Felicity Wilson-Haffenden has confirmed her status as a rising star of Australian cycling, obliterating the Junior Women’s Individual Time Trial field by nearly two minutes at Federation University’s Mount Helen Campus in Ballarat.
The 17-year-old was all business as the last junior woman to roll down the start ramp for the 18.8km course, recording a time of 26 minutes and 41 seconds at an average speed of 42.26km/h.
It is the Team BridgeLane rider’s second national championship in 48 hours, after winning the road race in a sprint finish on Saturday.
The Tasmanian’s winning margin to ARA Skip Capital’s silver medallist Lauren Bates was one minute and 51 seconds.
Wilson-Haffenden's Team BridgeLane teammate Talia Appleton collected her second bronze medal of the week, finishing two minutes and six seconds behind the new national champion.
“I came into this RoadNats trying to be competitive, improve on last year, but to come away with two golds and a silver, I can’t believe it. And for the team, it’s a testament to the support they’ve given me. We’ve been together for one week; it’s looking pretty good for the team, I reckon,” Wilson-Haffenden said.
“I don’t think we could’ve imagined much better [for the team], for both of us to get two medals [ie Felicity and Talia]; Nicole rode so well in her first year of under-19s; the future’s looking pretty good for us.”
Wilson-Haffenden and the new Bridgelane women's team have certainly impressed in their early outings as a team, with the Tasmanian's performance particularly key in them securing a swag of medals at their first national championships.
“The road race is so unpredictable. I was nervous for that, but you get to build into it. I think I was nearly sick before this race. It’s only you and the clock, if you mess it up, you mess it up, it’s all on you. So, to come away with the win it feels just as good.”
17-year-old Canberran Oscar Chamberlain has bounced back from disappointment in the Junior Men’s Road Race to win the Junior Men’s Individual Time Trial crown.
Chamberlain was at his best on Monday morning, recording a time of 24 minutes and 16 seconds on the 18.8km course at an average speed of 46.46km/h.
The AG2R Citroën U19 Team rider’s winning time was 41 seconds ahead of ARA Skip Capital’s silver medallist Wil Holmes, and 46 seconds ahead of Saturday’s road race winner Joshua Cranage, who collected bronze.
“It feels good. Obviously, after the road race I was a bit disappointed. Fourth isn’t terrible but I was looking for the win, but to get the win here is pretty good,” Chamberlain said.
“It wasn’t too windy, it’s not crazy hot, so it was pretty much perfect for a time trial.
“It’s super special [to pull on the jersey], I’ll be able to wear it when I’m overseas in the TT, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Chamberlain finished high school in 2022 and will now head to Europe with the Under-19 arm of French WorldTour team AG2R-Citroen.
“As soon as I swapped teams to AG2R Under-19 I changed coaches. Working with him it’s a bit different to my old coach. Obviously, I’ve been doing quite a few hours on the bike. The riding isn’t the sole importance, recovery and nutrition is also important, so I’ve been working on all aspects for this.
“I’ve got a team camp in February, and then after that the Classics start. I’ll try to win as many of them as possible. E3 [Saxo Bank Classic Juniors – Chamberlain is the defending champion] is a big goal, Paris-Roubaix is another big one.”
The Club Team Time Trial saw St Kilda Cycling Club field the most teams and take the most wins with five separate success across the different categories, with Carnegie Caulfield CC the only other club with multiple victories.
Club TTT wins per club:
St Kilda CC - 5
Carnegie Caulfied CC - 2
Randwick Botany CC - 1
Newcastle Hunter CC - 1
Penrith CC - 1
It was a touching moment in the Open Men's TTT, with Nationals stalwart Peter Milostic winning the event with his son Lyndon. Peter has been coming to compete at the Australian national championships for over three decades, and still rides the elite categories to this day, but 2023 marked the first time that he rode alongside his son.
