Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, January 12, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
The world used us as an excuse to go mad. - George Harrison
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 1: 1903 - 1975 is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under
- January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
- January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
- February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Latest completed racing:
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
- December 30: Superprestige Diegem
- December 29: Trofee Loenhout-Azencross
- December 26: World Cup Gavere
- December 23: Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 26: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
The Australian Road Championships were run on Sunday, January 11
First, here’s the report of the Elite Men’s Championship from AusCycling:
Patrick Eddy (Team Brennan) has surprised the favourites to claim the elite road race title on a dramatic afternoon at the Westbridge Funds Road National Championships in Perth.
Staring down the might of Team Jayco AlUla, Eddy stormed home in a dramatic final lap to chase down the solo leader, Luke Durbridge, before beating Lucas Plapp in a one-on-one sprint finish.
Patrick Eddy beats Lucas Plapp for the championship.
After his professional contract was not renewed at the end of 2025, the 23-year-old Bendigo rider has reminded the world of his talents and delivered the biggest victory of Continental-level Team Brennan.
“This means everything, I have pretty much won nothing since I won junior nationals. I lost myself as a rider for the last few years. I think I’ve found myself again," Eddy said.
“I haven’t won anything since 2019, I started to forget what it was like to win a bike race, this is what I fell in love with. It’s good to be back, it means everything.
“I feel like most of the cycling world gave up on me, there was just a handful of people around me, kept believing in me and told me to keep hustling. This is for them.”
For most of the 176-kilometre race around Kings Park and the Perth CBD, the victory looked certain to go to a large breakaway of 12 riders, including Durbridge and O'Connor, whose gap grew out to over five minutes at one stage.
Under scorching temperatures of up to 35 degrees, a concerted chase led by Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates XRG) brought the peloton back into contention for an unlikely victory.
In the final two laps, Durbridge dangled at the front of the race as the remaining survivor of the breakaway, looking set to repeat last year's heroics with almost a carbon-copy performance.
But Team Brennan had other ideas: Eddy set off to close the gap, accompanied by Plapp, who surprisingly contributed to the chase while his own teammate was off the front. Oliver Bleddyn (Team Brennan) also set off in pursuit, marked by Ben O'Connor.
On the final climb of Pedal Mafia Mountain, Plapp accelerated, ostensibly to distance his Team Brennan rivals, but serving only to catch his teammate Durbridge, for whom he had sacrificed his chance of victory in 2025.
Eddy was able to hold the wheel of Plapp over the top of the climb and into the finishing straight in Kings Park. From there, Eddy led out the two-man sprint and secured a shock victory.
Oscar Chamberlain (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) finished in third place, attacking out of the peloton behind.
“I don’t believe that,” Eddy said. “When that break got away, I thought we were done. It all just came back together in the final 40 minutes and I thought I was cooked being outnumbered by the Jayco boys, but it hasn’t sunk in.
“I thought they had us, I thought Durbo was going to do it again. I think we are definitely the new kids on the block."
Results:
- Patrick EDDY (Team Brennan) 3h55:25
- Lucas PLAPP (Team Jayco AlUla) +0
- Oscar CHAMBERLAIN (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +9
- Leighton COOK (Falcons Pedal Mafia Racing) +9
- Matthew DINHAM (Team Picnic Post-NL) +9
- Brady GILMORE (NSN Cycling Team) +9
- Alastair CHRISTIE-JOHNSTON (CCACHE X BODYWRAP) +12
- Carter BETTLES (Roojai Insurance Winspace) +15
- Alastair MACKELLAR (EF Education) +22
- Kane RICHARDS (Roojai Insurance Winspace) +26
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Here's the report of the Elite Women's Australian Championships from Team Jayco AlUla:
Mackenzie Coupland put on a commanding performance on her home streets of Perth to win her first-ever Australian road race title solo in her debut race as a WorldTour rider.
The 20-year-old Liv AlUla Jayco rider won the U23 title at the same time, while her teammate Ruby Roseman-Gannon sprinted out of a chase group to take second place and put two purple jerseys on the podium. Meanwhile, Sophie Marr added to the success by taking the bronze in the U23 competition for the Continental team.
Mackenzie Coupland is the Australian Road Champion. Photo: Chris Auld
It was a difficult course with the heat making it harder, but the Liv AlUla Jayco squad worked perfectly together to keep control of the race. Time trial and criterium medallist from earlier in the week, Josie Talbot put down an early marker by getting into the day’s breakaway with Katelyn Nicholson.
In the latter stages of the race, the attacks from the peloton increased and Coupland went clear with Tiffany Cromwell. As the penultimate lap came to a close, Talbot forged on solo and dropped Nicholson on one of the major climbs of the day with Coupland also dropping Cromwell.
