2021 QLD State Road Race Championships & QRTS Round 3

Well what a weekend for our ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast riders!

Things kicked off to a strong start on Saturday at the 2021 QLD State Road Race Championships with Anya Louw claiming the title for the U23 women, Declan Trezise in the U23 men and Issy Carnes in the U19.

On Sunday was Round 3 of the Queensland Road Team Series and first up was the Teams Time Trial followed by the Crit.

2021 QLD State Road Race Championships:

For the U23 men Declan made the break of the day with Ryan and after a successful late attack Declan managed to cross the line in second place to secure a spot on the podium but also the U23 men’s title.

In the Elite, Oli rode from the bunch with the strongest climbers and won the sprint to cross the line for second place.

Like the men’s race the woman’s was aggressive over the last climb a split happened with Anya isolated, Ruth Corset got away with Anya winning the reduced bunch sprint behind.

Queensland Road Team Series Round 3:

The QRTS Round 3 also took place on Sunday and the day started off with an extremely hilly and quite technical team time trial, with the ladies rolling out first. They attacked the course on road bikes, used their bullets wisely and managed to cross the line just over a minute in front of the next best team, Solaris. 

This set the tone of the day, and having Alex Martin-Wallace back on the Coast was a huge asset leading into the final race of the weekend, the Crit. Alex however was not alone, and with the help of Anya, Cassia and Issy keeping the bunch together, and Holly keeping the pace high as the final laps closed in, Alex was able to wipe the floor in the sprint finish, with Holly rolling across the line in 3rd place. 

The men’s Teams Time Trial was on the same course as the ladies’, and our six guys elected to ride their road bikes on the hilly’er than normal course. Coming up against the Gold Coast team on their time trial bikes, and some of the biggest engines in SEQ was going to be a big effort, but we managed to pull together a smooth and selfless ride, and pip them on the line by a healthy 12 seconds. 

The men’s crit was the last event of the weekend, and the motivation was definitely there to round out an already lucrative weekend. Attacks went early, with nothing left unmanned, but it was Zack and Ryan who got away and represented in the winning group of 4. 

The situation splintered in the closing laps, with Ryan burning his last match and giving Zack the perfect launch pad to grab the win over Jesse Ewart on the line.

A massive congratulations to each of our riders, what an epic weekend and the results speak for themselves.