Appleton, Eaves win Santini Junior 19 National Road Series

03 Dec 2022 | 04:15 PMBy: Ryan Miu

Victoria’s Talia Appleton (99 Bikes Women's Academy) and Tasmania’s William Eaves (ARA Pro Racing Sushine Coast) have won the inaugural Santini Junior 19 National Road Series.

Launched this year by AusCycling, the series provides under-19 cyclists with their own national-level races, aiming to develop and unearth the next generation of talent.

The series began with the Tour of Gippsland in February, which Eaves won overall after a solo victory on stage one. The women’s tour was taken out by Isabelle Carnes ahead of Bronte Stewart, with Appleton finishing third after initially making the decisive breakaway on the opening stage.

Eaves doubled up by winning the second event of the series, the U19 Tour of the Tropics, along with two stages. A consistent Appleton finished second overall behind Lucinda Stewart, while also taking her own stage win in the individual time trial.

That left Appleton just 50 points behind Carnes before the final round, the Spirit of Tasmania Cycling Tour, which the juniors raced within the elite peloton.

Talia Appleton (99 Bikes) winner of the 2022 Santini Junior 19 National Road Series — *Talia Appleton during one of her many podium performances in 2022. (Photo: Con Chronis)*

The women’s tour saw a breakthrough performance by Mackenzie Coupland, who was able to rival elite talents such as Justine Barrow and Danielle De Francesco. Coupland won the under-19 race convincingly, but Appleton finished second after a strong climbing performance and an excellent criterium in Devonport, where she took the stage win. The Mansfield Mt Buller Cycle Club rider's consistency saw her leapfrog Carnes to secure the series win.

For Eaves, the men’s Spirit of Tasmania Cycling Tour was more of a formality, given he had a nearly unassailable 350-point lead beforehand. The young Tasmanian from City of Burnie Cycling Club finished in the front group on all three stages, and never outside the top four, to win the tour overall and claim a perfect hat-trick of general classification wins in the Santini Junior 19 National Road Series.

The results cap off outstanding seasons for both Appleton and Eaves, who also represented Australia at the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong.