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The inaugural event of Radl Grvl impressed with a healthy, sold-out turnout, including top-level gravel professionals, road riders and a good mix of enthusiastic amateurs across the age groups over a tough and picturesque course around McLaren Vale. It all ended in a mini-festival with presentations, food and celebrations in the vineyards, a fun romp in the valley completed.
The events were won by an attacking ride from Tasman Nankervis in the men’s and a yo-yoing ride from Brodie Chapman in the women’s after she battled back from mechanicals.
Nankervis escaped with a group of two others, Brendan ‘Trekky’ Johnston and Adam Blazevic, sprinting to the victory ahead of Johnston. The race scene was set by a fiery opening climb to the race split the field apart dramatically, though the top contenders largely reformed after the climb before it broke apart a bit again on Mt Magnificent, with the trio and Ruben Apers making it clear, before Apers dropped off the pace.
Nankervis led through the single-track section, his cross-country mountain-bike background coming in good use as the trio made their to the sprint, which came down to Johnston against Nankervis, with Nankervis coming from behind to take the victory.
“It feels bloody good,” said Nankervis. “I came in wanting a podium, but you have hope for every race and it just felt like I had no chain on today, awesome feelings.”
“A lot of steep climbs early on, and coming from a mountain-bike background that suits me really well. Kept thinning it out on those climbs, then a group of four of us went clear on the second and main climb halfway through. We just cooperated really well, we held a gap of 45 seconds most of the race, cohesion got lost behind us, and it went to a minute thirty.
“I reconned this last bit yesterday, and I just kept my nerve and sat behind Trekky in that last kilometre and made him lead it out. I’ve had a lot of sprint finishes against Trekky, every race we’ve ended up together and it’s always a good battle.”
Chapman held a big lead early in the women’s race, in the third group on the route with the men’s and women’s joint start. She dropped her chain after the first climb and got stuck in between groups for a while before the group containing the women’s chasers swept her up in the middle portion of the race.
The group thinned down in the run to the line, with the final sprint coming down to Chapman, Nicole Frain and American Heidi Franz, with Chapman powering to the line to take the victory, with Frain second and Franz third.
“I dropped my chain, that’s racing, I stopped and put it back on, but I was stuck out by myself. The a group of the strongest girls came through and we all worked together really well. The boys in the group were really driving the pace and you could see the depth of cycling here. These girls all rode the Tour Down Under and you could feel it in your legs.
“I was pretty stoked to take the win. It feels hard the entire time, it’s a very different dynamic to road racing and to mountain biking. The course designers were fantastic, I’m stoked for this event and hope it comes back next year.”
Race founder Tiffany Cromwell were encouraged by the inaugural outing of the event.
“As an event, I’m really happy. It seems everyone had a good time, the race was good and it came from all levels, even people riding around and having fun. Everyone’s been happy and that makes me happy.
“We knew we had a great course, with unique gravel, great views, but to hear it from the riders is what we like to hear.”
“This is just the start, the goal is to get bigger and better. It still is a pilot event, next year, we’ll try to get 1000 riders, multiple course lengths and do a similar movement to SBT Gravel and have it as one of the best gravel events in Australia, one of the premier gravel events in the world.”
The event was well-organised and set-up for the participants with the only down points a few potentially dangerous sections where the race crossed some busier country roads and riders having to take a lot of responsibility for their own safety crossing the road off a fast descent.
The other main feedback from some of the non-elite riders was that it was very hard, which might need to be taken into account when it comes to attracting the masses for the potential 1000-participant count being aimed for.
