Eleven masters road race champions have been crowned on a windy Saturday at the AusCycling Junior & Masters Road National Championships in Wagga Wagga.
After yesterday’s junior and women’s races, 248 masters men tackled two laps of the 31-kilometre circuit in Wantabadgery.
A stiff south-westerly made for chilly temperatures when the older age groups rolled out in the morning.
For an unlucky few, the race was over before it begun – a crash in the neutral zone, barely 400 metres from the start, brought down one Masters 7–8 rider with a broken collarbone and at least one other with a broken spoke.
Despite a brave long-range move by Sean Hardy (St Kilda CC), the race ended in a reduced sprint of 10 riders, taken out by Wayne Sanchez (Sutherland Shire CC). Ross Bowles (Harlequin) finished near the front of the sprint, doing enough to defend his Masters 8 national title.
Ross Bowles, second from right, would win the MMAS8 title.
“With two kilometres to go, I wasn’t feeling very well, but the bunches came together and I just happened to be able to follow the right wheels,” Bowles said.
“I felt quite privileged last year to win. I didn’t expect it [today], the odds were against me, but I was very pleased.”
The Masters 9–10 race saw Wayne Hildred (Alpine CC) win a tough four-man sprint.
As the afternoon progressed, the stiff headwind on the final climb deterred attacks, bringing many races to a sprint finale.
Matthew Sparnon (Norwood CC) added to his time trial victory in the Masters 3–4 race, winning the bunch gallop by half a wheel over clubmate Russell van Hout. Parramatta’s Kevin Berkeley was third in the sprint, claiming the Masters 3 title.
Matthew Sparnon won the sprint, with Kevin Berkeley also taking a national title.
Despite the windy conditions, in the Masters 5 race, Steve Crispin (Canberra Cycling Club) took a surprise solo victory after escaping the peloton at the start of the second lap.
“It something that was very unexpected this year. I’ve had a bit of a rough preparation time, getting sick in the last month,” Crispin said.
“Certainly, on this course, looking at this profile, it’s not something that really suited me. I didn’t want it to come down to a bunch sprint, I wanted it to be a reduced group, and I just wanted to try and hold on to a top 10 from this group.”
Canberra's Steve Crispin had plenty of time to celebrate.
While the peloton marked the favourite Chris Ling (winner of the last seven national titles in his category), Crispin went clear. He put his head down to push through the wind, eventually winning by over two-and-a-half minutes.
“Fortunately, everyone watched him [Ling],” Crispin said, “And when I went away, I knew I had a bit of tailwind just to get a bit of a gap, and try to open up as much time as I possibly could on the rest, and try to hold on. Absolutely delighted, and a little surprised.”
David Evans (Eastern Suburbs CC) (pictured above) also took a classy solo victory, holding off a charging bunch by just 10 seconds in the Masters 6 race.
Garry Millburn can win on the road, not just on the CX course.
The last two races of the day were both decided in bunch sprints. Cyclo-cross veteran Garry Millburn (Alpine CC) timed his finish to perfection in Masters 2, while Western Australia’s Adrian Petersen (Swan Drafting CC) claimed the Masters 1 title.
The 2025 AusCycling Junior & Masters Road National Championships conclude tomorrow with the criteriums for all age categories at the Wagga Wagga Multisport Cycling Complex.
National Champions – Road Race
🥇 MMAS1: Adrian Petersen (Swan Drafting CC)
🥇 MMAS2: Garry Millburn (Alpine CC)
🥇 MMAS3: Kevin Berkeley (Parramatta CC)
🥇 MMAS4: Matthew Sparnon (Norwood CC)
🥇 MMAS5: Steve Crispin (Canberra CC)
🥇 MMAS6: David Evans (Eastern Suburbs CC)
🥇 MMAS7: Wayne Sanchez (Sutherland Shire CC)
🥇 MMAS8: Ross Bowles (Harlequin)
🥇 MMAS9: Wayne Hildred (Alpine CC)
🥇 MMAS10: Nigel Davies (Northern Vets CC)
🥇 MMAS11: Kevin Donovan (Sutherland Shire CC)
Photos: Con Chronis