Major championships in three different formats are looming on the Tasmanian cycling calendar.
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Road, gravel and mountain bike riders are gearing up for the events in all three regions of the state.
The Tasmanian Time Trial State Championships will be held on the undulating roads around Gunns Plains on Saturday, May 11.
Hosted by Mersey Valley Devonport Cycling Club from 11am, the event has categories for under-11s (four kilometres), under-13s (8km), under-15s (10km), under-17s (15km), under-19s and masters (20km) and elite seniors (30km).
The previous day, Friday, May 11, will see the Tasmanian All-Schools Mountain Bike Championships hosted by Hobart Wheelers Dirt Devils Cycling Club at the Glenorchy Mountain Bike Park.
The event will be split into the three age divisions of under-15 (Grades 7 and 8), under-17 (Grades 9 and 10) and under-19 (Grades 11 and 12).
Meanwhile, Derby is again set to host the AusCycling Gravel National Championships.
Also called the Devil's Cardigan, the event is contested over 106km with a short-course version available of 54km.
It is being held on June 22-23.
European commitments
Launceston cyclists Georgia Baker and Nicole Frain have been in the thick of the action on the European pro circuit.
Baker is riding the week-long Vuelta Espana Femenina where her best result has been seventh in the 16km individual time trial around Valencia.
The 29-year-old has also been competing extensively around Belgium for Liv AlUla Jayco as she uses the WorldTour road season to prepare for a possible third Olympic Games track campaign in Paris.
Meanwhile, "Consistent but wanting more," was Frain's assessment on Instagram after finishes of 28th and 22nd in two one-day races in Luxembourg this week.
Next up for the 31-year-old former national road race champion and her Hess team will be the 10th running of La Classique Morbihan one-day race over 114.7km.
Launceston's Hamish McKenzie is contesting the seven-stage Tour de Bretagne in France.
Also riding for Liv AlUla Jayco, the 19-year-old came 32nd in the 192.5km sixth stage from Saint-Onen-La-Chapelle to Louvigné-Du-Désert to sit 93rd overall.
McKenzie has also raced in Croatia, Italy and Belgium so far this season.
Tasmanians Sam McKee, Jack Schouten and Dalton Stretton were all in the BridgeLane team which contested the five-stage Tour du Loir et Cher in France in April.
Marathon task ahead
Hobart's Olympic mountain biker Scott Bowden will be chasing a podium spot at the AusCycling Marathon National Championships.
Having finished fourth at last year's titles, the 29-year-old knows how tough the trails of Pomingalarna Reserve in Wagga Wagga can be.
"I'm feeling excited to race in Wagga again, on what I believe to be a course that provides exciting racing," Bowden said.
"I always like to race for the win but am also realistic that there are a lot of guys fitting in a lot more hours of training than me and you can get found out pretty quick over a 100km MTB race. I just hope to find myself at the front deep into the race and then who knows.
"I really like that the course has a bit of everything. Lots of single track but also a good amount of fire trail to drink and eat, and I really enjoyed the BMX track section, and the finish on the velodrome, Paris Roubaix style is a nice touch."
Among those also lining up in the elite men's race on May 4-5 is Launceston's reigning cross-country national champion Cameron Ivory.
Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
