10 key riders at the 2025 AusCycling Road National Championships

Each summer, the AusCycling Road National Championships bring the best of Aussie cycling into one place.

Over five days in January, homegrown heroes return from Europe to race with the best of the domestic peloton.

With the coveted green-and-gold jersey on the line, our top cyclists will arrive in Perth with all guns blazing. The new venue and new courses make this year’s Road Nationals unpredictable – but the cream, as always, will rise to the top.

We’ve surveyed the start lists and chosen 10 key names to keep an eye on at this year’s Road Nationals, focusing on the elite road races in Kings Park and the Perth CBD.

These riders will shape the outcome of the Championships. They might not necessarily win the title themselves, but they will have a big say over who does, and the way in which the racing unfolds.

ELITE MEN

1. Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates – XRG)

We start with one of, if not the, top favourites for the men’s time trial.

Jay Vine surprised the nation in 2023 when he became the ITT champion, back when he was known as just a mountain goat.

Since joining the UAE squad, the Canberran has made huge strides against the clock. He’s now the most likely candidate to wrest the green-and-gold skinsuit from Luke Plapp’s shoulders.

In the road race, Vine will need to race smartly. He’ll be without teammates, on a course with less climbing than he’d like, and lacking a top-tier sprint. An attack from distance might be his best shot at victory, but his rivals will be alive to the danger.

2 & 3. Jai Hindley & Sam Welsford (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe)

This Perth duo will be ultra-motivated at their hometown national championships. Though small, their team of two has the make-up needed to light up the road race.

As one of Australia’s best climbers, Hindley’s attacking style can reap rewards on the punchy circuit. Admittedly, Perth is not the Dolomites and Malcolm Street is not the Marmolada, but the Giro champ has the skills to succeed.

Hindley has great synergy with Welsford, who’ll be the number-one sprinter on the start line. Perhaps, Hindley will get up the road while the Olympic gold medallist saves himself for the final few hundred metres. Or, maybe we’ll see Hindley sacrificing himself to set up a sprint.

Judging from his Strava, Welsford has been putting in plenty of miles on the Kings Park circuit and up the Malcolm Street climb. He’ll also be the favourite for Friday’s criterium in Northbridge.

4. Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla)

The four-peat is on the cards. Luke Plapp won the last three road race titles, but doing it in Perth will be a different proposition.

In Ballarat, on the slopes of Mount Buninyong, Plapp was able to outmuscle his opposition with sheer strength. In contrast, the shorter climbs of Perth will require a more tactical approach.

More than ever, Plapp will need to rely on his Jayco-AlUla teammates. While still the standout squad of the race, their reduced size of five riders (compared to eight in 2024, nine in 2023) makes GreenEDGE less intimidating than in recent editions. The Aussie WorldTour team will be motivated to keep the jersey, none more so than Luke Durbridge on home soil.

Plapp will also start the time trial as the favourite, alongside Jay Vine. The Victorian says his aim is to retain at least one set of green-and-gold bands, and few would bet against him.

5. Liam Walsh (CCACHE x BODYWRAP)

Continental team CCACHE x BODYWRAP has taken over the mantle as Australia’s premier domestic men’s squad. They will be travelling to Perth in numbers, keen to make an impact against the WorldTour hitters.

Their squad is loaded with talent. Look no further than Conor Leahy (Olympic gold medallist) and Cameron Scott (transferring from the Bahrain – Victorious professional team).

No doubt they will be active in the road race, doing their utmost to get into breakaways.

We’ve singled out former Oceania champion Liam Walsh as their key rider, noting his sixth-place result last year when he was with BridgeLane. With his track background, the 23-year-old Queenslander packs a fast finish.

Walsh was also fifth in the 2024 criterium. CCACHE have entered seven riders in the elite crit – more than twice that of any other team – giving themselves every chance of a big result in Northbridge.

ELITE WOMEN

6. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco)

In Perth, the defending champion finds a course that arguably suits her better than ever. Self-described as a “resilient sprinter”, Roseman-Gannon will love the Malcolm Street climb just before the finish line in Kings Park.

She won’t have it all her way, though, given the reduction in Liv AlUla Jayco’s firepower. She loses two key teammates in Alex Manly and Georgie Howe, leaving just Amber Pate and new signing Josie Talbot by her side (Georgia Baker has had a change of plans and won’t be racing Nationals).

Having said that, on this punchy terrain she’s still Australia’s best rider on paper – remember her incredible ride alongside Lotte Kopecky, Demi Vollering, etc at Worlds? It’s up to everyone else to attack her and her team.

7. Lauretta Hanson (Lidl – Trek)

Although Lidl Trek has three-time champion Amanda Spratt on its roster, we think Lauretta Hanson will be the team’s key rider at Road Nationals.

Why? Look at Hanson’s result in the road race last year, sprinting to silver behind Roseman-Gannon and ahead of Alex Manly.

The Perth course should be more suited to Hanson’s rouleur capabilities than Buninyong was, while Spratty would have preferred more elevation instead of less.

At 30 years of age, Hanson has spent the last few years proving herself as one of the pro peloton’s most faithful and reliable domestiques. Will the 2025 national championships be her chance to shine?

8. Alexandra Manly (AG Insurance – Soudal)

One of the biggest shake-ups on the Australian racing scene is the transfer of GreenEDGE stalwart Alexandra Manly to AG Insurance – Soudal.

At the 2024 Road Nationals, Manly was instrumental in Roseman-Gannon’s victories, yet she still picked up the bronze medal herself in both the road race and criterium.

This year, she’ll be able to play a one-two punch with Anya Louw on a course that suits her better than Buninyong. For proof, look to the Belgian classic De Brabantsje Pijl, where Manly finished third in 2024. The finish there – a sharp one-kilometre climb that flattens out at the top – bears an uncanny resemblance to the Kings Park circuit.

9. Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ)

You can guarantee that Brodie Chapman will take the fight to the women’s road race. The exciting Queenslander did it in 2023, attacking on the last lap of the national championships to solo to a famous win.

On a new squad with no teammates, she’ll have to play her cards astutely, saving energy for a big attack to get rid of the sprinter-types.

Don’t forget that earlier in the week, Chapman will be the top favourite to take the individual time trial crown from the retiring Grace Brown.

10. Sarah Roy (EF – Oatly – Cannondale)

The former national road champion found her winning ways again recently, picking up a stage victory at the Bretagne Ladies Tour from the breakaway.

With a new team for the year, and a Perth course that better suits her strong sprinting characteristics, the opportunity is there for the Sydneysider to shine.

Like Chapman, going in without teammates will make things difficult, but Roy has a few different cards to play. She could attack early, racing from the front as she did when she won in 2021. Or, she could back her sprint and go head-to-head against Manly and Roseman-Gannon on the final kick up to the line.

Photos: Con Chronis, Stu Baker, Craig Render, Josh Chadwick, Dario Belingheri (Getty Images)