Here is everything you need to know about whats on in Ballarat during the 2020 Federation University Road Nationals

2020 Federation University Road Nationals Community Schedule:

Wednesday 8th January - Holiday Bike Clinic
Get on your bike these school holidays!

The Federation University Road National Championships invite all young riders out there to come to this workshop on Wednesday 8 January. For $15 entry you can learn everything you need to know from expert riders so you can ride safely and with confidence around a special loop within Federation University.

The workshop will include:
Group ride with an expert cycling coach
Bike Skills Session
Bike Checks with expert Mechanics
Awesome kids’ activities
Heaps more!
So, make sure you’ve got your bike ready for a great day on two wheels!



Friday 10th January - Ballarat Coffee Ride
Get your ride in before the Elite Rider’s take over the middle of Ballarat on Friday 10 January!

This is your chance to sneak in a ride before the Friday Criteriums on Sturt Street take over town. Thanks to the Ballarat and Sebastapol Cycling Club, you’re invited to come on a bunch ride around the Ballarat area as part of the Federation University Road National Championships. It’s the perfect time to get out on the bike and get some k’s under the belt.

You’ll head off from Sturt Street, cruise a 50km loop around the area before coming back into town for a great breaky deal on the Criterium Course.  It’s the perfect way to get ready for the afternoons racing.

This FREE bunch ride will also get you discount entry into the Sturt St Hill Climb Challenge

Details:
Ride departs Sturt Street at 6am
Arrives back at Sturt Street at 8am for breakfast and coffee

Saturday 11th January - Buninyong Sprint
Here’s your chance to race down the finishing straight of the Federation University Road National Championship’s Road Race course on Saturday 11 January… And you don’t need a bike to do it!

Just bring your runners and a racing attitude and you could go home with some great prizes after completing the 1km dash.

Prizes will be available for category winners PLUS best dressed! So get ready to race!

Saturday 11th January - Buninyong Community Night
As part of the Federation University Road National Championships, there will be Buninyong Community Night held on Sunday 11 January at De Soza Park, providing a FREE evening of family activities including a twilight cinema!

It’s the perfect way to cap off a great Saturday of racing and continue the fun atmosphere of the Federation University Road National Championships.

Bring the whole family down and enjoy:
Twilight family friendly movie on the big screen
Live music
Food vendors
Face painting
Jumping Castle
Heaps more!
You can’t miss this great night for the whole family under the stars!

Sunday 12th January - Ballarat Champions Ride
Learn from the best on the famous Mt Buninyong Road Race course on Sunday 12 January with 3 laps of the iconic course.

The first lap you’ll learn all the ins and outs of attacking the ride; including where to attack, how to approach each corner and how to beat the climb.
The second and third lap, it’s over to you to put all that knowledge to the test and churn out two hot laps… Good luck!

The 2020 Federation University Road National Championships, officially launched at Federation University Australia campus in Ballarat today, will see Australia’s best under 19, under 23, elite, masters, club cyclists, para-cyclists and cyclists with an intellectual impairment battle for the coveted green and gold national champions jerseys in the criterium, road race and time trial.

​The Championships open on Wednesday night, with a community festival and revamped time trial course hosted at Federation University’s Mt Helen Campus. 

The new time trial course will allow spectators to get up and close to the action, whilst soaking in the summer evening with music, food trucks and family entertainment. 

In an Australian first, the course will also play host to the inaugural national championships for cyclists with an intellectual impairment. 

The return of the Friday night crit will kick-start the weekend’s festivities celebrating local produce in a carnival-like atmosphere with live entertainment. 

The iconic Mt Buninyong circuit will host an exciting weekend of road racing with Australia’s finest para-cyclists and future champions in the under 19 categories racing on Saturday, while Sunday will see Australia’s elite cyclists racing to see who will win the right to wear the green and gold jersey internationally in 2020.

Cycling Australia CEO Steve Drake welcomed the official launch and expressed thanks to Federation University on hosting the new time trial course.

“We’re excited to see the Championships kick off with the race against the clock - it’s going to be fantastic to see the rainbow bands of Rohan Dennis on display on the new time trial course. It is also incredibly exciting that we will have seven of our para-cyclists roll out in their rainbow jerseys.

“We extend our thanks to Federation University for hosting the new course, and cannot wait to see what the riders think of it next year.”

