Brendan Johnston Claims Second Title at Gravel Nationals
By Carson Beckett
Writer, Pro Cyclist
Brendan Johnston claimed his second National Title of the 2024 season at the Australian Gravel National Championships. As Johnston prepares to slip on another National Champion jersey, we gathered a brief race breakdown from him from the title fight in Tasmania.
Brendan Johnston is truly hitting his stride. After his XCM National Championship title earlier this year, we sat down to discuss his path and get a feel for how he balanced the back and forth from Australia to the US for the Lifetime Grand Prix (LTGP).
After a brief visit for a little gravel race called Unbound, he returned home to claim his second title of the year at Gravel Nationals.
"It’s so special to get my second National Title of 2024 with the National Gravel Championships.
I had put a lot of pressure on myself for this event so for sure I carried some nerves to the start line. The course doesn't suit me 100% with three big, long climbs and I had a plan to just hang onto the good climbers until we crested the final ascent to the Mt. Albert plateau.
In the first descent, Blazevic and I opened a decent gap with some riders suffering flats and others a little more cautious. We decided to push on and at least try to start the 12km Ralph Falls climb with a head start. Nearing the summit, the main group including notable climbers Mark Obrien and Mark Chong had closed to within 30 sec.
In this moment I decided to leave Adam and attempt to get over the top and onto the descent alone. This worked and I felt really strong over the top and pushed the long downhill with a goal to remain solo to the top of the final long climb and onto the Mt Albert Plateau. I reached the top of the climb with 1:15 and was really confident that the final 40km of the course was in my favor.
I pushed hard in the rolling hills until I dropped down the range and used the brakes sparingly letting the bike run. I felt fast and smooth through the last rough sector and came to the line comfortably enough to enjoy the lap of the finishing circuit into Branxholm."
For fueling, Johnston had to consider the balance of the pace and effort expected. The fact that the effort would only end up taking him 3hr 25min would mean it was in that sweet spot between full gas racing and a steady endurance effort that he’d been used to in some LTGP races.
Fueling Plan:
2 x 1L bottles with Flow Formulas (180g)
2 x SIS Beta Fuel Gels (80g)
2 x 6D Ultra (w/ caffeine) (90g)
2 x 6D Ultra Isotonic (40g)
All in all, that’s a 390g total, or roughly 110g of carbs per hour.
"It’s just been such a whirlwind three months, being in the US and then coming home and getting my first national jersey [in MTB Marathon] and now my second. I can’t believe it."
For now, Brendan will (hopefully) enjoy some downtime before prepping for the next batch of races. That will most likely include his next trip to the States, where he’ll be tackling the Leadville 100 – the most iconic high-altitude mountain bike there is.