Cycling Australia has confirmed a new event will be added to the bumper week of racing in Ballarat and Buninyong during January next year.
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The inaugural fixed gear titles will be conducted as part of the 2019 Cycling Australia Road National Championships carnival.
The Fixed Gear National Championships will take place on Friday, January 4 and be held on a modified version of the Sturt St criterium course in the Ballarat central business district.
This new event joins the Schools Team Time Trial and the Club Team Championships as new features of the 2019 carnival.
Fixed gear bikes have no freewheel mechanism and the pedals are directly coupled to the wheel. This means a rider cannot coast without pedalling.
Top fixed gear rider Leeana James said the national titles had been “a long time coming”.
“Nothing can compare to the excitement and energy of a fixed gear crit - pedalling through corners at high speed, the adrenaline rush of riding in a brakeless bunch and the sound of cowbells at every turn,” James said.
The fixed gear event helps kick off the Cycling Australia Road National Championships, which have been scheduled between January 4-8.
Australia’s best under-19, under-23, elite, para and club cyclists will battle for the coveted green and gold national champions jerseys in the criterium, road race and time trial events.
The five-day festival of cycling also boasts a number of participation and community events, which are highlighted by the Gran Fondo.
Ballarat’s Shannon Malseed produced a memorable result at the national championships early this year by winning the elite women’s road race.
