Perth is set to roar again as the 2026 AusCycling Road National Championships return to Western Australia from January 7-11.
Building on the tremendous success of the event’s move from former mainstay Victoria this year, the nation’s best cyclists will compete on the same courses for the elite men’s and women’s time trial, criterium, and road race.
Six-time national champion Luke Plapp is set to return in peak shape for what he hopes will be a dominant start to the new cycling season. The Victorian all-rounder successfully defended his elite men’s time trial crown at the Perth High Performance Centre this year, having won all his previous titles in Buninyong.
“I’ll definitely be back to try and defend the title,” Plapp said. “It’s different to Buninyong, you don’t have a familiar race that you’ve grown up watching, and where I had so much success, but Perth was super special. The way the town got around it, and to race in the middle of the city is pretty amazing.
“Before the race this year I was a little bit disappointed and probably thought the course wasn’t as good for me. And then we got there, and it was completely different to what everyone thought on paper. So, I’m really looking forward to it again. It’s always something I’m going to target.”
Plapp sacrificed his own chance to make history and win a record fourth-straight gold medal in the ensuing elite men’s road race, putting sportsmanship before competition to ensure Jayco Alula teammate Luke Durbridge secured an emotional and hard-fought victory in his hometown.
The duo competed together at the Tour de France in July, wearing the green and gold jersey awarded to national champions on the sport’s biggest stage.
“It was so special, like really, really special. To have Durbo in the jersey every day on the front was really nice,” said Plapp. “And I was so proud to be able to have that jersey riding the TT and giving it a crack.”
Perth will host the AusCycling Road National Championships until 2027 - in partnership with the WA Government, through Tourism WA, plus the City of Perth. The 2025 event generated $9.4 million for the WA economy with 50,000 fans attending.
AusCycling CEO Marne Fechner says the five-day festival will engage not only the country’s best cyclists but the broader community as well, with a mass participation ride and the Steadyrack Gran Fondo National Championships also on the agenda.
“The 2025 AusCycling Road National Championships in Perth, Western Australia exceeded expectations - the location, atmosphere and brilliant racing captured the imagination of fans and riders alike. We look forward to building on this in 2026,” Fechner said.
The 2026 titles will open with time trials at the Perth High Performance Centre from January 7-8. On January 9, the criteriums at Northbridge will transform city streets into a high-speed battleground, before the finale on January 10-11, when the elite road races and Gran Fondo will sweep through Kings Park and the CBD.
Fans can expect food trucks, bike expos, live music and community events alongside the packed racing schedule.
For more information visit https://roadnationals.org.au/.
2026 AusCycling Road National Championships Event Schedule
7-8 January – Time trials at Perth High Performance Centre
9 January – Criteriums at Northbridge
10-11 January – Road races, Gran Fondo at Kings Park and Perth CBD