Young talents, top masters ready for National Championships in Loxton

There’s every chance a future Olympic cyclist will be in Loxton this week when the South Australian town hosts the 2024 AusCycling Masters and Junior Road National Championships.

Australia’s best under-15, under-17 and masters-aged cyclists are heading to the Riverland to contest four days of racing from Thursday through Sunday.

Riders from all around the country, spanning from Perth to Launceston to the Sunshine Coast, will compete for the national titles in their age groups across three disciplines.

On Thursday, the individual time trials will be held on an out-and-back course along Taplan Road to the south-east of Loxton.

Friday and Saturday will see the road races contested on a flat, exposed circuit among the vineyards in Loxton’s east.

For local spectators, the highlight will be Sunday’s criterium races in the centre of town. They’ll be held on a challenging circuit along Loxton’s main street, East Terrace, where the finish line will be on top of a steep climb.

The junior championships will showcase Australia’s next generation of cycling talent. Past winners of the event include Paris Olympic track cyclists Maeve Plouffe and Chloe Moran, Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley, and Aussie sprint sensation Caleb Ewan.

“These are the junior riders who, six to eight years from now, we hope to see in the Grand Tours and the Olympics,” said Jeff Corbett, AusCycling’s head of road events.

“This is the generation for the Brisbane Olympics. There’s a very good chance that somebody, maybe more than one person on the start line in Loxton will be on the start line at Brisbane 2032.”

Corbett said the masters championships were a highlight of the amateur cycling calendar.

“Masters racers make up the core of AusCycling’s membership,” Corbett said. “They help run the clubs, coach the juniors, and put on events. This is the week to celebrate their racing when they spend so many other weekends of the year putting on races.”

Masters men cyclists competing in a criterium national championship in Shepparton in 2023

Masters riders will compete in their age categories starting from 30–34 years all the way up to 75 and above. In total, 64 champion’s jerseys are expected to be awarded this week.

Corbett says he expects Sunday’s criteriums to be especially dynamic. The races will feature repeated ascents of a leg-sapping hill dubbed the ‘Loxton Kicker’, a 430-metre climb that will present a formidable obstacle to competitors.

“There are so many criteriums that are just flat, four corners, and boring. When you take a criterium and turn it on its head with something – either making it super technical or giving it some elevation – it creates something unique that people don’t get to race every day,” Corbett said.

Trevor Norton, Mayor of the District Council of Loxton Waikerie, said, “Council is very much excited to be welcoming the AusCycling Juniors and Masters event to our district. We have an extremely sport- and active-minded community, and so the championships being held here in Loxton is pretty special.

“Economically, events like these are great for the town where so much of our business sector is made up of small business owners that will definitely appreciate the extra support from visitors and locals that are out and about to watch the cycling.

“Hosting the AusCycling championships is quite a milestone for a town in the Riverland, one that we hope will open up even more doors for our community.”

A junior men's cyclist in the individual time trial riding for South Australia

Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison said it is exciting to think a future Olympic star will take to the streets of Loxton this week as part of the 2024 AusCycling Masters and Junior Road National Championships.

“I’d like to welcome the country’s best junior and master cyclists and their teams to our beautiful Riverland, which will provide stunning scenes for both athletes and spectators alike,” Minister Bettison said.

“It is fantastic to be hosting these national competitions in the Riverland, as the athletes, teams and fans will help drive dollars into local businesses and shine a spotlight on why the Murray River region is a must-visit destination.”

Six local riders from Riverland Cycling Club will be in action: Jarred Lawrie and Jenson Sheene in the junior races, joined by Clint Bambrick, Lee Stevens, Angelo Ylia and Wayne Champion in the masters events.

Preliminary entry lists can be found here:

Final start lists and results will be available at https://results.auscycling.org.au/.

Photos: Jean-Pierre Ronco