There’s plenty of cycling highlights around the world, but Ballarat is lucky enough to claim one.
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The Cycling Australia Road National Championships begin today with the criterium, before the road race in Buninyong across the weekend and the time trials on Monday and Tuesday.
Australian cycling commentator Matt Keenan will be back in town for an event he looks forward to every year.
WATCH THE 2018 ACTION HERE
He took over the high-profile SBS Tour de France commentating gig from legends Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin with three-time green jersey winner Robbie McEwen in 2017, and will provide the coverage for this year’s RoadNats as well, online and on television.
“For a lot of national championships and world championships, they go to a different venue each year, but coming back to Ballarat each year feels like the V8s at Bathurst or the Boxing Day Test or the Australian Open - it’s a tradition,” he said.
“That hill, for a lot of cyclists it’s their big day out, it’s like going to the cricket with their friends, and recreating that atmosphere at the Tour de France.”
WATCH THE 2017 ACTION BELOW
The famous Mt Buninyong course is respected internationally, and Mr Keenan said the strength was the unpredictability, as while it had a fearsome climb, winning would always come down to strategy.
“Any time of rider can win there,” he said.
“You can get most types of riders able to win on that course, and the beauty is, you don’t get any lucky winners.
“You can’t fluke a win at Mt Buninyong.”
Today’s criterium is “like twenty20 cricket”, he added.
“You can see them the whole way around the course,” he said.
“It’s close up with some of the best cyclists in the world.
“There’s Amanda Spratt, number three in the world, racing in Ballarat.”
He pulls no punches about the course, with its dangerous uphill finish.
“Everybody in Ballarat knows Sturt Street - it’s easy to ride your bike up once, but not 40 times,” he said grimly.
Racing begins at 11am today.
- See today’s copy of The Courier for a RoadNats liftout that includes every cyclist’s name and race number, as well as maps and times for each race, and details on community events.
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