International road racing is centred on Australia and New Zealand for the first month of 2017, with national championships rolling this weekend before mid-January’s Santos Women’s Tour leading to the first two contests of the men’s WorldTour, the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The Australian national road races were set in Ballarat and Buninyong, Victoria, and the Kiwi races were in Napier on the North Island.
Rohan Dennis (BMC) repeated his Australian time trial win of 2016, beating Orica-Scott’s Luke Durbridge by 58-seconds in Ballarat, while Katrin Garfoot (Orica-Scott) also took her second consecutive chrono title.
In New Zealand, Jack Bauer celebrated his switch from Cannondale to Quick Step with a silver fern jersey, taking the time trial by 21-seconds over 2016 road champion Jason Christie. Jaime Neilsen earned the Kiwi women’s title.
The Napier road races saw Rushlee Buchanan, third in the time trial, win her record fourth championship after triumphs in 2010, 2014 and 2016. On the men’s side Joseph Cooper soloed to his second silver fern jersey.
The Australian women’s road race consisted of 10-laps of 10.2-km, each circuit with a climb up Mount Buninyong. Three riders stole away at the beginning of the second lap and worked a 3:30 lead after 25-km. Garfoot was part of a 15-rider chase that animated the peloton.
#RoadNats @SharaGillow @jenellecrooks & Ellen Skerrit have a 2min advantage on lap 4 @visitballarat #aussiecycling pic.twitter.com/InRBWyK16B
— Cycling Australia (@CyclingAus) January 7, 2017
With four laps to go a five-rider group bridged over to make an octet. It was Garfoot, her teammate Amanda Spratt and Lucy Kennedy’s turn to break away. Then the two Orica riders separated themselves from Kennedy and rode the final two laps in the lead. The two agreed to sprint it out in Buninyong, where Garfoot completed the famous double.
Later the men took to the course for 18-laps. Early on the pace was high and the peloton compact. Four laps in, a septet containing Durbridge and last year’s Tour of Utah winner Lachlan Morton (Dimension Data) bolted.
It was only the first of many moves, most of which occurred in the second half of the race. Going into the final lap, Brendan Canty (Cannondale-Drapac) led solo, with Durbridge just behind and a small chase group trailing him. Coming off of Mount Buninyong it was clear that a 14-man group including Simon Gerrans would fight it out.
Within 1500-metres of the line, BMC’s new addition Miles Scotson attacked and held off Simon Gerrans and Nathan Haas for the dramatic surprise win.
The green & gold smile of the 2017 national champ @MilesScotson #RoadNats #aussiecycling @visitballarat pic.twitter.com/mzorqjVdvq
— Cycling Australia (@CyclingAus) January 8, 2017
2017 Road Cycling Champions
Australian Elite Women Time Trial: Katrin Garfoot
Australian Elite Men Time Trial: Rohan Dennis
New Zealand Elite Women Time Trial: Jaime Neilsen
New Zealand Elite Men Time Trial: Jack Bauer
Australian Elite Women Road Race: Katrin Garfoot
Australian Elite Men Road Race: Miles Scotson
New Zealand Elite Women Road Race: Rushlee Buchanan
New Zealand Elite Men Road Race: Joseph Cooper
Author information
Rob Sturney
Rob Sturney lived most of his life in British Columbia's Bulkley-Skeena region but currently admires the old Apollos and Nishikis of his fellow cyclists in Vancouver.
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