After so many years where the green and gold stripes of the Australian road titles have been awarded in the Victorian regional city of Ballarat, change is on the horizon with AusCycling announcing on Monday that the Road National Championships will be held nearly 3,000km away in Perth instead.
What's more, it's not just the 2025 event that will be heading to Western Australia's capital in January but the competition to claim a green and gold jersey will also run there right through to 2027.
"We’ve seen some epic battles in recent years,” said AusCycling CEO Marne Fechner in a statement. “Perth will now become part of cycling lore and we can’t wait to see what stories unfold over the coming years.”
Western Australia has been ever present in the consciousness of Australian cycling fans in recent years, and has been widely rumoured to be the next location of the championships for some time. It is home to many of the nation's top performers on the world stage, from Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) to Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe). "I grew up training and racing on these roads and the opportunity to race for the prestigious green-and-gold jersey in front of friends and family is very special," said Welsford, the recent winner of three Tour Down Under stages.
