Heading toward the final part of the season the Australian women's elite team looked to have a number of tantalising options to chase a medal on the climbing heavy Road World Championships course in Rwanda, but then Sarah Gigante was taken out of the running following a training crash which left her with a broken femur and now Neve Bradbury has had to withdraw due to illness.
As a pair the riders who have both claimed third overall at the Giro d'Italia Women in the past two years and delivered on key climbing stages, would have made a formidable combination but even Bradbury alone was a promising prospect, especially given the U23 silver medallist of 2024 had the backing of experienced two-time Worlds road race medallist and fellow Giro d'Italia podium placer Amanda Spratt.
Now the team is down not just a second medal prospect but also a team member for the 164.6km elite women's road race with 3,350m of elevation gain.
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"Neve Bradbury has withdrawn from the elite women’s road race for health reasons," said AusCycling in a statement without further elaborating on the health reasons. "As no selected reserve riders are available, Bradbury’s quota spot will not be filled."
Without Bradbury, who raced for the first time since the Tour de France Femmes at the Maryland Classic last weekend, the elite women's road race team will now comprise five riders – Spratt, Ruby Roseman-Gannon, Brodie Chapman, Lauretta Hanson and Alexandra Manly.
The U23 women's squad, on the other hand, has received a considerable boost with the addition of Talia Appleton for the event with 2,400 metres of elevation over 119 kilometres.
Despite each nation having a quota of five for the first standalone addition of the U23 road race, with the title previously awarded to the first under-23 finisher, Australia initially named a squad of just three – Alli Anderson, Mackenzie Coupland and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, who won the junior time trial world title in 2023. All fitted the selection criteria of delivering top 10 performances in UCI Elite or U23 1.1/1.2 events or higher or being a winner of the national U23 Road Race or U23 ITT. Appleton did not, at least not within the selection period which ran to July 23, 2025.
Still, the 19-year-old changed that at the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes in August, coming third overall below two highly-rated and far more experienced Women's WorldTour riders, Isabella Holmgren of Lidl-Trek and Marion Bunel of Visma-Lease a Bike. Appleton's Australian teammate at the race and World Championships, Mackenzie Coupland, also came ninth.
“Talia’s recent results speak for themselves,” said Jesse Korf, Executive General Manager of Performance at AusCycling. “Her performances at the Tour de l’Avenir were simply world-class, and with room for her addition in the team, we made the decision to offer a deserving athlete the opportunity to represent Australia on the world stage.”
“We're excited to see what the team can deliver in Rwanda,” added Korf. “All four riders have earned this opportunity, and we’re proud to support them as they represent Australia at a history-making event.”
It perhaps shouldn't be a surprise, given Appleton's results when the climbing kicks in – and her subsequent potential to deliver a strong result in Rwanda – that an exception to the selection criteria was made to add Appleton as a late addition. What is perhaps more surprising is that discretion wasn't used earlier, particularly given the limited circumstances that exist to even compete at events that both meet the selection criteria and cater to the style of rider that could do well in Rwanda.
The opportunities for young and developing Australian riders to race in UCI classified events are few and far between, with the geographic challenge looming large, particularly in an era where the nation is now down to just one women's Continental team – Liv-AlUla-Jayco – which is also the development squad for the WorldTour team and has only two Australian riders on it.
Appleton, however, was the top performer from the national squad when she got the chance to race the Women's WorldTour level Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in January, coming 37th among the field of elite professional riders even though, at 19, she was the third youngest rider in the race. The Tour de l'Avenir Femmes was then her next appearance at an event which fitted the selection criteria, though it was outside the specified time period.
However, Appleton had repeatedly confirmed her prowess on the climbs in other events, from her winning run in the ProVelo Super League time trial on Willunga Hill and series-ending stage victory on the climb of Campbells Pocket Rd at the Q Tour to her UCI Gravel World Series win at the ascent-heavy Devils Cardigan.
The Under 23 women's road race will be held on Thursday, September 25, while the elite women's road race will play out on Saturday September 27.