Coupland drove on, eventually catching Talbot with little over 10 kilometres remaining. Tired from all her work, Talbot told her teammate to keep going and with around eight kilometres to go Coupland was solo. Despite a stern chase from behind, the young rider held on all the way to the line with Roseman-Gannon crossing the line 32 seconds behind her to take silver.
Mackenzie Coupland:
“I sneakily got away with Tiffany Cromwell, and I just sat on because I knew that I could only help Josie in the front if I had fresh legs. So, I sat on for a bit but then we got onto the climb, and I was just doing my tempo and dropped her. I figured I might as well try and catch Josie as well. She gave me a good run and it was really hard to catch her. I think I gave her a bit of a shock and she told me to keep going. I just kept going and kept digging deep. It feels honestly amazing to get this jersey. I made a few mistakes in the race, but I hope I did my teammates proud with this win. I’m very happy.”
2026 Australian Women’s Road Race Championships
- Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco) 2:48:58
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) @ 32sec
- Neve Bradbury Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto @ 36sec
- Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Ziptrack Racing) @ 44sec
- Sophie Edwards (Butterfields Ziptrack Racing) @ 47sec
- Emily Dixon (Canyon SRAM zondacrypto) s.t.
- Sophie Marr (Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Continental) s.t.
- Talia Appleton (Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Continental) @ 48sec
- Sarah Tuckmott (Perth MTB) @ 50sec
- Tully Schweitzer Team Redcat) s.t.
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And here’s the Men’s Australian U23 Road Championships report from Tudor Pro Cycling:
It’s a winning start of the season for Tudor Pro Cycling Team, as Jackson Medway claimed the Australian U23 National Road Race title in Perth - securing the first road race victory of his career and the first of the season for the Team.
The 135km race, contested over ten laps of a demanding 13.6km circuit, came to life in the final hour. Medway made his move inside the last 30 kilometres, bridging across to a chasing group before establishing himself in a select leading trio. With 8km remaining, the 21-year-old launched a decisive solo attack, committing to a sustained time-trial effort - his favourite discipline - all the way to the finish.
Jackson crossed the line just over three hours, finishing one minute ahead of his former breakaway companions.
Jackson Medway with his Gold medal. Photo: Zac Williams
Visibly emotional at the finish line, Jackson showed his excitement for the upcoming European season: “I’m pretty bloody excited. I'd been taking it steady with my coach and my Team after a rocky season in 2025, so I can't believe where I am at already. The first time I was actually patient in a race and this paid off.
The win marks Jackson’s first career road race success, adding to his palmarès after claiming both the Australian and Oceania Continental titles in the time trial in 2024. He will now proudly wear the green and gold national champion’s jersey - alongside the Tudor shield - throughout the next 12 months as he heads into the European season with Tudor Pro Cycling Team.
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Dylan van Baarle: “Flanders and Roubaix are my main goals”
One of the most experienced riders in the peloton, the Dutchman is ready to make his Soudal Quick-Step debut and contribute to the team’s success.
A true cobble-basher, Dylan Van Baarle has an eye-catching track record in the one-day races of the last decade, that only underlines his consistency and durability.
In 2022, he won Paris-Roubaix after a sensational solo ride, just one year after another impressive success, at Dwars door Vlaanderen. A victory that came following a bold attack in the last 17 kilometers of the 2023 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, as well as runner-up spots at the World Championships in Leuven and the Ronde van Vlaanderen, complete a remarkable palmares for the Dutchman, who has now embarked on a new journey.
Dylan Van Baarle wins 2022 Paris-Roubaix. Sirotti photo
At 33 years of age, Van Baarle signed a contract with our team until the end of 2027, and he hopes that after a few difficult years, he will come back to his best and play an important role in the northern cobbles.
“The two training camps went really well. It was nice to get to know everyone, from the staff to the riders. It’s a great group of riders and this gave me a good feeling. I can’t wait for my first race, Algarve, because it makes me excited to finally start in these colours. I’m also looking forward to the Opening Weekend, which will be special in a Belgian team. We have a strong line-up and we can be protagonists there. Of course, it’s always easier said than done, but we are confident, because we have many riders who have shown they can fight for a good result on the cobbles.”
His ambitions for year one with the Wolfpack go beyond the Opening Weekend. The two cobbled Monuments are high on his list, but Dylan – a versatile rider – is determined to help the team also in stage races and Grand Tours.
“I hope to get back to my best level for these two Monuments. I love them, they hold a special place in my heart and I would love to be in the mix for a good result or contribute to the team’s success”, said the former Dutch Champion. “I look forward also to being there for the squad whenever they need me in the stage races, because we have many riders that can shine in this type of races, regardless of the terrain. Hopefully, it will be a good year for us.”
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