Nash and Locke triumph in opening round of AusCycling CX National Series
Tristan Nash (Unicorn Racing Australia) kicks up some dust while cornering.
Photo: CX Down Under
The opening round of the 2023 AusCycling National Series saw Tristan Nash (Unicorn Racing Australia) and Rebecca Locke triumph in the Elite races on a fast and sandy course at Garvey Park in Perth. This race marked the first time that Perth has hosted a round of the Australian National CX Series since 2014.
Rebecca Locke keeps it smooth up the staircase that was the course’s last major obstacle.
Photo: CX Down Under
The Garvey Park circuit is a perennial favourite of cross riders in the West, and organisers WA Cyclocross created a challenging course for the 170 riders who took part - with a long sand section that rewarded technical prowess combined with plenty of fast riding through hard-packed dirt and grass sections close to the Swan River.
WA Cyclocross head honcho Steuart Carson takes a quick break from being a race organiser to go and race his bike.
Photo: CX Down Under
The pace wasn’t the only thing that was hot, as the racing temperatures reached a warm-for-cyclocross 23ºC in the middle of the day, prompting a difficult choice between riders wanting to carry a water bottle to stay hydrated and being able to shoulder their bikes easily through the course’s long sand section.
The short, steep runup after the second sand section created congestion for some riders. Pictured are (L-R) Gemma Kernich, Lia de Gruchy & Helena Merrett.
Photo: CX Down Under
Elite Women
National champion Rebecca Locke kicked off her 2023 racing campaign by riding clear of challengers Fi Morris (MAAP Sixpence CX) and Zoe Davison (Wembley Cycles) after the opening lap, eventually winning solo by 1:48 from Morris and 4:08 from Davison.
Wearing her national champion’s jersey from her last stint in the green and gold in 2016, Locke took the holeshot and was able to make a small gap over the first lap, starting her second circuit with a lead of 11 seconds over her fellow Victorian Morris.
Fiona Morris negotiates a grassy corner just before the barriers.
Photo: CX Down Under
Speaking after the race’s conclusion, Locke said ‘I tend to start pretty fast these days, and the sand pits were a bit more technical, which I think plays to my advantage - I was able to keep pulling away each lap.’
’It opened the lungs up definitely…I really don’t know where I am or how I was going to race today because I haven’t actually raced since the national champs [in September 2022].’
Bec Locke dismounts and runs the bike through the course’s second long sand section.
Photo: CX Down Under
Behind them, the battle for the third step of the podium was being contested between the Western Australian duo of Davison and Cassia Boglio (DRG Knights Liv), with Davison looking stronger on the pedals through most of the course, but Boglio running noticeably quicker through the sand sections.
Boglio would fade later in the race, eventually holding on to fourth place by a matter of 10 seconds from a fast-finishing Annabel Kidd.
Zoe Davison (Wembley Cycles) keeps the pace high through the sand at Garvey Park.
Photo: CX Down Under
Elite Men
The Elite men’s saw a dominant maiden win at the National Series for Tristan Nash (Unicorn Racing Australia), who finished more than two minutes ahead of MAAP Sixpence CX teammates Chris Aitken and Garry Millburn.
After the whistle blew Nash took control from the outset, moving to the front of affairs after the first minute and never relinquishing the lead.
Speaking after the race, Nash said ‘There were some long sand sections which I knew were going to be pretty pivotal in how the race played out, so I really wanted to be first into those on the first lap so I could try and ride them as clean as possible. I did that and I looked back and there was a gap.’
By the time the WA local completed his first lap that gap was 29 seconds over a chasing trio of Millburn, Aitken and Nick Smith (Duke-Flanders). That gap would extend as the race progressed, with the young Western Australian drawing his skills acquired from racing in Belgium over the northern hemisphere winter to ride the whole of the course’s two long sand sections - a feat that (to our knowledge) no other Elite rider was able to achieve on the day.
’There was a lot of [sand riding] over in Belgium and that definitely helped…I was '[previously] always going crazy in the sand and trying to pedal as much as I could, but over there the guys would freewheel [at the start of the section] just to hold the rut before they start pedalling again. It’s the difference between keeping speed and trying to gain it.’
Tristan Nash (Unicorn Racing Australia) is a blur as he tackles the first of two sand sections on course.
Photo: CX Down Under
While Nash was building his lead in front, the trio of Aitken, Millburn and Smith engaged in a see-sawing battle for the remaining two spots on the podium. At the race’s halfway point Millburn seemed to be the freshest of the three, but a crash on a dusty corner just after the pits saw the Victorian have to engage in a furious chase to regain contact.
Garry Millburn (MAAP Sixpence CX) sports the damage from his earlier crash on his right shoulder.
Photo: CX Down Under
Aitken appeared to be getting stronger as the race wore on, and eventually rode clear of Smith to cross the line in second, 2:03 down on Nash. A fading Smith was caught and passed by Millburn on the final lap, with Millburn finishing 2:48 behind the winner. Smith would hold on for fourth, while WA local Lewis Blackie (Elite Racing Cycles) rounded out the wide angle podium.
Chris Aitken is a picture of concentration through the sand.
Photo: CX Down Under
Nick Smith (Duke-Flanders) kicks up some late afternoon dust.
Photo: CX Down Under
Racing will resume on Sunday on a reversed course. We’ll have all the action here on CX Down Under!