It was a solo move that never should have worked. The rider himself admitted afterwards that he didn’t think it would stick. And yet when Jack Bobridge (Trek-Segafredo) rode off on Bernie Sulzberger (Drapac) with more than 90km to go in yesterday’s Australian Nationals road race, it was the move that ultimately won Bobridge his second national title.
For more than nine laps of the infamous Mt. Buninyong circuit Bobridge kept the chasing peloton at bay — no mean feat considering the 35°C heat and the fact Orica-GreenEdge was chasing hard behind, shredding the peloton in the process.
But the chase would ultimately be a case of too little, too late. The nine-minute advantage Bobridge had built as part of the day’s early breakaway gave him all the latitude he needed. He might have struggled in the closing laps – “I was absolutely shagged” he said post race – but the South Australian had done enough. He reached the finishing straight with more than enough time to sit up and appreciate what he’d just achieved.
Some have called it the greatest ever victory at the Australian Road National Championships. It will certainly be a talking point for many years to come.
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- Gunshots from the Sovereign Hill Redcoats signal the start of the 183.6km race.
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- Jay McCarthy was the lone rider for Team Tinkoff on the startline.
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- One of the pre-race favourites, Simon Gerrans, bides his time in the peloton.
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- Jack Bobridge and Bernie Sulzberger had been part of a 20-rider breakaway that got clear on the first lap. They attacked together on lap 6.
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- Michael Hepburn had been part of the original breakaway but after Bobridge and Sulzberger attacked, he eventually dropped back …
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- … to assist with the chase. Mitch Docker (second wheel) did likewise.
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- Richie Porte, riding in support of Rohan Dennis, put in a few hard turns on the front on the peloton. Patrick Lane on his wheel.
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- But like the vast majority of starters, Porte would eventually abandon the race.
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- Bobridge made his move with more than 90km remaining, riding the rest of the race solo.
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- With temperatures nudging 35ºC, getting enough water in became vitally important for the riders.
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- Orica-GreenEdge’s efforts to chase down Bobridge thinned out the peloton considerably …
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- … but Bobridge lost barely any time. He told the press afterwards that he’d ridden threshold (above 400W) up the climb then kept his power below 300W for the rest of the course.
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- On lap 15 of 18, a series of attacks saw Rohan Dennis and Cameron Meyer get clear of the peloton. They’d ultimately be racing for second.
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- Brendan Canty leads the “peloton” through at the start of the final lap.
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- While Dennis would be caught then passed by Pat Lane …
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- Australian title number two for Bobridge, who also won in 2011 with a solo move (albeit not nearly as long as this one).
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- Bobridge’s one-year contract with Trek-Segafredo signals a return to the WorldTour after a year with Australian Continental outfit Budget Forklifts.
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- Second place for Cameron Meyer.
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- Meyer and Bobridge are former teammates (at Garmin-Cervelo in 2011 and Orica-GreenEdge in 2012) and Meyer was genuinely pleased to see Bobridge win.
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- Nathan Haas (Dimension Data; left) would beat Jay McCarthy for fourth. Just 15 of the 127 starters finished the race.
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- Pat Lane’s third place earned him a spot on the UniSA-Australia team for the Tour Down Under next week.
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- Australia’s 2016 elite men’s road race champion, Jack Bobridge.