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Perth hasn’t seen a National Championships since 1997, but it seemed it was worth the wait. The headlines on the men’s side will go to Plappy and Durbo, but the story is much deeper than that.

We’ll start with the time-trial.

Crashing out at the Olympics in Paris was effectively the beginning of the end for Luke’s 2024 season. Though, we’ve got to credit he did win the Tour of Bright in December, some will say that’s the biggest race on the calendar…

If there’s one thing Plappy knows how to do well, it’s nail National Championships. He won National Road Champs in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Then he’d also won the TT Champs in ‘21, and ‘24.

There was no doubt that Luke was going to be favourite. On the day, there was eight-seconds between Luke and second-placed Jay Vine. It might have been slightly closer to comfort than he wanted, but the record books will only remember that it was a back-to-back National title for Luke, and a third to his name.

It was Kell O’Brien, the Olympic Gold winning Team Pursuiter, who rounded out the podium in third place.

The Roadie

The National road title is one race that every single bike racer dreams of winning. To win Nationals, and then have the honour of wearing the stripes for a full calendar year is special. Few get the chance to wear the stripes, you get one chance each year, and it’s hotly contested. For the Aussies, it’s even bigger. It’s the first big race on the global cycling calendar each year.

Luke Durbridge is a Perth boy, but was just six-years-old the last time National Champs visited his home town. Durbo is no stranger to winning the road title either, having also won it in 2013…

When Durbo went long, and boy he went long, the race barely having touched the 5km mark when he went clear with one other, he maybe dared to dream. A national title in front of family and friends, out front from the beginning, it was too perfect, right?

With some 80km to go, Durbridge was left alone. His breakaway companion dropped, and a three-minute gap to nurse. He was going to need every single one of those friendly faces to cheer him on. The gap shrinks, and with 15km remaining, Plappy strikes.

When Plappy goes at a National Champs, he bloody well goes. The newly crowned TT Champ jumped solo, and bridged the gap to his teammate out front. Now, Plapp has won the last three road titles, setting himself up for a record fourth in a row. But, Luke Plapp is a gentleman.

Plappy reached Durbo and rode. If Luke could hold Luke’s wheel, then the title was his to win. As young Luke pulled, older Luke dug deep to stay on the wheel, once again needing every cheer of every local in town.

Coming into the home straight, Durbo was emotional. It’s rare that you get to win a bike race as a pro, even rarer a National Championship, and rarer still that it’s in your home town that has not hosted the event since you were in primary school.

If all those things are rare enough, now add in having a teammate who’s willing to bridge the gap, shepherd you to the line and help you take the title.

Durbridge takes the green-and-gold in tears, Plappy takes the plaudits, and Perth has two new Kings.

Luke Plapp, Luke Durbridge; thank you both for reminding us why we all love cycling so much.

Not a dry eye in the house.