She is a founder, key partner, decision-maker, competitor, and passionate proponent of the event, but today, Tiffany Cromwell also became a winner at RADL GRVL, claiming victory in a classy, competitive field.

After finishing 6th in last year’s inaugural edition, everything came together for Tiffany to stamp her authority in 2025. While the event holds a special place for her, and has added motivation, claiming victory far exceeded her personal expectations going into the race.

“Of course there was motivation, but I was also pretty tired after this week, with the TDU, training, and other commitments. I wasn’t sure if my legs would show up or if I’d just be chasing my tail all day. Thankfully, after about the first 10km, my legs did show up. Then, I also surprised myself with the end result – I didn’t expect to be racing for the win and thought that I was more like to be in the top 10.”

A big drawcard for gravel races globally is the separate start for women, an aspect of RADL GRVL that Tiffany particularly enjoyed. It allowed for a direct contest among a formidable field of women, including riders from the prestigious Life Time Grand Prix and the current Australian gravel champion, without any interference from another category.

“We had a separate women’s start and while the field wasn’t huge, it was strong, which made it really fun. We were able to race together without the influence of the men, which is rare in gravel racing. Often, women end up just trying to stay with the men’s group, and that becomes the race, but we are starting to get more of these separate starts and it’s really enjoyable racing gravel head-to-head with the other women.”

Set on continuously rolling roads of the McLaren Vale wine region, where Tiffany first caught the bug for gravel cycling, RADL GRVL celebrates her home region of South Australia. The course is challenging from beginning to end, with 111km and over 2000m of climbing, including a tough climb right at the start to already distinguish the true contenders. From there, the relentless undulations, both large and small, wear away at the the riders’ energy reserves.

“I always struggle when there’s a really hard climb at the start, so I just tried to manage it. At the top, I was in the second group of five. The leaders were always within about 30 seconds, but sometimes we could see them, and sometimes we couldn’t.”

Tiffany explains how the race unfolded after the field had exploded into pieces just four kilometres in, following the brutal start.

“I had a good group, and we were working well together. Step by step, we started to close the gap, and then about halfway through the race, we caught the leaders. Right after that, Melisa Rollins, who was in the front group, started attacking on a few climbs. I would have been happy to have a rest at that moment, but it didn’t happen, and luckily I could match her efforts.”

“From there, it was down to seven of us, and we eventually became a group of four – two from the lead group and two from behind. We were working quite well together, but I could see a couple starting to struggle. On one particular fire track, I decided to push a little harder, taking the lead to get the lines and putting some pressure on. That’s when we dropped another rider, leaving just three of us.”

“I knew Melisa was looking the strongest and was really wanting to race today. The third rider started skipping turns while yet again, Melisa was the main instigator, attacking here and there. She put in a move on one of the climbs, which I was able to match, and from there, it was just the two of us. I thought to myself, ‘alright, let’s go’, and we rode really well together after that.”

“She was definitely looking at me in the last 20km when we were reaching some of the last climbs. I was thinking, ‘do I want to attack now, or just play it cool?’ In the end, I played it more conservatively, and decided to try and wait for the sprint. Then, with 3km to go, there was a short climb where we both almost attacked each other, but we were pretty evenly matched.”

In the final stretch, I used some of my race-craft that I still have as an advantage over some of the other gravel riders who aren’t so used to bunch racing or sprinting. The finish was really bumpy for around 500 metres, and she attacked first before the corner. I managed to match her, come underneath, and got through the corner first. From there, I just put the power down and luckily opened up a small gap to take the win.”

With that, Tiffany claimed victory in her very own event, impressively besting a breakout star of the 2024 American off-road scene in a one-on-one battle. The win gave her a confidence boost, reaffirming that she’s exactly where physically she needs to be at this point in the season.

“It’s always nice when the legs turn up, and with each race and all the training, I can feel my form improving. I’m looking forward to being back on the road with the team this Sunday, and doing it all again. But yeah, first gravel win of the season – happy days! 

Additionally, Tiffany was thrilled to see the strong turnout for the event, with approximately 600 participants. She emphasised that the goal of RADL GRVL was to create an enjoyable, community-driven gravel race.

“It’s all about good vibes. People really love the course, and that’s what we’re aiming for – to create a great gravel event that keeps the fun alive, especially as the sport is becoming more serious and competitive. At the end of the day, enjoyment is what it’s all about.”

One week after the Tour Down Under, and with just one day of rest following RADL GRVL, Tiffany’s focus now shifts to the Schwalbe Women’s One-Day Classic (1.Pro), a race featuring 20 laps of a 4.5km circuit in downtown Adelaide.

The squad remains unchanged from the previous week, with Chloé Dygert, Neve Bradbury, Maike van der Duin, Maria Martins, and Alice Towers all lining up alongside Cromwell once again.

Facebook

Twitter