Amber Pate clinched her second elite women’s criterium title at the Australian Road National Championships in Perth, dominating the race after breaking away early alongside 19-year-old Keira Will, who secured the under-23 title.
The pair attacked on the technical 1.2km Northbridge circuit within ten minutes of the start, quickly distancing the field. Attempts by Amanda Spratt and Alex Manly to close the gap proved futile as the duo extended their lead beyond a minute. Liv AlUla Jayco teammates in the bunch helped maintain the advantage by controlling the chasers.
Pate later attacked Will on the back straight, riding solo to the finish on Francis Street, celebrating her second elite criterium victory.
“I’m stoked. It’s just awesome to have this with the team as well, and it is a team effort because when I’m off the front, the team are doing a lot of stuff in the bunch to make it happen,” Pate told SBS post-race.
“We come into these races to win, and I thought, let’s crack on early because it’ll help the team, it’ll help the race, and through the corners in the bunch, it’s hard regardless of how slow or fast you’re going.
“I had a great breakaway partner with me, Keira, who’s now the under-23 champ, and we were an awesome team. She’s a fantastic little rider. After about five minutes, I said to Keira, ‘We’re here to win, let’s make it happen,’ which means you’ve got to work all day, and we both worked really hard all day.”
Will finished 19 seconds behind Pate, securing second overall and the under-23 jersey. The bunch sprinted for third after the race was shortened due to the break threatening to lap the field, with Maeve Plouffe taking the final podium spot.
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Photo Credit: AusCyclingSam Welsford delivers home Perth victory in elite men’s criterium
Sam Welsford thrilled Perth crowds by taking the elite men’s criterium title at the 2025 AusCycling Road National Championships. The Olympic track champion held off Cameron Scott and Blake Quick in a thrilling sprint finish to secure his second elite criterium crown, five years after his first.
Racing under floodlights on the fast and technical Northbridge circuit, Welsford weathered relentless attacks from the CCACHE x Bodywrap team, with Tali Lane Welsh and Liam Walsh launching aggressive moves early on. The hometown favourite stayed composed, positioning himself perfectly in the final laps.
“I was pretty nervous today. I was just visualising how the finish would be, exactly how I wanted to do it,” Welsford said after his victory.
“I think it just means a lot to me being here in WA, having a home Nationals. I mean, you saw the home support, it was amazing out there. I could hear my name every lap. It makes a huge difference to me.
“The CCACHE boys are really strong; they did their best to try and get away from me. They had a really strong team out there, hats off to those boys. Cam Scott running second to me – he is a close friend to me on the track as well, so always nice to see them do well. They took it to me and made me really, really work for it.”
With two laps remaining, Western Australian favourite Luke Durbridge launched a solo attack, igniting cheers from the crowd. However, the sprinters closed him down, and Welsford powered through the final corners to take the win ahead of Scott and Quick.
Early estimates put the crowd at 20,000, creating a charged atmosphere on Perth’s streets as the national championships brought cycling to Western Australia for the first time.
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Main photo credit: AusCycling
