‘I used to hate Lycra’: Now, these Perth cyclists are thrilled to welcome Road Nationals

The national championships’ move west has captured the imagination of the Perth cycling community.

Just ask Jasmin ‘JZ’ Zoranjic and Maya Zoranjic, a husband-and-wife duo who have signed up for the gran fondo at the AusCycling Road National Championships this January.

After immigrating from Europe − Maya was a refugee from the former Yugoslavia − the Zoranjics have called Perth home for two decades. It’s been almost as long since the Nationals were held anywhere outside Victoria.

“We’re really proud that we’ve got it for the next three years,” JZ said in an interview with AusCycling.

“It’s something we’d been looking forward to having in the near future, but this was a lot quicker. No-one expected it, to be honest. So, we’re very glad it’s coming here.

“When you think about the last 10 years, a lot of GC riders, big names in cycling, the last few national champions – except Luke Plapp in the last three years – were coming from WA: Michael Freiberg, Luke Durbridge, Ben O’Connor, Jai Hindley, the Meyer brothers.

“We had [2017 criterium national champion] Jess Allen. We had so many good riders when you consider our very small cycling pool in WA.

“So, getting the Nationals here, it means a lot to pretty much everyone in our cycling community here. Everyone’s excited.”

Of the two, JZ was the first to buy a bike. Originally, it was just for commuting. He then joined a local group ride, got fitter, and started dabbling in racing – much to Maya’s bemusement.

“I was one of these people who hate Lycra, you know?” Maya recalled. “He would come home from a 100km bike ride. I would look at him like, ‘What crazy person rides 100k’s?’”

Maya (far left) wasn't always so keen on bike riding. (Patrick Boeré)

But Maya warmed to the sport in 2017 when she photographed the Tour of Margaret River, a longstanding race on the WA calendar. There, she was inspired by the riders on the other side of her camera.

“It was beautiful to see through the lens, especially at the Tour of Margaret River, many different people, different ages, gender, different sizes of people: skinny, big people,” Maya said.

“I was like, ‘Wow – I can do this.’ Yes, it takes lots of work and dedication to do it, but it’s just amazing to see.

“Especially for me as a woman, to see other women, much older than me, much bigger than me, doing so well on a Tour. Three days, full-on riding, each day we do nearly 100k’s. I was just mesmerised.”

Soon, Maya had her first bike, complete with clipless pedals (“I fell so many times, so many bruises!” she laughs).

Despite juggling busy jobs and raising two children, the Zoranjics have managed to compete in all corners of the country, chasing big events like the Tour de Brisbane and Amy’s Gran Fondo. They even qualified for the gran fondo world championships last year, but Maya fell sick and couldn’t make the trip to Scotland.

Finishers of the 2022 Tour of Margaret River, where, back in 2017, Maya was inspired to start cycling.

They commute together into the CBD every day, riding 22km each way along some of Perth’s excellent bike paths.

“Literally, we could go out for a 100k bike ride, five hours; we won’t talk one word to each other. He will be in front, and I will be at the back calling ‘car back’ and ‘truck back’.

“Even though we don’t talk, it’s nice doing the same [thing], you know?”

The Zoranjics couldn’t be more thrilled about RoadNats arriving at their doorstep.

They say Perth locals are flocking to participate, especially in the Steadyrack Gran Fondo National Championships and the team time trial. Many new riders are joining the fun, including those who’ve never dreamt of racing.

The gran fondo challenges hundreds of amateur cyclists to ride the Nationals course. (Josh Chadwick)

“We’ve been bringing all these older women, [saying] ‘Come on, let’s join.’ It’s nice to see that so many women are starting to cycle at older ages, not just young ones,” Maya said.

“At work, a lady – yes, she cycles every day – but she’s going to join the masters team time trial. She was like, ‘I didn’t plan [to], but they talked me into it.’

“I said, ‘Yes, go for it!’

“It’s nice to see people who just do group rides, who never thought to do these little competitions that Nationals brings – people are joining in because they want to be part of it.

“Half of our friends have taken time off. We have [taken] the whole week: to be there and support and watch it.”

They think visitors will be surprised by the road course, which uses the same circuit they will be riding in the gran fondo.

“The course has two pinchy drags that are not too bad,” JZ said, “but it has one very steep section of maybe 400 metres [St Georges Terrace, Maya clarifies], and it’s about 13 to 15 per cent, I think. It’s very steep and open, exposed to heat.

“The course is going to be fairly fast. It’s very technical, coming off Kings Park into Mounts Bay Road and going into the city, there are a few twisting corners around the roundabouts.

“For the gran fondo, it’s going to be a thousand metres [of elevation] over 80 kilometres, which is quite a lot.”

While others will be gunning for the podium, the Zoranjics are keeping their goals modest.

“I’m 40 to 44, and my age group is massive and it’s fairly strong,” JZ said. “I’ll just try to be top-middle, if I can. I’m a slightly bigger rider; I can climb but not that good. I’m going to try to aim to finish just over two hours, maybe 2:20.”

For Maya, it’s much more straightforward: “Just hang on!”

No matter the result, the Zoranjics and the rest of Perth are keen to welcome Australian road cycling this summer.

“We’re looking forward to seeing so many amateur and pro riders coming from all over the country and spending two or three weeks here,” JZ said.

To sign up for the Steadyrack Gran Fondo National Championships, click here.