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Young sprinter Lucinda Stewart (Liv AlUla Jayco Continental) has taken a surprise victory in the elite women’s road race at the Australian Road Nationals in Perth.
Twenty-year-old Stewart, best known as the winner of the 2024 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic, outsprinted Ella Simpson (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) from a five-rider breakaway that got clear early in the race and held on to contest an unexpected victory. None of the race’s 10 WorldTour riders were in the winning breakaway.
With the elite and U23 women’s titles decided in the same race, Stewart leaves Perth as both the U23 and elite national champion – a feat not seen since Sarah Gigante managed the same in 2019.
With 95 km to go in the 109 km race – at the end of lap 1 of eight – a group of six riders got clear of the peloton. Simpson started the move, and was followed by Stewart, Sophia Sammons (Praties), Lauren Thomas, Cassia Boglio, and Katelyn Nicholson.
Thomas was dropped from the break near the end of lap 2, with the gap at around two minutes. The remaining five riders built a lead that extended to beyond five minutes, and that quickly proved insurmountable.
There were a few moves from the peloton to try to bridge to the leaders – Amber Pate (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) formed the most promising chase with 43 km to go – but ultimately the peloton had let the break get too much time.
On the final climb of the day, 800 metres from the line, Simpson got a gap on her breakaway companions with only Stewart able to follow. Stewart came around to take the victory with Simpson second and Boglio third.
Pate and Spratt came through for sixth and seventh – the first WorldTour riders at more than two minutes down – while the remnants of the peloton finished almost five minutes off the pace.
Quotes of the day
Speaking at the finish line, Stewart was as surprised as anyone to have won the green and gold jersey.
“I actually have no words. I can’t believe it. I just feel so proud to be in this team. And it sounds cliche, but it really does feel like home. And I just love these guys so much. I’m so proud that I could do it.”
Stewart had been hoping that Pate would make it across and that she could ride for her more experienced WorldTour teammate. But that didn’t happen.
“To be the only one in the break for my team, I knew I had to pull it off, and there was no other option.”
Liv AlUla Jayco sports director Gene Bates wasn’t shy in criticising the other big-name riders in the race.
“Probably a bit surprised from the other teams that they let it blow out that far, and that really just played into our hands in the end. So, couldn’t be happier.”
— Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental Team (@GreenEDGEWCT) January 12, 2025
Brief analysis
Australia’s Road Nationals are being held in Perth, Western Australia this year after more than 20 years in Buninyong, Victoria. The new course made for unfamiliar racing, with most riders seemingly not respecting the early break enough. The early move rarely had an impact on the elite women’s race at Road Nationals in Buninyong.
The Australian GreenEdge organisation – currently racing as Liv AlUla Jayco – always makes Road Nationals a goal, wanting to take the green and gold jersey back to Europe. They achieved that feat again this year, albeit with a rider from its Continental squad, meaning the national champ’s kit won’t be visible in the biggest races of the year.
Today’s race was Stewart’s first for the Liv AlUla Jayco Continental. She joined the development team for the 2025 season after two years with ARA-Skip Capital.
The Nationals road race is Stewart’s only race for the Australian summer. She heads over to Europe on Tuesday to meet her new teammates and kickstart her European season.
