Sprint or solo: Loxton delivers full range of results at Masters & Junior Nationals

Loxton’s exposed roads have delivered a wide-ranging suite of results on the first day of road racing at the 2024 AusCycling Masters & Junior Road National Championships.

Almost every possible scenario was ticked off the bingo card across the eight races: from big bunch sprints to solo breakaways, and everything in between.

Strong westerly gusts played their part as the junior riders, masters women 1-5 and masters men 1-2 tackled the windswept vineyard roads east of Loxton.

The exposed, rolling roads of Loxton.

There was immediate drama in the under-15 boys, which began with a mass pile-up in the opening kilometre. The race was neutralised, but for a few riders, it was already race over. Several more crashes peppered the early kilometres before the nerves settled down.

After 35km, the race came down to a mass sprint, with Luca Zucchiatti (Neo CC) powering home to take the national title.

The under-15 girls’ race also started chaotically with early crashes. But, like the boys’ race, it came back together for a bunch sprint that saw Queensland’s Ava Robbins (Balmoral CC) demonstrate her supremacy (pictured above).

After winning the time trial yesterday, Robbins today showed an outstanding sprint. Her acceleration was so dominant, she gapped the peloton and was timed two seconds ahead of the runner-up as she secured the road race-time trial double.

A bunch sprint decided the under-15 boys' race.

The under-17 boys’ race over 65km served up plenty of spice, with riders boldly going on the attack. On the undulating – but certainly not mountainous – terrain, it was going to be difficult to hold off a peloton of over 50 riders.

However, a handful of riders managed to escape, and Alastair Forsyth (Ballarat / Sebastopol CC) proved strongest of the lot. Forsyth soloed to a commanding victory, 23 seconds of South Australia’s Oliver Ward (Norwood CC), who in turn came in alone ahead of a chasing trio. The peloton finished four minutes behind.

In the under-17 girls’ race, it was a select group who shared the spoils. Nine riders navigated themselves to the front of the race and established a gap of two minutes to the next chasers.

In the reduced sprint, New South Wales’ Lucy Allen (Illawarra CC) finished fastest, beating last year’s under-15 champion Sienna Monteith into second.

The first of the masters road races took place in the afternoon, starting with the women’s 1-3 and 4-5 events.

The former saw yesterday’s masters 2 time trial champion Kim Pedersen (Canberra CC) lay down another impressive performance, soloing to back-to-back victories. Tania Launder (Jindabyne CC) also crossed the line solo to claim the women’s 3 title.

Kim Pedersen proved yesterday's time trial was no fluke.

The women’s 4-5 race, by contrast, finished in a sprint where Nicky Rolls (Manly Warringah CC) was too strong for her competitors in the masters 4 category. Her geographical neighbour Lucy Robinson (Northern Sydney CC) took the masters 5 title in the sprint.

The masters men rounded out the second day of these championships. Brent Tomlinson (Masters 1) and Steve Flack (Masters 2) took home twin titles for the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club, both prevailing in small bunch sprints.

Competition continues tomorrow at the AusCycling Masters & Junior Road National Championships with the balance of the masters road races.

Medal winners – Road Race

U15 Boys

1. Luca ZUCCHIATTI (Neo CC)
2. Jack PANOZZO (Carnegie Caulfield CC)
3. Luka COLLINS (Southern Cross CC)

U15 Girls

1. Ava ROBBINS (Balmoral CC)
2. Nicola MORRIS (Brunswick CC)
3. Isla SHAW (Shepparton CC)

U17 Boys

1. Alistair FORSYTH (Ballarat / Sebastopol CC)
2. Oliver WARD (Norwood CC)
3. Monty MANION (Mersey Valley Devonport CC)

U17 Girls

1. Lucy ALLEN (Illawarra CC)
2. Sienna MONTEITH (Balmoral CC)
3. Elsie APPS (Goulburn CC)

Women Masters 2

1. Kim PEDERSEN (Canberra CC)
2. Ula CHRABASZCZ (Carnegie Caulfield CC)
3. Samantha BRADBURY (Saint Kilda CC)

Women Masters 3

1. Tania LAUNDER (Jindabyne CC)
2. Shannon APPS (Goulburn CC)
3. Samantha FLOCKHART (South Perth CC)

Women Masters 4

1. Lucy ROBINSON (Northern Sydney CC)
2. Severine ROMAN (St Kilda CC)
3. Heidi HUNT (Sutherland shire CC)

Women Masters 5

1. Nicky ROLLS (Manly Warringah CC)
2. Peta BRILL (Vikings CC)
3. Jo BOULTON (Peel District CC)

Men Masters 1

1. Brent TOMLINSON (Carnegie Caulfield CC)
2. Shaun O'CALLAGHAN (Norwood CC)
3. Adam VAN STOKROM (Carnegie Caulfield CC)

Men Masters 2

1. Steve FLACK (Carnegie Caulfield CC)
2. Daryl MARGRATE (Norwood CC)
3. James BARTLETT (University of Queensland CC)

Photos: James Raison