RoadNats 2023: Liggett, Bentley on Ballarat's cycling culture

The world-renowned commentator, now working with American broadcaster NBC Sports, missed the past two years of the AusCycling Road National Championships due to pandemic restrictions.

He has watched Ballarat and Buninyong develop a cycling culture and become the nation's home of road cycling - a feat that has taken 17 consecutive years.

"The thing about promoting any sport, particularly cycling, is selling it to the public and give them something to do," Mr Liggett said. "There's a great deal in community ownership if they all take part - you've got to give the spectators reason for being there."

RoadNats, particularly the elite races in Buninyong, has evolved from separate race days to a Super Sunday led by para-athletes and with big screens in Warrenheip Street offering a taste of the coverage being beamed internationally.

Mr Liggett arrived in Buninyong via helicopter and said it was amazing seeing the whole course for himself from above.

Up close to the action by the finish line, City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said it was a thrill for spectators to see the peloton and feel the rush of air that follows the athletes.

Cr Hudson said this has become part of Ballarat's history now for 17 years.

The City has continued to develop activations, including a free community movie night, themed coffee cups and this year adding a community loop ride taking families to criterium action in Sturt Street.

"Cycling is a sport you don't have to understand to enjoy - and I am a novice at it," Cr Hudson said. "There's a lot more you can enjoy when it is here."

City of Ballarat's existing contract to host RoadNats is almost up and negotiations are underway to try and lock RoadNats here for longer.

Wollongong, which hosted world championship road racing this year, is a potential contender.

Federation University vice-chancellor Duncan Bentley said Ballarat and Buninyong had so much invaluable experience, including visitor activation and community involvement, which could be hard to cultivate in the short term.

Professor Bentley said community activities and a festival flavour accompanying the sport was vital to hosting a major event such as the Commonwealth Games, of which Ballarat will be a co-host in 2026.

FedUni's Brisbane-based academic Alana Thomson has been studying the build-up to major events, in particular the importance of crowd participation.

Professor Bentley said the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games were disappointingly short in this factor but he saw firsthand the difference activation could make in the Birmingham Games last year - and this was what Ballarat did so well for cycling.

"One thing about Birmingham was they really wanted family involvement in the Games," Professor Bentley said.

"We've had heaps of kids with parents here in Buninyong for a movie night, people riding the Gran Fondo, our university has a tent at the roundabout [on the Buninyong course] for physical performance testing on how fast people can cycle and offering tips to get better.

"The Commonwealth Games only go for two weeks but it's about all the other elements in the long-term. We've got all the facilities but it's about how important it is to the local community."

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Professor Bentley said RoadNats allows the university's sports science experts to work closely with high-performance athletes such as para-cyclist Christian Ashby and 2022 elite women's road race champion Nicole Frain.

But it was also about how to put a stronger focus on regional Victoria, especially western Victoria, and what matters in Ballarat and beyond.

This was a chance when national and international cameras were focused on Ballarat and Professor Bentley said we could not underestimate what this offered.

Meanwhile, Mr Liggett was confident he would be back in Buninyong next year. Partial to a ride on the course while visiting, he has been sidelined with an injury but remained keen to get back on the bike and tackle our climb.

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