The ARA Australian Cycling Team has capped off an exceptional 2025 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships with three world titles, a silver and two bronze medals on the final day of competition.
Australia concluded their successful campaign with a total of 14 medals - nine gold, two silver and three bronze - across the four days of racing in Ronse, Belgium.
Four members of the squad - Alana Forster, Tara Neyland, Lauren Parker and Tahlia Clayton-Goodie - will return to Australia as double world champions winning both their individual time trial and road race.
Australia’s mixed H relay team, of which Parker was a member with Grant Allen and Alex Welsh, also won silver in a thrilling finale to the competition in their debut at a world championships.
Read on to see how the day’s racing unfolded.
Team tactics help Aussies win big in road races
Australia delivered a masterclass in teamwork and race strategy in the women’s C4-5 road race, with Tara Neyland (C4) and Alana Forster (C5) working together to seize control early for their ambitions of winning the gold in their classification.
Over five laps of the 15.4-kilometre course, Forster and Neyland drove the pace at the front, especially through the tight city sections, stringing out the peloton and putting their rivals under pressure.
By lap four, the race exploded, and as the leading group splintered, it was only Polish-woman Anna Harkowska who was able to stay in connection with the two Australians.
Forming a three-woman breakaway, the trio widened the gap from the chasing pack.
And on the final lap, with the skies opening and rain starting to fall, Forster went clear on the climb and Harkowska was this time unable to stick with the Aussie who rode away solo to a brilliant gold medal.
“I think this one means a lot because there has been a lot of challenges over the last 12 months, and it’s always hard to reset after such a big year that Paris was last year,” Forster said.
“(I’ve) done a lot of work on and off the bike, I’ve had a lot of very good people in my corner.”
Neyland had enough of a gap over her C4 competitors also riding herself into the gold medal on debut for the ARA Australian Cycling Team.
“I really liked the course, it had a bit of everything for everyone. The climb was solid, the descent was really fun, all the twists and turns played to some strengths,” she said.
“It was really great to have some team tactics today I think we worked really well together.”
A fierce battle for bronze in C4 unfolded in the group behind Neyland with fellow Australian Meg Lemon launching a decisive move on the final lap to cross in third, and winning her second bronze of this championships.
Australia’s dominance on the road continued in the C1 classification with Tahlia Clayton-Goodie riding away for the win, adding to her gold medal in the individual time trial.
In the C3 classification, Paige Greco was able to hold on for bronze.
Darren Hicks finished seventh, just 13-seconds off the bronze medal, in hard-fought men’s C2 race.
Hicks worked with the chasing group to try and reduce the gap to two Frenchman who attacked early and worked together at the front of the race, and ultimately was left to fight it out for the bronze medal.
An historic team relay silver
After the French team got a clear lead early in the 18.9-kilometre race, Australia were locked in a neck-and-neck battle for silver with the Italian team.
It all came down to the final lap ridden by Grant Allen who powered past his Italian rival within the final few hundred metres to deliver the team a silver medal.
“Today was intense. The racing with the Italians was so close and so hard. I knew the last lap all came down to me. Alex and Lauren had put me in the best spot possible. I didn’t want to let anyone down,” Allen said.
“I timed my moves against the Italian team and literally gave everything I had to make sure I gave us the best possible outcome. I had no idea of how close it actually was until seeing the photo of the finish.
“This means so much. The relay is the best. Being accountable to your teammates and knowing people are watching at home and not wanting to let others down, it’s the most amazing feeling.”
Images: SWpix