Australia’s women’s squad for the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda has been forced into a reshuffle, with the withdrawal of Neve Bradbury from the elite road race offset by the late inclusion of 19-year-old Talia Appleton in the under-23 line-up. The changes show both the promise of the nation’s emerging talent and the frustrations of seeing established medal contenders sidelined.
Appleton, from Victoria’s Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club, has been rewarded for her podium finish at the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes in August, where she placed third overall against riders with WorldTour pedigree. It was the defining ride of her young career, and it convinced selectors to exercise discretion beyond the initial cut-off date. The Rwandan parcours – 119 kilometres and 2,400 metres of climbing – is a natural fit for her climbing strength. “Talia’s recent results speak for themselves,” said Jesse Korf, AusCycling’s Executive General Manager of Performance. “Her performances at the Tour de l’Avenir were simply world-class.”
Photo Credit: Sprint Cycling AgencyHer selection means Australia will now field a full U23 quartet of Appleton, Alli Anderson, Mackenzie Coupland and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden. The latter, the junior time trial world champion in 2023, brings proven ability on the international stage. Coupland also rode strongly alongside Appleton at the Avenir, finishing ninth overall. Between them, this is a team capable of shaping the first-ever standalone U23 women’s World Championship road race.
For Bradbury, the news is far less positive. Illness has ruled her out of the 164.6km elite road race, just as she was building towards a targeted end to her season. The 2024 U23 Worlds silver medallist and Giro d’Italia Women podium finisher had returned to competition at the Maryland Classic, raising hopes that she would be ready for Rwanda’s mountainous profile with 3,350 metres of elevation. Instead, her absence follows the earlier blow of Sarah Gigante’s broken femur, leaving Australia without its two best climbers.
Both Bradbury and Gigante had shown in recent seasons they could match the very best on uphill terrain, making them realistic medal threats on a route of this difficulty. Without them, the focus inevitably shifts to Amanda Spratt. The 37-year-old, twice a Worlds road race medallist and herself a Giro podium finisher, will lead a reduced five-rider squad alongside Ruby Roseman-Gannon, Brodie Chapman, Lauretta Hanson and Alexandra Manly. Spratt’s experience is vast, but the team has lost both depth and tactical flexibility.
Appleton’s promotion provides some consolation. Her performances at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race earlier this season, and on Australian climbs such as Willunga Hill and Campbells Pocket Rd, had already marked her out as a talent. The Tour de l’Avenir result proved she can deliver when the terrain is at its hardest. With her place in Rwanda secured, she will gain invaluable experience and could emerge as one of the breakthrough riders of the championships.
The U23 women’s race takes place on 25th September, with the elite women’s road race following two days later. For Australia, the contrast could hardly be clearer – one squad bolstered by fresh ambition, another weakened by untimely withdrawals. Both will have to adapt quickly to the demands of Rwanda’s unforgiving climbs.
