BATHURST cyclists turned heads at the Road Nationals in Ballarat over Wednesday and Thursday with their performances in the criterium and time trial events.
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Harry Bryant, Josh Corcoran and Craig Hutton have all scored top 20 results against the nation’s best cyclists over the past two days.
Orange native and Bathurst Cycling Club rider Bryant has enjoyed a breakthrough nationals so far with a 12th place in Wednesday’s criterium followed by a 17th in Thursday time trial.
Bryant wasn’t far away from winner Stephen Cuff in the men’s under 19s criterium, finishing just five seconds away and well clear of the second chase group on the road.
Over one third of the field failed to finish the demanding half-hour event.
In a close battle for a top 20 spot in Thursday’s 21.6 kilometre time trial Bryant managed to make the cut with his time of 32 minutes and 30.8 seconds.
Josh Corcoran has shown he’s got a bright future in under 23s ahead of him as the bottom-age rider comfortably matched it with his more experienced opponents.
He may have missed out on being involved in the sprint for a top 10 position in Wednesday’s criterium by Corcoran could still hold his head very high with a 15th spot in his under 23s national debut.
Cameron Scott narrowly took out the race ahead of Dylan Sunderland.
Corcoran was 12 seconds away and his GPM Stulz teammate Harrison Bailey was eighth.
Like the under 19s men before them, the race saw a large number of riders taken apart by the intense pace – 28 in total.
Hutton is no stranger to the Road Nationals elite men’s criterium and he was determined to put his experience to good use on Wednesday in order to help his GPM Stulz teammates.
The GPM men lost touch with the lead group in the dying stages but their result as a team was one to admire.
Hutton finished 12 seconds off the winner in 18th place, bettered only by Aaron Watts (15th) when it came to his teammates.
Fellow GPM riders Cameron Ivory (21st) and Joel Walsh (22nd) couldn’t replicate their top 15 results from a year earlier.
No-one was able to prevent Caleb Ewan from winning his third straight national crown. He won the sprint battle ahead of Steele Von Hoff and Brenton Jones.
Friday’s racing sees Emily Watts taking on the time trial, where she will attempt to add another medal to go along with her under 19s criterium bronze.
