The ARA Australian Cycling Team begins its quest for rainbow stripes tomorrow at the 2025 UCI Para-Cycling Road Championships in Belgium.
An 11-member squad, which includes former world champions, Paralympic medallists and debutants, will go for glory on the roads of Ronse in the individual time trial and road races over the next four days.
And for the first time ever, Australia will also be represented in the mixed H team relay, with high hopes of a podium, having tasted success at World Cup level in the past. The team of Grant Allen (H4), Alex Welsh (H3) and Lauren Parker (H3) won gold in 2024 in Adelaide, and silver in Belgium this year.
Grant Allen, Lauren Parker and Alex Welsh will be looking to go one better after finishing second behind France earlier this year.
For Paralympic gold medallist and 2023 ITT world champion Parker it is also the the rare opportunity to potentially clinch three rainbow jerseys in one championships.
The trio will all race in their individual times trials on Thursday before their road races on Saturday and finishing off with fireworks for the team relay on Sunday, where they will aim to dethrone defending champions France.
Alana Forster (C5), Tahlia Clayton-Goodie (C1) and Meg Lemon (C4) will all be looking to pick up where they left off when they were last in Belgium for the world cup in May, each winning gold in the time trials.
Tahlia Clayton-Goodie won gold in the C1 road race and time trial at the Belgium world cup this year.
Clayton-Goodie, who also won gold in the C1 road race earlier this year, will be one of the favourites to take the rainbows heading into Sunday's road race.
Seasoned campaigner Darren Hicks will be hoping to add another world championship medal to his collection in the hotly contested C2 category, as too will Paige Greco after they both podiumed the last time they raced in Belgium.
Darren Hicks will be back again in the green and gold in Belgium.
Tara Neyland is set to make her debut for the ARA Australian Cycling Team this week, joining the experienced Emily Petricola who makes her return to the road team, alongside Emma Mickle who will be looking to crack her first international podium.
What they said
Lauren Parker, 2023 ITT H3 world champion and Paralympic H3 road race gold medallist, said: “I’m so excited to race the team relay with the boys and wear the green and gold which is always a privilege. We have a strong team with Alex, Grant and I and we will be racing for the win.
"I am also racing two win two other titles in the time trial and road race. I’ve had a decent preparation so hopefully it’s enough to get the world champ rainbow stripes back."
The Courses
Time trials on Thursday and Friday will be raced on various laps of the 11.6-kilometre course starting in Ronse before taking a loop on the outskirts of the city.
The road races on Saturday and Sunday also start and finish in Ronse before heading to the outskirts of the city, and will be raced over various laps of the 15.4-kilometre circuit for H3-H5, C1-C5 & B categories.
The team relay will be nine laps of a 2.2-kilometre tight and technical city course.
ARA Australian Cycling Team
Women
- Tahlia Clayton-Goodie - C1 (Geelong and Surf Coast CC)
- Alana Forster - C5 (Ballarat Sebastopol CC)
- Paige Greco - C3 (Lifecycle Cycling Club)
- Meg Lemon - C4 (Port Adelaide CC)
- Emma Mickle - C3 (Southern Masters CC)
- Tara Neyland - C4 (Brunswick CC)
- Lauren Parker - H3 (Newcastle Hunter CC)
- Emily Petricola - C4 (St Kilda CC)
Paige Greco returns to the team for these world championships.
Men
- Grant Allen - H4 (Inside Line Inc)
- Darren Hicks - C2 (Norwood Cycling Club)
- Alex Welsh - H3 (Lifecycle Cycling Club)
Schedule
Thursday, August 28 (Time Trials)
From 13:00 (GMT+2) / 21:00 (AEST)
- Grant Allen
- Alex Welsh
- Lauren Parker
Alana Forster. Image: UCI
Friday, August 29 (Time Trials)
From: 14:00 (GMT+2) / 12:00 (AEST)
- Alana Forster
- Darren Hicks
- Meg Lemon
- Emily Petricola
- Tara Neyland
- Paige Greco
- Emma Mickle
- Tahlia Clayton-Goodie
Saturday, August 30 (Road Races)
From: 14:00 (GMT+2) / 12:00 (AEST)
- Grant Allen
- Alex Welsh
- Lauren Parker
Sunday, August 31 (Road Races and Team Relay)
From: 08:30 (GMT+2) / 16:30 (AEST)
- Alana Forster
- Meg Lemon
- Emily Petricola
- Tara Neyland
- Paige Greco
- Emma Mickle
- Tahlia Clayton-Goodie
- Darren Hicks
- Team Relay (Grant Allen, Lauren Parker, Alex Welsh)
How to watch
Racing will be broadcast on the UCI YouTube channel for Australian viewers.
Results
Start lists and results can be found here.
ARA Australian Cycling Team and Staff ahead of the 2025 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. Picture: Supplied.
Images: Jean-Baptiste Benavent and SWPix