06.01.2026 World-Tour, Continental, News, Race news

SAVVY AUSSIE TRIO SET FOR ROAD NATIONALS

Three CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto riders will line up in the opening races of the 2026 international road calendar at the AusCycling Road National Championships, taking place in Perth from January 8-11.

Neve Bradbury and Tiffany Cromwell will compete in both Friday’s criterium and Sunday’s road race, while Generation rider Emily Dixon will join them for the road race. Nineteen-year-old Dixon is also eligible for the U23 category and will race Thursday’s U23 individual time trial.

For the second consecutive year, the championships will be held in the isolated, far-western city of Perth. The time trials take place on a flowing, beachside 9.8 kilometre loop featuring two gradual climbs and 109 metres of elevation per lap; U23 and elite women complete three laps in total. Racing then heads to an electric 1.2km criterium circuit near the heart of Perth, where six corners add a technical element to a high-speed, fierce contest.

The road race will be staged in the comparatively tranquil inner-city setting of Kings Park, although the racing itself will be anything but calm. The 13.6km circuit snakes through greenery, with short but potentially decisive climbs late in the lap. A punchy climber may find an opportunity to escape, a resilient sprinter could hang on, or a daring breakaway rider might profit from uncooperative peloton dynamics, as seen in last year’s race.

CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto has never before fielded all of its Australian riders together at the fashionably early National Championships. Hear from Neve, Tiffany and Emily about racing on home soil.

Neve Bradbury

– Since returning to Australia, how have your pre-season preparations been progressing?

“Pre-season has been productive on and off the bike. I’ve had some medical things to sort out, but I’m enjoying being on the bike and getting some fitness from local criterium races.”

– What are you hoping to take away from racing Nationals this year?

“I hope to start the year off well at Nationals and get amongst the action. Nationals is always a weird race with bigger trade teams and individuals, so you have to have a bit of luck on your side.”

– How does Nationals fit into the broader picture of your 2026 season?

“Nationals isn’t a goal of mine but I decided to race because I think it’s a good heart starter for Tour Down Under. My sister is going too and I’ve never been to Perth, so it will be a bit of fun.”

Tiffany Cromwell

– What are you hoping to get out of racing at Nationals?

“Nationals is always a good opener for the season. I was in two minds about whether to do it or not, but then when Neve said that she was making the trip across, I was like, ‘alright, if I have teammates, I’ll do it’, and Perth’s a nice city, and it’s a nice course. We have Emily as well, so having a three rider team will maybe make the race more fun, but I’m just looking for some good, hard racing before Tour Down Under.”

– You raced the inaugural Perth Nationals last season – what did you learn about the road race dynamics on this parcours?

“Obviously on a new course, no one really knew what to expect. What we learned was that it’s a hard course to chase on. With the way that the wind can be or how it was last year, the only point where you really could make a difference was the climb to the finish, but then it was a headwind so that almost cancelled the climb out. With the break going early, I think we all realised that we messed up and like always, the pro riders will look at each other, move when they all move and cancel each other out. So this year, I think everybody will want to be in the early break, or it will just be very aggressive but keep cancelling itself out because everybody learnt from last year.”

– How can the CSz trio best approach the race to achieve a strong result?

“As I said, it’s very hard to chase, especially when you have like 10 Jayco [Team Liv AlUla Jayco] riders and their development team, but we have a strong little team. We just need a hard and aggressive race because if it comes to kind of a sprint, we’re not necessarily the fastest and I don’t think the climb is hard enough for Neve to really make a difference. I think we just need to try to create a move and get a nice breakaway.”

Emily Dixon

– You showed strong form at the Tour of Bright in early December – how are you feeling heading into Nationals?

“Coming away from Tour of Bright gave me confidence that I can race smart and that my form isn’t as bad after off-season as I thought it might be. I’m really looking to be able to test where my legs are at after a solid block of training, and ahead of European racing.”

– What are your goals for the championships this year?

“I am honestly not too sure where I stand in the nationals field, especially for the time trial as I didn’t do it last year, but I’d really like to give it my best shot and see what I can do. It’s hard coming into nationals not in my peak form, but I guess you can’t peak for everything, and ultimately the 2026 European racing season is the most important for me this year. But still, it’s nationals and of course I want to do my best and give it my all. I am really looking forward to giving it a crack and seeing how it all goes!”

HOW TO FOLLOW – AusCycling Road National Championships 2026

Criterium | Friday, January 09 | Northbridge | 50 mins + 2 laps | Start: 16:00 – 16:55 AWST. LIVE from 14:30 AWST.

Live coverage will be available via SBS Sport, Kayo and Fox Sports (road race only) in Australia, and on FloBikes internationally. Follow along on social media using #RoadNats26 and via CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto channels for team updates.

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