A year ago at the Australian Road National Championships, Brodie Chapman delivered a start to the 2023 season that left her flying high and looking for more. She was about to head to Europe to race with Lidl-Trek, one of the most powerful squads in the women’s peloton, in the green and gold jersey as Australian national road champion.
Sadly that striking solo victory in Buninyong turned out to be a high point. Chapman was knocked off course and came crashing down to earth before she had even left Australia.
First there was a positive COVID-19 test just as she was about to get on the plane, which left her bed-ridden for ten days and unable to eat. Then after recovering and returning to racing, Chapman crashed at Gent-Wevelgem leaving her with a broken sacrum.
Returning to racing in June, it seemed like there was still enough of the year remaining to turn it back around, but then frequent respiratory infections intervened. 2023 proved to be very testing.
"Usually every season you are trying to go beyond, you push your limits and find new limits but it was about only just reaching the bare minimum,” Chapman told Cyclingnews, in a matter-of-fact assessment of the year that was.
It would have been difficult to so calmly look over a year that had promised so much, but ultimately delivered obstacle after obstacle, whilst in the midst of it. Particularly as this had been a season where Chapman could have been expected to make her biggest leap yet. She had progressed from Tibco-SVB in 2018 to FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope in 2020 and through to one of the most powerful squads in the peloton, Lidl-Trek, in 2023.
"First year on a new team, you want to impress and show up and you also want to step up a level," said Chapman. "That's part of the reason I went to Trek and I knew that they were well-resourced enough to support that."
So while it is understandable that there may have been disappointment at how the year turned out, even looking beyond the national championships road race win, the season can hardly be counted as an unmitigated disaster.
"I was able to do my job, you know, go to some races, be part of some team wins so that was nice," said Chapman.
"But yeah, I certainly didn't achieve what I knew I had the form to achieve or what I was capable of, especially with the support of Lidl-Trek, they have been incredible."
There are some strong foundations set for 2024.
Rest, recover and start again
"I've matured a bit as an athlete. So together with my coach and the team, just working on not stressing about it," said Chapman of her approach to the tough season.
"You can't just be 'oh well it'll all be right'. You are going to be upset and down and question it. There were a lot of races where I just became quite frustrated because I just didn't quite have the fitness to participate how I wanted to, so the perception of effort was so much higher.
"But I definitely think that I've learned that you can give your body time to rest - you have to, you can kind of avoid it for a while, but then eventually it comes back at you."
The process of enhancing her ability to cope with the downs of life as an athlete as well as the ups, was on display as she recovered after breaking her sacrum, the large triangular bone at the base of the spine.
Chapman realised that while it blew some of her goals for the year out of the water, it could be an opportunity to achieve others.
"Because you are sitting so far forward on your TT bike, you are not putting pressure on the sacrum and so that gave me the opportunity to get used to the TT position because that was a really big goal of mine, to spend more time on the TT bike," said Chapman.
Chapman also felt the benefits of being part of Lidl-Trek, surrounded by the experience of teammates like Elisa Longo-Borghini, Lucinda Brand and Amanda Spratt.
"They've been racing for such a long time and they've had their trials and tribulations, and I really found it so helpful to hear the stories," said Chapman.
"To be like, it's not the end of the world and this is how they deal with it – that was also really positive. I learned a lot from them which is one of the reasons I joined Trek."
Opportunity
There can be pitfalls of being on such a powerful team, with leadership opportunities perhaps limited but Chapman did not experience them.
"You are going to a team of superstars, but I figured that it's also an incredibly good feeling to be part of a race-winning team," said Chapman, adding that as much as it was satisfying to personally deliver a top ten finish personally the high of going back to the bus and celebrating with the team is "actually better".
That doesn't mean the rider who started 2023 with a win at the Australian National Championships road race has put her personal ambitions aside and won't grab an opportunity if it arises.
"Yes I would like to win a race, but I know that at Trek especially, there's no overwhelming egos and if you show that you're in good shape and someone who is a leader isn't, they'll ride for you."
It still might be early in the 2024 season but Chapman can feel the benefits of the effort she put into honing her time trial position.
Thursday's Australia time trial championships was a logical goal.
"I really enjoy time trialling just because I enjoy the feeling of going as fast as you can with your own legs," said Chapman before the event.
"Like it's very raw, but at the end of it that's it. You can do what you can do on the day and if someone beats you, there's no dynamic there between you, you do your race they do theirs."
That work paid off with a second place in the national title race in 2024. Despite some mechanical issues she was just seven seconds down on winner Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez), who has claimed the silver medal at the World Championships for the past two years.
"I stepped up one extra place this year and being that close to Grace feels really good, it keeps me hungry," said Chapman.
The focus is now on the road race and, as defending champion, Chapman will be one of the riders to watch.
Having won in 2023 seems more of a release than a burden.
"I do feel like it's important to return to the race, as defending champion, but honestly, it takes some of the pressure off. I don't feel this great drive that I have this enormous pressure to defend the title," said Chapman.
"Of course I want to try and win … we have a team of four and we'll do what we can to get one of us to win the race."
Chapman will be lining up with three-time winner Amanda Spratt, Lauretta Hanson, who stood on the podium at the race in 2021, and new recruit Felicity Wilson-Haffenden who is stepping up to the elite ranks with Lidl-Trek after having last year claimed the junior world time trial title.
They are certainly one of the strongest teams on the start line, but will undoubtedly face a powerful challenge from the likes of Brown, a podium regular at the road race, to a card-heavy Australian WorldTour team of Liv AlUla Jayco, returning 2020 winner Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) along with a powerful line up from Team BridgeLane.
Chapman, however, wouldn't want it any other way.
"The peloton gets stronger every year and I like hard racing. I like to be in a real battle."
