solely supported her private ambition to pursue the time trial however clearly may supply her the tools and know-how she wanted to take it up one other stage.
“I’ve to say that it made an enormous distinction, the truth that virtually instantly after I’d completed my season in October they took me straight to Agile in Switzerland and spent an entire day doing bike becoming, aero testing, tools testing,” mentioned Chapman.
“I already felt so assured to have them be like, ‘yep, we actually consider that you are able to do this’ so then I used to be capable of practice on superior tools, primarily, all the way in which main into the race.”
Chapman immediately repaid the hassle by claiming the inexperienced and gold jersey on her very first outing with the workforce, simply as Jay Vine did on his first National Championships time trial foray after he switched to the lads’s UAE Team Emirates squad in 2023.
“It is definitely a great begin to the yr,” mentioned Chapman. “I feel it conjures up the entire workforce to start out off with the win, it simply makes me extra excited to proceed the trajectory with my teammates, understanding there is a large season forward. There has been a lot invested within the ladies’s workforce this yr that it is genuinely actually thrilling to be like, ‘What can we do?’”
In the quick time period, Chapman will probably be heading again to Europe, foregoing the remainder of the Australian season and focussing on key targets a bit later within the yr, from Strade Bianche to that Rwanda Road World Championships. The race for the rainbow stripes in Africa has lengthy been on her radar, a lot so that after upon a time it was quietly marked as the purpose the place she needed to race onto, however her eye is ready additional on the horizon now as there are nonetheless loads of challenges to chase within the seasons forward and targets which could be beginning to look more and more inside attain.
“I’d wish to win a World Tour race or stage I imply I’ve solely been on one WorldTour podium, and that was the Giro time trial final yr, in order that’s one thing that will really feel actually good,” mentioned Chapman.
“Also, I feel it is not loopy to intention for the World Championship stripes – if I can execute as finest I can. You do not need to put it out of your thoughts and suppose it is not doable.
“And then I’ve, clearly considered what if I may make it to the LA 2028 Olympics? I imply, I’m not going to drive myself to push on if I do not need to only for that exact motive, but it surely’s definitely form of a bit fleck floating round up there.”