Georgie Howe wins Oceania Championship as Australia claims 21 time trial titles

Photos: Mr Smith Photography

Former rower Georgie Howe has continued her outstanding season by winning the Elite Women’s Oceania Road Time Trial Championship in Ipswich on Saturday.

The Victorian from Knights of Suburbia Racing covered the 24.9-kilometre course in 32 minutes and 49 seconds, comfortably beating silver medallist Amber Pate by over a minute. Evergreen masters cyclist Anna Davis took bronze to complete the Aussie trifecta.

It’s Howe’s latest and biggest success in a breakout year, adding to her maiden National Road Series victories at the Tour of Gippsland, an aggressive performance at the Santos Festival of Cycling and fourth place in the AusCycling Time Trial National Championships.

The road time trial was one of the last events of the inaugural combined Oceania Championships, part of the Brisbane Cycling Festival.

It was held on a predominantly flat, out-and-back course starting in Rosewood, a town in the Ipswich area south-west of Brisbane.

In the Elite Men’s race, Aaron Gate (New Zealand) carried his track cycling form onto the road, adding the time trial title to the five Oceania jerseys he earned at Anna Meares Velodrome last week.

Gate and Thomas Sexton led a New Zealand one-two, with former Australian road race champion Michael Freiberg taking the bronze.

Tasmania’s Anya Louw won the Under-23 Women Oceania Time Trial Championship. (Photo: Mr Smith Photography)

In the under-23 time trial, reigning Australian champion Anya Louw added the continental title to her growing list of achievements, while Alyssa Polites took bronze. Dylan George was the best of Australia’s under-23 men, taking silver behind New Zeland’s Logan Currie.

The junior podiums were an all-Australian affair, led by Under-19 Tour of Gippsland winners William Eaves and Isabelle Carnes – both of whom will head to Belgium next month with AusCycling’s European development camp.

South Australia’s Candice Kennedy took the women’s tandem title. (Photo: Mr Smith Photography)

Australia’s para-cyclists claimed 17 out of 18 Oceania Road Time Trial Championships on offer.

Tokyo Paralympians Darren Hicks (C2), Alistair Donohoe (C5), Grant Allen (H4), Stuart Tripp (H5), Stuart Jones (T2), Amanda Reid (C2), Paige Greco (C3), Emily Petricola (C4) and Carol Cooke (T2) all took gold medals.

Kevin O’Meley and Candice Kennedy won their respective tandem categories.

Kyle Willis (C3), Luke Taylor (C4), Rhys Tappenden (H2), Alex Welsh (H3), Kaitlyn Schurmann (C1) and Lauren Parker (H3) also won continental titles.

2022 Oceania Road Time Trial Medallists

Elite Men

GOLD: Aaron Gate (New Zealand)
SILVER: Tom Sexton (New Zealand)
BRONZE: Michael Freiberg (Australia)

Elite Women

GOLD: Georgie Howe (Australia)
SILVER: Amber Pate (Australia)
BRONZE: Anna Davis (Australia)

Under 23 Men

GOLD: Logan Currie (New Zealand)
SILVER: Dylan George (Australia)
BRONZE: Keegan Hornblow (New Zealand)

Under 23 Women

GOLD: Anya Louw (Australia)
SILVER: Kimberly Cadzow (New Zealand)
BRONZE: Alyssa Polites (Australia)

Under 19 Men

GOLD: William Eaves (Australia)
SILVER: Tyler Tomkinson (Australia)
BRONZE: Oscar Chamberlain (Australia)

Under 19 Women

GOLD: Isabelle Carnes (Australia)
SILVER: Sophie Marr (Australia)
BRONZE: Bronte Stewart (Australia)

Para-cycling

Men C2: Darren Hicks (Australia)
Men C3: Kyle Willis (Australia)
Men C4: Luke Taylor (Australia)
Men C5: Alistair Donohoe (Australia)
Men H2: Rhys Tappenden (Australia)
Men H3: Alex Welsh (Australia)
Men H4: Grant Allen (Australia)
Men H5: Stuart Tripp (Australia)
Men T2: Stuart Jones (Australia)
Men Tandem: Kevin O’Meley (Australia)

Women C1: Kaitlyn Schurmann (Australia)
Women C2: Amanda Reid (Australia)
Women C3: Paige Greco (Australia)
Women C4: Emily Petricola (Australia)
Women C5: Nicole Murray (New Zealand)
Women H3: Lauren Parker (Australia)
Women T2: Carol Cooke (Australia)
Women Tandem: Candice Kennedy (Australia)

Click for full results.