Young Tasmanians share time trial glory with Australia's road cycling elite

Brown, from Camperdown, was in a class of her own as she covered the 28.6km course at Mt Helen more than one minute quicker than any of her rivals on the first day of the Fed Uni AusCycle Road National Championships on Wednesday.

Amber Pate, SA, claimed silver, with Victorian Lisa Jacob third.

The event belonged clearly to Brown though as she made a return to the top of the podium.

Brown first won the title in 2019.

However, she ran into a road block in 2020 and 2021, having to settle for second behind boom youngster Sarah Gigante.

There was no Gigante to deal with this time and Brown's class shone through as averaged 41.37km/h.

Brown reinforced her standing as one of the best female road time trial riders in the world last year with a fourth at the Tokyo Olympics.

This is the perfect start to a year which features the world road championships in Australia and an ideal way to show off her new team colours, having moved to a new UCI WorldTeam in FDJ Nouvelle-Aquataine Futuroscope.

The win also puts her in good stead for the road race at Buninyong on Sunday.

She finished second to Sarah Roy in the event last year.

"I really wanted to get this for FDJ.

"I think a lot of people were expecting me to win it as well, so it's nice to have that done now. It was a pretty hard race, actually; it didn't come easy. I'm proud of the effort and happy to have the jersey for the year.

"I know that a lot of girls have been working really hard at the time trial. I was ready for some good competition today. I think I think it's great how good the field was today and the pressure that I felt as well," Brown said.

LIKE Brown, South Australian Rohan Dennis returned to the top of the podium in his favourite road discipline.

The two-time world champion was a clear-cut winner of the men's elite time trial, the finale to the first of five days of national championships in Ballarat.

He averaged just shy of 50kmh over 37.5km - 49.39km/h.

Dennis renewed his long-standing rivalry with Western Australia's Luke Durbridge in the event, but the result never looked in doubt.

Durbridge was second, 73.13 seconds adrift of Dennis.

Conor Leahy from WA took the bronze medal with Dennis and Durbridge head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

"It's been a good two years since I've been back in Australia and it's always good to win nationals," Dennis said.

"It's never easy as I've shown both times when I was world champion.

"I couldn't win. It's always about who can really prepare properly and everyone brings their A-game in January, so it's always one of the hardest ones to win in Australia.

"I'm just glad I got through unscathed. It's been obviously a long two years. I hadn't seen my family for two years and you don't realise how much you need to fill that cup back up.

'So, even though I find Europe home at the moment because everything I have at home is there, Australia still has a lot of meaning to me," he said.

For Dennis it was his first national road time title in four years.

He now has four - the same number as Durbridge - after previously winning in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

They are one behind Queenslander Nathan O'Neill, who won his first in 2002.

Durbridge has now finished second two years in a row.

There was no hiding the delight on the face of Dennis, with him wearing a broad grin in his new distinctive yellow racing colours.

The 31-year-old is now riding with WorldTour team Jumbo Visma, having stated his new squad is technically better than his previous European outfit.

MEANWHILE, Carter Turnbull has gone back-to-back in the men's under-23 time trial at the Fed Uni AusCycling Road National Championships in Ballarat on Wednesday

He defended his title on a 28.6km course by a convincing 37.68 seconds.

Matt Dinham (NSW) chased home the Victorian, while South Australian Zac Marriage had to settle for another minor medal at the road nationals.

Marriage finished second in the under-19 criterium and road race last year.

This is Turnbull's third medal in the event, having collected the under-23 bronze medal in 2020.

A second national gold medal confirms Turnbull's standing as a rising star in Australian cycling.

The St Kilda Cycling Club rider represented Australia the time trial in world under-23 championships last year after competing at that level as a junior in a road race, and will now be looking to a third worlds at Wollongong later this year.

Anya Louw from Devonport in Tasmania won the women's under-23 time trial title.

BALLARAT district riders collected medals in time trials on Wednesday: