U23 National Championships

Trent Morey and Aaron Eynaud competed in the U23 Australian Road Race championships on Saturday 7 January.  Racing against guys up to 2 years older and more experienced, they raced well on the tough course of Bunningyong.  With 109 riders racing for the honour of being Australian U23 champion, Trent finished 27th whilst Aaron finished 44th.  Well done to both of you.

Here is Trent’s report on how his day unfolded.

2012 represented the start of my second year in U23’s. After a solid ride in early December at Tour of Bright, I was confidant that I would be able to perform at the U23 National Road Race. But best laid plans don’t always eventuate quite how you expect. The race began well enough, the first few laps up Mt Bunningyong were tough but nothing particularly difficult.

As the race went on, Jayco-AIS took control, and by the half-way point were riding tempo on the front. The pace became rapid, and by the start of lap 9 (of 12) there were only about 40 riders, of over 120 starters, left in the main field. At the top, I got popped off the back. Somehow, I just didn’t have the firepower to push over the crest, and that was it.  I thought I’d done everything right: trained right, ate right, raced well up until that point. To finish 27th was not what I hoped for, but that’s just bike racing.

The eventual winner, Rohan Dennis, credited his Jayco-AIS teammates for his win. They rode a great race, and showed why they’re amongst the world’s best U23 riders. Racing against these guys is always tough, and I look forward to improving throughout the year and having another crack at ‘Nats’ next summer.