Grace Brown is a tough act to observe within the time trial, having bowed out with an Olympic Gold medal and world title within the self-discipline, however the nation with an extended historical past of highly effective riders within the race in opposition to the clock has a transparent inheritor obvious in new Australian champion Brodie Chapman (UAE Group ADQ).
The 33-year-old, who has to this point carved out an eight-year profession in skilled biking as a valued domestique, began out her profession alongside Brown with the duo crossing over at home squad Holden Group Gusto earlier than they each launched into the world {of professional} biking. They lined up for his or her first World Championships collectively in 2018 and have been additionally roommates for Brown’s final, the place she turned the primary Australian lady to seize the elite time trial rainbow stripes, however within the coming years, there may be hope one other may very well be added.
Chapman might have been within the shadow of Brown prior to now however now she’s stepped into the complete glare of the highlight, strolling into the Perth time trial on the AusCycling Road National Championships because the favorite regardless of a bout of bronchitis within the run-in.
“It is a fairly cool feeling,” Chapman instructed Cyclingnews. “I suppose you may positively take it one among two methods. Be like, ‘Oh no, the stress’s on’. I feel a youthful me might need felt that method, however I simply see it as such a privilege – how cool to enter the nationwide championships, one thing that I appeared as much as for therefore lengthy, and to be really focused because the favorite.”
“You’re feeling such as you need to strut round slightly bit,” mentioned Chapman, firmly tongue in cheek and laughing as she chatted over the telephone on Thursday night after laying all of it out on the road on the 38.4km course round Daring Park.
That favorite standing was vindicated, as Chapman sealed her development up the time trial ranks in Australia, shifting from third on her first try in 2023, to second in 2024 – simply seven seconds behind Brown regardless of some gear points alongside the way in which – and at last, first in 2025
Objective achieved, because the rider now provides the time trial title to her 2023 highway race win, but it surely feels way more of a starting than an finish for Chapman, who set her sights on working her method into the self-discipline a couple of years in the past.
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“Actually you are like, ‘Okay, I’ve executed that, now I simply need to get higher, what’s subsequent?’ And clearly, the European competitors is a complete additional huge degree, and you have got time trials in stage races, and you have got the World Championships the place each single particular person on the time trial there may be of their high type,” mentioned Chapman.
“So I feel that the following step is making an attempt to be in keeping with my time trial in Europe, with the intention to be chosen for the World Championships after which show that I could be a contender there.”
The trident of expertise, gear and alternative
The final Highway World Championships have been an essential step in that journey. Chapman bought a style of what it was prefer to put on a rainbow jersey as a key part of Australia’s winning Team Time Trial Mixed Relay squad and as Brown’s roommate she bought to see at shut vary what it takes to succeed in the highest step on the particular person time trial – “she’s simply such a all the way down to earth particular person, and so willingly shares her expertise and recommendation.”
Nonetheless, it wasn’t all clean crusing with eleventh place not the end result Chapman hoped for within the particular person contest.
“Clearly, it left a little bit of a little bit of a bittersweet style in my mouth that particular person time trial final 12 months, simply because I had technological points – I did not have a pc and my radio dropped out after which I additionally let that get to me mentally a bit,” she mentioned, talking from Perth.
“I nonetheless assume I executed a extremely good race, however now I do know I’ve superior gear and a complete different 12 months of expertise going into it as properly.”
The time trial leaning was certainly a consider Chapman’s decision to switch to her new team, UAE Team ADQ, this season.
One purpose was persevering with to work in help of reigning Giro winner Elisa Longo Borghini – “she’s an absolute pleasure to journey for, and he or she makes everyone round her a greater rider as properly” – one other was her respect for the way in which the group races after which, importantly, was the truth that additionally they not solely supported her private ambition to pursue the time trial however clearly may supply her the gear and know-how she wanted to take it up one other degree.
“I’ve to say that it made an enormous distinction, the truth that virtually immediately after I would completed my season in October they took me straight to Agile in Switzerland and spent a complete day doing bike becoming, aero testing, gear testing,” mentioned Chapman.
“I already felt so assured to have them be like, ‘yep, we actually consider that you are able to do this’ so then I used to be in a position to practice on superior gear, primarily, all the way in which main into the race.”
Chapman immediately repaid the trouble by claiming the inexperienced and gold jersey on her very first outing with the group, simply as Jay Vine did on his first Nationwide Championships time trial foray after he switched to the lads’s UAE Group Emirates squad in 2023.
“It’s definitely an excellent begin to the 12 months,” mentioned Chapman. “I feel it conjures up the entire group to begin off with the win, it simply makes me extra excited to proceed the trajectory with my teammates, understanding there is a massive season forward. There was a lot invested within the ladies’s group this 12 months that it is genuinely actually thrilling to be like, ‘What can we do?’”
Within the brief time period, Chapman shall be heading again to Europe, foregoing the remainder of the Australian season and focussing on key targets slightly later within the 12 months, from Strade Bianche to that Rwanda Highway World Championships. The race for the rainbow stripes in Africa has lengthy been on her radar, a lot so that when upon a time it was quietly marked as the purpose the place she needed to race onto, however her eye is about additional on the horizon now as there are nonetheless loads of challenges to chase within the seasons forward and targets which might be beginning to look more and more inside attain.
“I would prefer to win a World Tour race or stage I imply I’ve solely been on one WorldTour podium, and that was the Giro time trial final 12 months, in order that’s one thing that will really feel actually good,” mentioned Chapman.
“Additionally, I feel it isn’t loopy to purpose for the World Championship stripes – if I can execute as finest I can. You do not need to put it out of your thoughts and assume it isn’t potential.
“After which I’ve, clearly thought of what if I may make it to the LA 2028 Olympics? I imply, I am not going to drive myself to push on if I do not need to only for that specific purpose, but it surely’s definitely type of slightly fleck floating round up there.”