QUOTES

Quotes attributable to Ballarat Mayor, Cr Ben Taylor

“What a way to launch the City’s 2020 summer calendar of events with the Federation University Road National Championships, which continue to put Ballarat on a world stage.

The City of Ballarat is proud of its partnership with Cycling Australia and looks forward to welcoming the many thousands of visitors who travel to our region each year for this family-friendly event.”   

Quotes attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula

“With Tokyo 2020 now just months away, these races will help sort out our Olympic contenders.”

“Victoria is the home of cycling in Australia and the road national titles will be a huge boost to Ballarat, with riders and spectators descending from all corners come January.”

Quotes attributable to Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett

Professor Helen Bartlett, Vice-Chancellor and President of Federation University Australia, said the University was delighted to be the event’s naming rights sponsor for the third consecutive year.

“It is very gratifying that Federation University is now seen as such a major part of the entire Road Nats event,” 

“The Road Nats is an annual highlight for us and it allows the University to display our world-class reputation for sport science and our new Health and Sports Precinct.”

“On behalf of our staff and students, I wish the competitors the best of luck and invite all cycling fans to visit our Mt Helen campus, which will host the time trials for the first time this year.”

​Cycling Australia is excited to announce a new time trial course for the 2020 Federation University Road Nationals in Ballarat which will race through Federation University. 

The challenging and technical out and back course will start at Federation University, with riders to make their way out and back along Yankee Flat Road, before heading back through the more technical section of Federation University. 

The 2020 course will also provide a more spectator-friendly with the looped circuit to allow fans to catch a glimpse of their heroes multiple times across the circuit. 

Further announcements regarding courses, distances, additional racing and community events, and broadcast information will be announced over the coming months. 

​Cycling Australia CEO Steve Drake 
"Cycling Australia is very excited about the changes to the time trial course for 2020.
We are continually looking at how we can energise the Championships and create a better event for the athletes and spectators, and we think we’ve achieved that with this change."

Ballarat Mayor Cr Samantha McIntosh
"What a fantastic addition to the 2020 Federation University RoadNats!

We know from previous years that the RoadNats always ends with a bang, but this year things will certainly start building up right from the very first race.
Not only do we see the Time Trials move back to the traditional time slot to kick off the 2020 event, but the offering for spectators means crowds are in for the most exhilarating start to the event to-date.

The creation of a Village Hub at FedUni gives spectators an opportunity to see more laps from the cyclists, which we hope will draw in more viewers than ever before."

Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett
 
“This exciting new time trial course will bring the action to more spectators than ever before.”
 
“To start and finish at our Mt Helen campus will offer excellent vantage points to view the action.”
 
“We welcome cycling fans – and fans in general – to come and enjoy the time trials and stay for the rest of the championships.”
 
“The new course will start very near the University’s refurbished Health and Sport Precinct. We are very proud of this building, which includes a clinical health lab, community gym and exercise centre.” 

Cycling Australia CEO Steve Drake 
“The great partnership we have with Ballarat means the Federation University RoadNats gets better every year and we are always looking at new and exciting ways to get everyone involved whether you are a rider or part of the crowd.”

“The changes made to this year’s schedule will allow people to have a bit more of a break after Christmas and New Years and by moving the road races to the end of the Championships the week will build up and end with a bang!”

“The elite racing will be one exciting aspect of the five-day cycling festival and we are thrilled to be working on a few new events, some of which haven’t been seen at the Championships before. We will have more on these in the coming months, so stay tuned.”

Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle 
​“Victoria is the home of cycling and we’re proud to support the 2020 Federation University Road National Championships through the Andrews Labor Government's Significant Sporting Events Program and Regional Events Fund.

"This event will be a huge boost to Ballarat, with cyclists and supporters descending on our regional city in January to enjoy the action.”

Ballarat Mayor Cr Samantha McIntosh
The City of Ballarat has been proud to work with Cycling Australia to deliver and grow the Nationals for 13 years; we look forward to once again hosting the RoadNats and helping deliver a range of exciting new activities for the 2020 event. 

Over the past decade, the Nationals has become synonymous with Ballarat and helped establish this city’s reputation as the premier cycling destination in Australia.  

Ballarat has so much to offer cyclists and spectators and this event has proven that to many thousands of visitors to our city each year.

