CYCLING doyen Phil Liggett says Buninyong’s notoriously tough climb plays a key role in the national championships’ longevity in this city.
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The repeat uphill battle in a lapped course sorts out the top elite riders from those purely world class.
Mr Liggett has attended every Cycling Australia road nationals based in Ballarat, an initial two in 2003-04 and every one the past decade since the championships’ return in 2007. Cycling commentary has taken the Englishman all over the world but predominantly the United Kingdom, United States, South Africa and a bumper Australian summer of cycling.
Ballarat has broken the mould. I don't know of any other place in the world, really, that hosts the national championships every year.
- Phil Liggett
He said Ballarat truly feels like the home of Australian cycling – and that was unusual for a sport in which most nations tend to change their championship course yearly.
“Ballarat has broken the mould. I don’t know of any other place in the world, really, that hosts the national championships every year,” Mr Liggett said. “...(Buninyong) brings out the strengths of the top cyclists. Just look at the list of winners we’ve had – Jack Bobridge, Simon Gerrans, Rohan Dennis – all have done well on this course.
“On a flat couse, you can slip stream and conserve energy for a sprint finish, but on a course like this you’ve got to use all your energy.”
Ballarat Regional Tourism and City of Ballarat are in early negotiations with Cycling Australia to activate an option to extend the event contract beyond 2017. Strong competition is shaping up from other cities hungry to host the nationals. Mr Liggett said it was hard to pinpoint what Ballarat could do better to secure the championships long-term. Crowds, hype, appreciation for the sport boomed more each year.
Known worldwide as the ‘Voice of Cycling’, Mr Liggett was humbled how Buninyong and Ballarat residents welcomed him each year with open arms. He said cyclists also felt at home here.
“I was buying groceries in Buninyong, on my way into Ballarat one year, and a lady just nodded to me and said ‘that time of year again’...it was nice,” Mr Liggett said. “It really is that time of year again in Buninyong.”