So should the Australian cycling titles be held in different parts of the country each year? I had not considered such an idea, due to the successful event that Ballarat puts on annually, but a tweet from Mark Renshaw before the race on Sunday got me thinking.
The Dimension Data rider tweeted, “Australian Road Race titles today in Buninyong (again) still hoping that CyclingAus will move it to a different course for different riders”.
Leigh Howard reciprocated those thoughts, when he tweeted, “Don’t get me wrong, love this circuit and the atmosphere it gives but just something to mix it up once in a while.”
While you don’t want to have a race similar each year, the course at Mount Buninyong over the past four years has offered three distinctly different ways of winning the race. This race is as exciting as any other classic we see throughout the year because of that factor.
The Australian champion should be the most versatile of riders, not one with one particular strength. Hence why the current course is absolutely perfect to host this race.
This race is so exciting and a true all-round test of a rider’s ability.
In 2013, it was won by Luke Durbridge, who placed himself in the breakaway and rode away from his companions in the final few laps to solo to victory, whereas in 2014, it was taken out by Simon Gerrans, who won in a three-up sprint between himself, Cadel Evans and Richie Porte, after battling it out over the slopes of Mount Buninyong before the leading trio coming back together for the finale.
Then last year Orica-GreenEDGE failed to win the title for the first time in their short history, with punchy sprinter Heinrich Haussler taking out the win in front of Caleb Ewan in a small group sprint finish. In the leading group of six that contested the final sprint, there were three frontline sprinters, in Haussler, Samuel Spokes and Ewan.
Let’s not forget only yesterday Jack Bobridge going a step further than the solo win of Durbridge in 2013 in getting in the opening break, but attacking early with Bernard Sulzberger and then going solo for the final 100 kilometres to win.
From these examples, clearly this race provides for all different types of riders, except for the real flatland sprinters. Having said this, it is not usually the course that creates the different types of finishes, but the way the teams use the course that creates the race.
Orica consistently look to make the race hard to isolate the pure sprinters, so that a rider like Gerrans can do what he did in 2014 and win from a small group. That is the ideal strategy for them.
If they didn’t have Gerrans as they did in 2015, the race would be raced differently to suit a different style of rider.
Sunday as well, Orica committed to late to the chase, and they got rightly punished.
The course and the tactics make the race, the riders need to be able to adapt to it. Yes it is a difficult course, but as shown by the 2015 race result, sprinters have won here in the past.
I feel sorry for Renshaw that the race is not for the ‘pure sprinters’ every couple of years, but quite frankly, the fans want to see exciting racing. Australian cycling is producing some of the best riders over hilly terrain, of course that is the way the course is going to be suited.
A flat national championship course would be a big loss for Australian cycling. It would take away the excitement of the event, for both the national and international viewer.
It’s a fair question to ask from Renshaw and one that deserves discussion, but due to the excitement that the current course provides for many different types of riders I would not want it changed.
Having said that, if you can find a circuit that produces better racing that the current loop around Mount Buninyong, then it would be a pretty special piece of road.
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