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2 national championships, 3 decades apart: meet Ryan and Lily Suckling
She’s the 5th generation of a cycling family. He raced the last Road Nationals in Perth. Their next challenge awaits, and they'll do it together.
Nov 27, 2024
Almost 30 years after he raced a national championships at home, Perth's Ryan Suckling is relishing the opportunity to line up alongside his 15-year-old daughter.
Ryan and Lily Suckling will ride the Steadyrack Gran Fondo National Championships this January, an 80-kilometre recreational event on the same course as the elite road races.
And, while Lily will attend the 2025 AusCycling Road National Championships with an eye on the future – she dreams of turning pro one day – for Ryan, the event brings back sweet memories of the past.
Lily representing WA at the junior national championships. (James Raison)
“I was state champion and actually competed at the Nationals in Perth in 1997, when we used a very similar circuit to what you’re using in January,” Ryan tells AusCycling.
“That certainly had a bit of nostalgia attached to it, so that really got my interest piquing.
“I was top 20, so I did okay. I was with the winner trying to bridge across to the breakaway at the time. That was Jonathan Hall. He won the race; he blew my doors off. I couldn’t stay with him, so I went back to what ended up being in the second bunch.”
While Ryan’s competitive days might be behind him, Lily is just getting started as the fifth generation in a family of legendary West Australian cyclists.
Her lineage traces through Ryan; grandfather Gary; great-grandfather Owen; back to her great-great-grandfather, Allan Suckling. Her mother and Ryan’s wife, Sharon, was also an elite cyclist. So, it’s fair to say the sport runs in her blood.
“I’ve grown up around cycling, so I instantly took an interest,” Lily says. “I would say I started using training wheels when I was around three. My love for cycling just grew from there.”
A young Ryan Suckling with his father Gary and grandfather Owen.
In some ways, the Gran Fondo will be a dress rehearsal for Lily, who races with the X-Speed Australia Cycling Club. Perth will also host the Nationals in 2026 and 2027, when she will be eligible for the under-19 races.
But right now, her goals are modest. Ryan says the aim is just to complete the distance.
“It’s a long ride for Lily – she’s literally only just turned 15 – so that opportunity to ride for 80 to 85 kilometres in a racing environment will be pretty tough,” Ryan says.
“If she can do the best ride she can and finish, I’ll be really happy.”
Lily has other ideas: “My goal is to probably to beat my dad,” she says with a wide grin. “You know, have a nice little sprint finish, destroy him up the hills. I think that will be my aim: get rid of him!”
The Gran Fondo will be a rare chance for father and daughter to ride an event together.
For Ryan, experiencing the Gran Fondo with his daughter will be special.
“I remember when I was a kid, we had three generations racing at once. I got to race with my granddad and my dad in the same race,” Ryan says.
“It’s pretty hard to duplicate that, but this opportunity now is the next best thing. For me, it means I can pass something on to my daughter and it’s something I’ll get to share with her, and I’ll never forget it.”
After the Fondo, they will stick around with their family to cheer on today's Aussie cycling heroes.
“As a spectator of the road race, I’m really excited to pick up on the tactics the cyclists use,” Lily says. “I think it will be a big learning opportunity for me.
“I’m really pumped, thrilled, excited, all of the above!”