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Smith:
“Ballarat comes alive for the Federation University Road Nats and it’s an exciting opportunity for us to showcase our stunning Mount Helen campus and our world class sports science programs and research.”

“The 2020 Federation University RoadNats is particularly exciting for us this year, as it will allow us to give the community their first look inside our new state of the art sports science building, which is currently under construction.”
​
“The sports science building is due to be finished in time for semester one in 2020, so the Federation University RoadNats event in January will be the first time locals can get a sneak peak of the new world class facility we’re building here in Ballarat.”

U19 WOMEN'S TIME TRIAL

Donning bandages following the dramatic end to Saturday’s road race, young gun Francesca Sewell (Gold Coast Cycling Club) nabbed her second gold of the 2019 Championships in the under 19 time trial. Her TT gold medal caps off an almost flawless Road Nationals campaign, claiming bronze in the criterium and gold in the road race.

Sewell covered the 15.9km out and back course in Buninyong in a time 23mins 34secs, 19 seconds better than Catelyn Turner (Launceston City CC) and more than one minute ahead of Katarina Chung-Orr (Port Adelaide CC) who completed the podium.

Francesca Sewell
“I’m really stoked. I’m feeling good, a little tired now but it has been a tough weekend.
“I didn’t actually know that I was on a good time during the race, but my coaches were in the car behind me honking the horn, encouraging me. I certainly wasn’t expecting to get the time I did.
“It wasn’t my ideal win on Saturday obviously so, today, I feel like I definitely did it myself.”

 U19 MENS TIME TRIAL
Two days after winning gold in the road race, Patrick Eddy (InForm TM Insight MAKE) continued his fine form with gold in the under 19 men’s time trial in Buninyong.
16-year-old Eddy clocked a time of 29mins 54secs across the 21.km course, eleven seconds ahead of Harry Morgan (Blackburn Cycling Club), and twenty seconds ahead of James Moriarty (Balmoral Cycle Club).
The win comes three months after claiming the prized position on the podium in the criterium and time trial at the Under 17 National Championships in September.
Patrick's brother Samual backed up his road race silver with a fourth-place time trial result, proving 2018 is looking bright for the Eddy family.

 Patrick Eddy:
“I went really deep, and I’m just happy to come out with the win and do the double.
“I knew I had great form but, I came here as a bottom-ager and did not expect to get two gold. I think that’s a bit much. I was really looking for one podium. I just can’t believe I have two gold.

“There’s no chance I’d be here today without my brother Sam. He wakes me up every morning to go train. He just motivates me so much. We’re teammates, we’re best mates, and we’re brothers. I’m really grateful to have him.”

In one of the most dramatic final laps seen at a National Championships, 2017 National Road Series champion Michael Freiberg (Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) triumphed to claim the elite men’s road crown.

A prominent early breakaway group opened the always hectic 185.6-kilometre men’s road race, with Freiberg, Chris Harper (Team BridgeLane) and defending champion Alex Edmondson (Mitchelton-Scott) joining 2013 champion Luke Durbridge (Mitchelton-Scott).
The quartet worked together for the majority of the 16 laps of the infamous Buninyong course before Cameron Meyer (Mitchelton-Scott) made a move with Conor Murtagh (Oliver’s Real Food Racing) and Jason Lea (Team BridgeLane) to join the leading group with five laps remaining.

With the pace of the race obliterating the field and scattering groups across the course, Edmondson and Durbridge lost contact with the front group and Harper pounced to take a ten-second inside the penultimate lap.

Meyer and Freiberg reeled in Harper on the final lap, before an immediate counter-attack from Harper was answered by Meyer. Freiberg’s chance of a podium finish looking all but over when he trailed Harper and Meyer by 17-seconds just four kilometres from the finish line.

But in a determined act of raw power and tactical nous, the Perth cyclist caught the breakaway inside the final kilometre to claim a victory for the ages in the dying moments.

While the excitement of Freiberg’s victory rang through the crowd, there was an undertone of emotion for the remainder of the podium with Harper just missing the top step for a second straight year, while the dual time trial champion Meyer is left searching for the elusive crown.

Freiberg also collected the Langdon Building Sprint Competition jersey on his back, with Harper taking in both the Altus Traffic Most Aggressive Rider and Stages King of the Mountain categories.

