National Road Cycling Championships

Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, QLD, September 9-15, 2002

Event program and results

Preview

By Anthony Tan

Some of you may be asking: 'Didn't Australia already have their National Championships?'

And you would be right in asking. They were the Australian Open Championships in January this year that were held in Ballarat, Victoria. Robbie McEwen took out the men's road race, allowing him the privilege of "showing off the green and gold" to the rest of his Euro buddies for the next 12 months. However this race was open to elite and professional level riders only.

The National Road Cycling Championships (NRCC) on the other hand, are open to anyone who is a member of a cycling club affiliated with Australian cycling's governing body, Cycling Australia. This year they're in Mooloolabah on Queensland's Sunshine Coast - a wonderfully scenic beachside town about an hour's drive from Brisbane.

The NRCC are an initiative of Cycling Australia, and its purpose is to allow aspiring athletes of all ages to compete at a national level.

Not everyone who rides a bicycle will get a gig in the Tour de France, yet almost everyone that races has dreamed about doing so. To be able to feel the pressure, the pain and the glory that is associated with a large-scale event like Le Tour is, according to its participants, an unforgettable experience.

Well what's my point?

My point is that the National Road Cycling Championships are a big deal. It enables participants to fulfil their dreams, to bond with like-minded people (for some, with the aid of alcohol), and most importantly, to go away somewhere different and have loads of fun.

So let's PARTY (and race too)!!