Women's Elite Road Race
Mackenzie Coupland, a 20-year-old rookie, has won the Australian road cycling championship. Coupland is the second rider from Liv AlUla Jayco to claim the title at this age in consecutive years. She executed a solo attack on Sunday for the win.
Coupland's victory was attributed to her strategic initiative and strong team tactics. She is in her first season as a WorldTour cyclist and also secured the under-23 category title. Following the podium presentation, Western Australia Premier Roger Cook met with Coupland.
Coupland's teammate Ruby Roseman-Gannon, who had previously won the criterium title, sprinted to second place ahead of Neve Bradbury (Canyon SRAM). Another Liv AlUla Jayco rider, Josie Talbot, was part of an early three-rider break that persisted until the latter stages of the race.
Coupland initiated her decisive move after catching Talbot on the final lap of the 109-kilometer race. "I was very hesitant when I caught Josie and she told me to go," Coupland stated. She decided to attack after receiving further encouragement from team staff.
Talbot had broken away within the first 20 kilometers with Ruby Taylor (Team Redcat) and Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Ziptrack), establishing a lead of over a minute. The peloton maintained a controlled gap, learning from the previous year's nationals where a break was allowed to build an insurmountable lead. After Taylor dropped, Talbot separated from Nicholson (who finished fourth) before Coupland overtook her on the final lap.
Men's Elite Road Race
Pat Eddy achieved an unexpected victory in the men's elite national road championships, overcoming the strength of the Jayco AlUla team. Eddy outpaced Jayco AlUla's Luke Plapp at the finish of the 177-kilometer road race.
Jayco AlUla's defending champion, Luke Durbridge, led the race solo for most of the last three laps of the 13-circuit course. On the final lap, Eddy and fellow Team Brennan rider Oliver Bleddyn, a Paris Olympics team pursuit gold medalist, competed against Plapp and Jayco AlUla teammate Ben O'Connor. Durbridge was caught near the finish, leaving Eddy and Plapp to contest the championship.
Durbridge had attacked the front group at the beginning of the third-last lap, gaining a lead of over 40 seconds within the last 30 kilometers. The race took place in hot conditions, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius.
An initial group of 14 riders, including Durbridge, O'Connor, Chris Harper (Pinarello Q36.5), and Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers), formed after 40 kilometers and built a lead of more than four minutes. Welsford, a sprinter, was dropped before the finish. The front group and the peloton fragmented in the heat as riders from behind, such as time trial champion Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) and Plapp, increased their pace. Plapp moved towards the front of the race, while Vine exited contention within the last three laps.