Ponderosa Pines – A new gravel race to decide the 2025 Australian national champions

Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Rebecca Henderson (Orbea Factory) and Brendan Johnston (Giant) will target a green-and-gold Australian national champions jersey on Saturday at the AusCycling Gravel National Championships. This year's event will be held at Ponderosa Pines in South Australia.

Last year Johnston and Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz) claimed the titles in Tasmania, at the Devil’s Cardigan. Both are racing the Life Time Grand Prix series this season and Sherwell will be staying on in the US, leaving the way open for another to chase the women’s title. 

Johnston, who is in his third year in the US-based competition, is back home as he targets a third national gravel title after having also claimed the jersey in 2022.

Other riders returning from international racing include Cromwell, who is just building back after breaking her collarbone in a crash at Milan-San Remo.

Rebecca Henderson is also returning from injury, which has meant she has spent far longer at home in Canberra this year than usual after a crash at the AusCycling Mountain Bike National Championships in March left her with a fractured shoulder and thumb. 

She missed the opening rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Brazil and after progressing from the trainer to the gravel bike through her recovery she is making her re-entry into competition at Ponderosa.

“It will be my first gravel race," said Henderson in an Instagram post. 

"It was actually part of my plan before I got injured and I just didn't cancel it and just remained optimistic I'd be able to do it and obviously I love racing so I'm keen to give it a go."

It may be a change to her usual discipline but Henderson is a ferocious competitor, scooping up her 12th elite XCO Australian title in a row despite the March crash. Her presence is bound to make her rivals a little nervous. 

Others on the preliminary elite start lists include Ella Bloor, Cameron Scott (CCACHExBodywrap), 2024 Melbourne to Warrnambool winner Mark O'Brien and Talia Appleton (Praties), who was second overall in the inaugural ProVelo Super League.

The Australian gravel title race is one of the earliest national gravel jersey battles of the season, with this year’s late April time slot between the Life Time Grand Prix’s Sea Otter Gravel opener and Unbound. It also follows the conclusion of racing in the top-tier domestic road series, ProVelo Super League and the Mountain Bike National Series. 

The race will play out on fully off-road course in the Mt Crawford Forest in South Australia, which includes single-track, trails and a steep and technical hill with surfaces that range from rocky creek crossings, sandy stretches and compact gravel. 

The 102km race takes in two laps of a 51km course with 622m of elevation gain each lap.

International gravel racing also kicked off in South Australia in 2025, with RADL GRVL – won by Cromwell and Johnston – playing out alongside the Tour Down Under in January. 

After the Australian title race many of the top riders will then head to Tasmania for the Devil’s Cardigan in Derby. After two years of hosting the Australian Championships, Derby will host a round of the UCI Gravel World Series on May 10. 

On May 17 it is SEVEN’s turn with a tough 125km UCI World Series race in Nannup Western Australia, which will next year host the UCI Gravel World Championships.