Michael Freiberg
“It’s been surreal. Down the home straight coming up on the boys, I didn’t really expect it and then I hit them with a bit of speed and I got a gap and I was like ‘Oh I’m going to have to go really deep here…I know how quick Cam is’ and I got a gap and I held it.

“The jersey’s so big, you get to wear it for twelve months. On the last lap, I was just hoping for a podium. That would have been fantastic for myself, to keep me going in my career, but catching them on that last straight was something really special.”

“It’s the ones you have to fight the hardest for that mean the most and I think it’s been about eight or 10 years since I have been up on the podium at the world level, so this is really special for me.”

Chris Harper
“It’s bittersweet. Everyone here, you’re coming here to win the jersey and second place is almost… It’s nothing to you really. Everyone wants the green and gold so it’s nice to be on the podium but at the end of the day, we’re all out here trying to get that jersey. So it is bittersweet.”

“When we got rid of Freiberg on the climb, I sort of thought me and Cam, depending on how Frieberg went, I knew Cam given his track background had quite a good kick on him. Coming into the finish I wasn’t confident. I sort of tried to put him on the front to try to give myself every opportunity. Freibs came back, didn’t give up so all credit to him. That’s an amazing ride.”

“I wasn’t thinking of attacking (in the sprint), I don’t think I would’ve been able to get rid of Cam. He was riding super strong all day so more just trying to conserve and give 100% in the finish.”
“We knew Freiburg wasn’t too far behind. I think he caught us both by surprise a little bit just with that momentum.”

Cameron Meyer
“I’m going to try to not cry too much. I think I’ve been every position bar first. I had every opportunity and I don’t know if I’m more upset at myself or letting my teammates down a little bit. I bluffed a little bit in the final there, I knew the legs had one kick in them and Freiberg went early and I was hoping he wouldn’t. When he was coming I tried to play the bluff on Harper and I had to get to as close to the line as I could with one kick and it was too much for my legs today. It’s all a bit much at the moment.”

“I knew he (Freiberg) was going to ride tempo, I knew he didn’t have the acceleration on that last lap. He was at 20 seconds and I knew he’d keep plugging away. He’s a big boy and you get that roll coming down the home straight and I’ve seen guys come back in that final if you fox too much. The problem is I didn’t have anything to really push to the line so I had to play cat and mouse. It didn’t work.”

“It’s hard to accept for me. Like I’ve been on the podium before so I’ve been wanting that green and gold for a long time. I know it’s a good ride and it’ll take a while that to settle in. It was a big day, you can see by the way the field finished, in dribs and drabs everywhere. It was a tough day out there.”
“Hopefully my twelfth time lucky next year.”

Fresh from claiming second overall in the 2018 National Road Series, Ballarat ‘s rising star Nicholas White (Team BridgeLane) has kick-started the new year with gold in front of a parochial home crowd in the Under 23 Men’s 127.6-kilometre Buninyong Road Race.

“I couldn’t think of anything better, to be able to do this in my hometown is something else and to have all the supporters there as well,” said White. “I was getting the shakes going around the last lap with everyone yelling out my name was a pretty surreal feeling and it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

The under 23 road race is famous for non-stop action and the 2019 finale delivered with a battle to remember with White taking the top step after an enthralling final lap ahead of Michael Potter (Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) and 2017 champion Samuel Jenner (Team Wiggins Le Col).

A dozen breakaway groups that formed and collapsed throughout the 11 lap-race, however, the decisive one came at the final climb when Jenner and White pulled off a strong move leaving Potter with no option but to join.

With a short and ever-reducing gap, a passionate home crowd anxiously watched on as White, Potter, and Jenner played cat and mouse to the backdrop of a hungry and fast approaching peloton.

Dylan McKenna was in the mix for many of the day’s moves, meaning the X-Speed United rider more than earned his Altus Traffic Most Aggressive Rider and Stages King of the Mountain jerseys.

The Langdon Building Sprint Jersey was won by Nick White.

“I had the whole team riding the front for me and they made an unreal effort to get me around and even coming down to the bell lap when I had four guys with me, I knew I was definitely in with a chance and it was starting to feel like this could be a reality and this could be mine,” added White.

“The last time over the climb was super hard but after all the effort the boys put in I knew I needed to be up to the front with those two guys so to be able to give them a reward and to win this is pretty special”

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