2019 Cycling Australia Road National Championships Recap

The 2019 Cycling Australia Road National Championships were an incredible success for InForm TM Insight MAKE. Three gold medals and two silver medals across five days of racing was the perfect start to our 2019 campaign.

The under 23 men’s Criterium was our first race of the new season. The team rode the perfect team race, and the early work in the trenches was repaid by Jarrad Drizners who beat Kelland O’Brien in a two-man sprint for the green and gold jersey. In doing so, Drizners claimed our maiden National Championship. The performance set the standard for the rest of the championships.

“I was pretty nervous in the final sprint, to be honest, I didn’t really want to lead it out but I found myself on the front. I managed to pull it off which is just unreal,” Drizners said.

On Saturday morning, the Eddy brothers, Sam and Pat were first and second in the under 19 Road Race. An incredible tactical display, saw the brothers work over their rivals in the final two laps around the testing Mount Buninyong circuit. Pat Eddy came in solo ahead of a group of three riders, in which Sam torched the others for the silver medal.

“It couldn’t have gone any better when Pat let it rip on the last lap, it was just so fast. I was already on the rivet but after the climb, I could just sit back and wait for the sprint,” S.Eddy said.

A European start time of 3:50 pm saw the drop of the flag for the under 23 Men’s Road Race where we had a team of ten riders take to the start. The early stages of the race were riddled by crashes and mechanicals, which dented some of the InForm TM Insight MAKE riders chances for a shot at the finale of the race. In what was an incredible edition on the Men’s under 23 race, a group of three riders arrived at the finish just metres before what was left of a rampaging peloton. Jarrad Drizners hit out of the peloton with 500 metres to go, just falling short of a place on the podium, finishing in fifth place. First year under 23 riders Carter Turnbull and Rudy Porter finished 22nd and 24th respectively.

The blue-ribbon event, the Elite Men’s Road Race was held on Sunday afternoon. Nathan Elliott was the sole InForm TM Insight MAKE rider in the race and represented the jersey gallantly. Elliott made the major 30-man breakaway of the day and featured in the pointy end of the gruelling 185.6-kilometre test around Buninyong. In what was his best finish at the event, Elliott rolled in for 17th in a field that featured some of the best riders in the world.

In the under 19 Men’s Time Trial, Pat Eddy sliced through the field, adding the Time Trial crown to his Road Race win just a few days prior. P. Eddy won ahead of Harry Morgan by ten seconds, with Sam Eddy a further 30 seconds back in fifth.

“It feels incredible, I didn’t come here thinking I could do the under 19 Road Race and Time Trial double, but it’s a great feeling,” Pat Eddy said.

In his first race with InForm TM Insight MAKE, Luke Plapp finished second in his first under 23 Men's Time Trial. The 18-year-old had set the fastest time of the day and looked to be pulling on the green and gold. Liam Magennis had other ideas though, coming home like a runaway train to topple Plapp’s time by 20 seconds, shifting the two time Junior World Track Champion into the silver medal spot.

“I was really stoked, I knew I had set a super time but Liam is such a class act so it’s not a surprise to see he came in quicker than I did,” Plapp said after the finish.

Team director Pat Lane couldn’t have hoped for a better championships saying,

“It couldn’t have gone much better for us really. Plapp getting second in our last race of the Championships was a huge effort for a first year under 23.

“To see all the guys racing well together, having fun, and getting results at the same time, I couldn’t be happier.”

 A massive thanks to all the riders who contributed to these fantastic achievements at the National Championships over the past week. Also, a big mention goes out to all the staff who put in countless hours to help the riders achieve what they did. Pat, Linda, Alex, Chris, Matt, Brian and Cam, thanks for all your hard work in making this last week possible.