Josie Talbot claims memorable Oceania Road Race Championship crown 

Josie Talbot (Sydney Uni-Staminade) has claimed a breakthrough win at the 2022 Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane Oceania Road Race Championships and AusCycling National Road Series (NRS) stop, sprinting to victory from a select group of six ahead of Danielle De Francesco (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) and Amber Pate (InForm TMX MAKE).

Talbot hung tough over two ascents of Mount Coot-tha to arrive at the Brisbane Showgrounds finish line in prime position to unleash a powerful final kick in the same fashion as she did during Friday night’s King St King It Criterium.

The win was an emotional and monumental moment for the 25-year-old from Wollongong, who continues her return to the pointy end of Australia’s domestic cycling scene after a quiet two years.

“I really targeted this race so I’m just super happy that all the hard work has paid off and that I came away with the win,” Talbot said.

“Two laps of Mount Coot-tha definitely zaps the legs a bit but it’s still a really fast, downhill sprint so I learnt from the crit on Friday night and went a bit earlier and held on for the win.”

West Australian Brady Gilmore’s runner-up finish in the elite men’s race handed the Cycling Development Foundation rider the under-23 men’s Oceania Road Race Championship.

Gilmore capitalised on the final twisty kilometre of the Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane course, punching away from a reduced peloton containing 29 riders with race winner James Fouche (Bolton Equities Black Spoke Pro Cycling/NZ) to earn a deserved spot on the top step of the podium.

The win is a first for Gilmore, who has only been racing a bike for two years after coming across from motocross.

The 20-year-old had shown glimpses of talent at the Santos Festival of Cycling earlier this year, bridging across to the breakaway on his lonesome during Stage 1, and impressing at #RoadNats22 with a 12th in the road race and sixth in the individual time trial.

In the under-19 categories, Belinda Bailey (StepFWD Soomom) was too strong in the women’s taking the title ahead of Bronte Stewart (Sydney Uni-Staminade) and Mackenzie Coupland (Cycling Development Foundation), while it was a Canberra one-two battle for the men’s title, with Oscar Chamberlain (CCS Cycling) overcoming Australian under-19 national road race champion Cameron Rogers (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) for gold.

Para-cycling titles won by Australians went to Darren Hicks (C2), Kyle Willis (C3), Alex Welsh (H3), Grant Allen (H4), Stuart Tripp (H5), Andrew Bannister (T2) and Kevin O’Meley (Tandem), Kaitlyn Schurmann (C1), Amanda Reid (C2), Paige Greco (C3), Meg Lemon (C4), Lauren Parker (H3), Carol Cooke (T2) and Candice Kennedy (Tandem).

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Pictures: Alex Polizzi and Tour de Brisbane

The 2022 Oceania Road Race Championships is part of the inaugural combined Oceania Championships hosted by the Oceania Cycling Confederation, AusCycling, Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Economic Development Agency as part of the Brisbane Cycling Festival presented by King St.