2024 was the year that Fergus Browning (Trinity Racing) rescued victory from the jaws of defeat at the Australian Road National Championships, winning the U23 road race title just the day after he hurt his shoulder and snapped his handlebars after being cut off during his last pre-race training ride.
Now the 21-year-old is again hoping his fortunes will quickly turn for the better as he tries to keep his racing career alive.
The rider from the western suburbs of Melbourne travelled to Europe in 2023, learning the ropes while racing with the Trinity Racing development team. Then in 2024 he won the Australian U23 national title and a first UCI win on stage 1 of the Tour de l’Ain.
“I had some amazing, amazing highs and obviously some big lows with COVID and quite a long illness with some iron issues, but I think I managed to probably outweigh the negatives with a lot of positives with a couple of wins and some podiums. It was a really good fun year with the team,” Browning told Cyclingnews earlier this month after lining up with two teammates at the Tour of Bright.
However, as beneficial as that experience has been, the three-stage race in Bright in Victoria’s High Country was a last opportunity to race in the colours of Trinity alongside some of his teammates in the squad, Joe Pidcock and Luke Tuckwell.
The news had filtered out late in the season that the British Continental team will close its road programme at the end of the year. Some riders were fortunate enough to have a smooth exit plan in place, like Tuckwell who has long been slated for the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe development team. For others, like Browning, the end left them in a perilous position.
“They're such a good team it is just such a pity that they're not continuing,” said Browning.
“They have been such a supportive team for Australians. I've learned so much literally from the first race I did with them, never having raced in Europe two or three years ago to now. I have learnt so much, off the bike as well.”
Browning may now be a far more experienced rider, competing with the green and gold stripes of a national champions jersey on his back and is coming out of a year where he clocked up considerable success, nevertheless, he is now left fighting the odds to find an opportunity once again.
“I haven’t given up and I'm still pushing and will keep pushing to try and find the right team for next year but obviously it's really hard this late in the year,” said Browning. “I definitely know I'm capable of riding in the World Tour. I just need the opportunity and need someone to take the gamble of signing me for the year.”
If that doesn’t happen before the rapidly approaching new season, Browning will need to take advantage of the opportunity to make a mark that the Australian summer of racing presents.
“The way things are,” he said in early December, “I will go all in for Nationals again, try and create a bit of exposure in January and go from there, for possibly a mid-year transfer or if I'm left racing in Australia, which is definitely a big possibility, I will definitely do the new ProVelo Super League.
"I think it would be a really good opportunity to try and get the stagiaire place out of it,” said Browning, referring to the Jayco-AlUla contract on offer for the U23 winner of the new national race series backed by Gerry Ryan.
