RADL GRVL - Oceanias - A Solo Mission
The first gravel race of the season, RADL GRVL. Expectation? I result will be a really nice way to start the season, but the season is also long, so don’t put too much pressure on it.
RADL GRVL was one of the first ever gravel races I competed in, in 2024, and I surprised myself then with a second place. Held in Adelaide, in January during the Australian summer of racing and Tour Down Under, it’s a race that suits the Aussies and anyone that’s well adapted to the summer heat.
This year RADL GRVL did something a little different, not only the course changes. This was the first ever Oceania titles. A chance to wear a unique jersey design for this years winner in UCI racing and automatic Worlds entry for October in Nannup, WA. For those that don’t know, Oceania is our equivalent of Europeans and encompasses 17 countries across the Asia-Pacific region.
It’s a pretty cool opportunity to wear a special jersey for the year, having once been the Australian Road Champ, I last had this opportunity in 2022. But it didn't change my approach. The year is still long and if I take that, it’s a really nice bonus.
So the tactics in the race. I went into the race with Rapha teammate, Danni Shrosbree, and we did at least discuss what could play out in the race with a jersey up for grabs. Danni is from the UK, so she cannot be eligible for the Oceania title, but she can still win the race overall. So an ideal scenario could be the two of us going up the road together.
This isn’t quite how it played out in the end, and I would say mostly that was on me.
The major change to the RADL GRVL course this year was that instead of a 1km run-in to the first full gas climb we instead had about 10km until, what some would say, an even worse climb. I don’t know which start I preferred.
But Matilda Reynolds and Peta Mullins took charge to ensure we didn’t ride out to the climb at 20kmhr. We started the first climb at a somewhat conservative pace.
Danni and I had ridden the course the Sunday before. I knew the first climb, and going into the red would make recovery very difficult. I also knew at the top there were two ridable lines due to rain ruts and I didn’t want to be caught behind there.
As we approached this section I guess I was feeling a bit ‘itchy legs’ and wanted to give it a little dig. So from second wheel into the rutted section I pushed on the pedals.
To be honest my main goal here was to draw out some of the strong riders and make a selection of 5-6 for a solid chop to get the day started, cat-and-mouse games would come later. What I didn’t expect was to find myself coming over the top solo, wondering why the riders in the bunch would allow me to go when I think most wouldn’t underestimate my determination to commit to a move.
What I later found out was that I had maybe delivered quite a good tactical play, going in the rutted section and having those riders I intend to draw out being caught behind (like I didn’t want) and being unable to follow until I already had a gap and had made a decision to push on.
The chase group was of riders I had intended to come with me. But as they took some time to get organised, Danni played perfect teammate behind, soft pulling or sitting on. And as they made solo attempts to jump across and ruin cohesion behind me, my lead could blow out.
I really did initially think that what I was doing was pretty stupid. 115km solo, I knew the course and it was fast, but it was hard, the heat would get quite severe in the final hour, and while I felt good know, the direction of the course meant I was going to cop a 50km headwind on the run in home, right when my legs and mental game would probably be tested the most.
Mostly, that is how it played out. And I spent most of the day getting time checks, quickly finding out I was having a one-to-one TT with Melisa Rollins who was chasing me, and watching the kms slowly tick by, not quite as fast as I wanted.
I tried to settle into a pace I thought I could manage. My tactics were; threshold/higher on the climbs, I was clearly climbing strong, aero as much as possible on the flat and road and a little recovery, push sweet spot there, not too hard, on the pedals, at a manageable pace I think I can sustain for 4ish hrs of riding. The key was not to blow up in the final hour. Drink, hydrate, push pedals, repeat.
A lot can go through your mind when you go 110km solo. I thought about drinking Fanta and chocolate coconut water, the fact I had a flight to catch that night and at least I wasn’t going to miss it like this, that this was very nice for my new sponsors, that I was about to leave Australia again for another year, and that compared to last year when my front derailleur fell off, this was already seeming like a much better outcome.
Spoiler alert, I did cross the line in first place. And so did my new Factor Racing RCC teammate, Romain Bardet, while my other Rapha teammate, Cam Jones, took out the Oceania title as well in the elite men. I made my flight, with even a quick pit stop via the Rapha activation to toast a great first week of racing and new RCC kit launch and managed to get a whole row to myself on my 13hr international flight. A successful day if you ask me.
Time: 4hrs 2min
Distance; 127km
TSS; 295
Average speed; 31.5kmhr
Average power; 218W
NP: 235W
Elevation: 2,023m
