Gravel racing prizes aren’t exactly known for being conventional and Tasmania’s Devils Cardigan is no exception. Forget the shiny trophy with the name of the latest victor proudly engraved on a plaque, that won't keep you warm as the post-race celebrations rage on through the cold Tasmanian winter's night – the wooly cardigan with the name of each winner sewn on it will and the sack of potatoes the rider on the top step of the podium gets will help fuel many more rides.
Still, a second year of hosting the Australian Gravel National Championships means the unconventional prizes will again be accompanied by one of the most traditional and coveted of awards across the disciplines of cycling, the title of national champion
It should be a particularly hard-fought battle at the race in the north-east pocket of the island state this year to see who gets to ride in green and gold jersey long after the cardigan has been stashed in mothballs and the potatoes have been mashed, fried or roasted. Both last year’s winners, Connor Sens and Justine Barrow, will be on the line in Derby again this Saturday, along with a stream of other riders returning from gravel racing in the United States, including 2022 men’s Australian title winner Brendan Johnston.
“We’ve got just such a strong field, so we just want to see them hammer each other with no mechanicals,” Devils Cardigan organiser Gareth Sutcliffe told Cyclingnews, adding that given it was the second year the national title is being awarded at the race conditions were now much more of a known quantity for many.
The challenges of the near 90% gravel course of 106 kilometre with 2,300 metres of vertical gain caught some off guard in 2023 and ill-timed flats ruined the chances of a number of contenders.
“There are a lot of people in that pointy end that learnt a lot about tyre choice so I’m hoping that a lot of those gun riders have learnt from last year’s experience which just means less mechanicals, better rubber choice and it brings it right back down to pure racing,” said Sutcliffe.
Gone is any hint of the era where gravel was such a new discipline that there was every chance it may be a thin field of top-level contenders, with riders from one of the earliest nation's to embrace a formal championship race in the discipline all to aware of the prestige it delivers and opportunities it can help deliver.
The depth of the fields continues to grow, as top multi-discipline riders battle it out alongside the new wave of gravel specialists that are making their mark in both Australia and beyond.
No easy pickings
Alongside riders like defending champions Sens and Barrow plus 2022 title-holder Johnston, who all raced Unbound, there are a number of other riders returning from recent racing blocks in the United States that will be on the start line.
They include a strong contender in Courtney Sherwell, who has not only swept up an impressive list of Australian gravel victories – including the Dirty Warrny, Beechworth UCI Gravel World Series round and Sutton Grange Gravel – but also a couple of runner-up spots at the Belgian Waffle Ride that helped her net second overall in the Tripel Crown. The rider from Bendigo also earlier this year claimed the national title at the Australian Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships.
Sherwell may be one of the top favourites alongside defending champion Barrow –who last month claimed victory at both the SEVEN UCI Gravel World Series round in Nannup Western Australia and Gravel Locos in the United States – but there are plenty of others that could also mount a challenge. They include Western Australian Cassia Boglio, who claimed victory at the Life Time Sea Otter Classic and came second to Barrow at SEVEN. Ella Bloor and Izzy Flint, who was second to Sherwell at the marathon national championships, could also make a mark.
Sens will also have his work cut out for him as the rider from Bendigo attempts to defend his title in the men's race. Johnston is among the biggest challengers, with the Canberran now building gravel momentum as he settles into his second season of the Life Time Grand Prix, where he finished seventh last year and is currently sitting fifth on the leaderboard. Johnston has had a strong start to the season, also sweeping up victory at the Nannup Gravel World Series event and claiming a sixth marathon national title on the mountain bike.
Then there is a long list of other potential rivals, from the 2022 Devils Cardigan winner Tasman Nankervis, who won the first edition of RADL GRVL in January, to Adam Blazevic who burst onto the gravel scene with multiple UCI Gravel World Series race wins in 2022 and Sutton Grange Gravel winner Mark O'Brien who also claimed the prestigious Melbourne to Warrnambool on the road this year.
Last year's second placed rider Alex Lack has also clearly demonstrated what a threat he can be on this course, as did third-placed Scott Bowden. Add to that Tali Lane-Welsh, who was second at Sutton Grange and on the mountain bike won the Otway Odyssey. The list grows even longer with former WorldTour road racer Nathan Earle who now races for JCL Team UKYO and won Devils Cardigan in 2021, cyclocross national champion Chris Aitken and mountain bike XCO national champion Cameron Ivory.
The array accomplished riders from across the disciplines may make it hard to pick a winner but the depth of the field and course conditions mean that it should certainly be a hard-fought and quick edition of the race.
“The course is running probably the fastest it has ever been with the dry run-up that we have had, so the champagne gravel is definitely sparkling," said Sutcliffe. "But we still haven’t lost our chunky sections so you can’t just rest on your laurels and think that you can just blast away at pace – you have still got to have your wits about you.”
