Gravel racing prizes aren’t precisely recognized for being typical and Tasmania’s Devils Cardigan is not any exception. Forget the shiny trophy with the title of the most recent victor proudly engraved on a plaque, that will not preserve you heat because the post-race celebrations rage on via the chilly Tasmanian winter’s evening – the wooly cardigan with the title of every winner sewn on it’ll and the sack of potatoes the rider on the highest step of the rostrum will get will assist gas many extra rides.
Still, a second yr of internet hosting the Australian Gravel National Championships means the unconventional prizes will once more be accompanied by probably the most conventional and coveted of awards throughout the disciplines of biking, the title of nationwide champion
It ought to be a very hard-fought battle on the race within the north-east pocket of the island state this yr to see who will get to experience in inexperienced and gold jersey lengthy after the cardigan has been stashed in mothballs and the potatoes have been mashed, fried or roasted. Both final yr’s winners, Connor Sens and Justine Barrow, will probably be on the road in Derby once more, together with a stream of different riders coming back from gravel racing within the United States, together with 2022 males’s Australian title winner Brendan Johnston.
“We’ve bought simply such a powerful subject, so we simply need to see them hammer one another with no mechanicals,” Devils Cardigan organiser Gareth Sutcliffe advised Cyclingnews, including that given it was the second yr the nationwide title is being awarded on the race circumstances have been now rather more of a recognized amount for a lot of.
The challenges of the close to 90% gravel course of 106 kilometre with 2,300 metres of vertical acquire caught some off guard in 2023 and ill-timed flats ruined the probabilities of numerous contenders.
“There are lots of people in that pointy finish that learnt loads about tyre selection so I’m hoping that lots of these gun riders have learnt from final yr’s expertise which simply means much less mechanicals, higher rubber selection and it brings it proper again all the way down to pure racing,” stated Sutcliffe.
Gone is any trace of the period the place gravel was such a brand new self-discipline that there was each probability it could be a skinny subject of top-level contenders, with riders from one of many earliest nation’s to embrace a proper championship race within the self-discipline all to conscious of the status it delivers and alternatives it may possibly assist ship.
The depth of the fields continues to develop, as high multi-discipline riders battle it out alongside the brand new wave of gravel specialists which are making their mark in each Australia and past.
No simple pickings
Alongside riders like defending champions Sens and Barrow plus 2022 title-holder Johnston, who all raced Unbound, there are a variety of different riders coming back from latest racing blocks within the United States that will probably be on the beginning line.
They embody a powerful contender in Courtney Sherwell, who has not solely swept up a powerful checklist of Australian gravel victories – together with the Dirty Warrny, Beechworth UCI Gravel World Series spherical and Sutton Grange Gravel – but in addition a few runner-up spots on the Belgian Waffle Ride that helped her web second general within the Tripel Crown. The rider from Bendigo additionally earlier this yr claimed the nationwide title on the Australian Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships.
Sherwell could also be one of many high favourites alongside defending champion Barrow –who final month claimed victory at each the SEVEN UCI Gravel World Series spherical in Nannup Western Australia and Gravel Locos within the United States – however there are many others that would additionally mount a problem. They embody Western Australian Cassia Boglio, who claimed victory on the Life Time Sea Otter Classic and got here second to Barrow at SEVEN. Izzy Flint, who was second to Sherwell on the marathon nationwide championships, might additionally make a mark.
Sens will even have his work lower out for him because the rider from Bendigo makes an attempt to defend his title within the males’s race. Johnston is among the many largest challengers, with the Canberran now constructing gravel momentum as he settles into his second season of the Life Time Grand Prix, the place he completed seventh final yr and is presently sitting fifth on the leaderboard. Johnston has had a powerful begin to the season, additionally sweeping up victory on the Nannup Gravel World Series occasion and claiming a sixth marathon nationwide title on the mountain bike.
Then there’s a lengthy checklist of different potential rivals, from the 2022 Devils Cardigan winner Tasman Nankervis, who gained the primary version of RADL GRVL in January, to Adam Blazevic who burst onto the gravel scene with a number of UCI Gravel World Series race wins in 2022 and Sutton Grange Gravel winner Mark O’Brien who additionally claimed the celebrated Melbourne to Warrnambool on the highway this yr.
Last yr’s second positioned rider Alex Lack has additionally clearly demonstrated what a menace he may be on this course, as did third-placed Scott Bowden. Add to that Tali Lane-Welsh, who was second at Sutton Grange and on the mountain bike gained the Otway Odyssey. The checklist grows even longer with former WorldTour highway racer Nathan Earle who now races for JCL Team UKYO and gained Devils Cardigan in 2021, cyclocross nationwide champion Chris Aitken and mountain bike XCO nationwide champion Cameron Ivory.
The array achieved riders from throughout the disciplines could make it arduous to select a winner however the depth of the sphere and course circumstances imply that it ought to actually be a hard-fought and fast version of the race.
“The course is operating in all probability the quickest it has ever been with the dry run-up that now we have had, so the champagne gravel is certainly glowing,” stated Sutcliffe. “But we nonetheless haven’t misplaced our chunky sections so you’ll be able to’t simply relaxation in your laurels and suppose that you could simply blast away at tempo – you’ve gotten nonetheless bought to have your wits about you.”
