“I was in the zone all day. I just had so much support, so much love and everyone’s here. To do it in front of the home crowd – wow,” Durbridge said.
Durbridge has achieved plenty in his cycling career. He has also won four national championships in the road time trial, is a former track world champion and was in the road team at the Tokyo Olympics.
But with the road nationals being held in Perth for the first time since 1997, this was a big goal.
Liam Walsh (CCache) won the sprint for third at the King’s Park finish, 58 seconds behind.
WorldTour rivals Jai Hindley (Red Bull BORA Hansgrohe) and Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) were in a small chase group unable to bridge the gap to Durbridge and Plapp on the last of the testing 13.6km laps.
Durbridge made one of his trademark early attacks and Paris Olympics track gold medallist Conor Leahy (CCache) went with him, building a lead of around two minutes.
Leahy cracked about halfway and Durbridge was clearly struggling inside the last 30km.
Plapp played the role of the cavalry, attacking from the chasers at 15km and bridging across to Durbridge.
Hindley’s teammate Sam Welsford, who won the criterium championship two days ago, crashed during the race and later abandoned.
Plapp also won Thursday’s time trial title.
Earlier on Sunday, 20-year-old Victorian Lucinda Stewart stunned the favourites to win her first Australian women’s elite road title.
After joining the Liv AlUla Jayco development team only a week ago, Stewart was in a small breakaway group that dominated the 109km women’s race over the same course.
She outsprinted Ella Simpson (St Michel) to snare the title in a boilover, with Cassia Boglio (Swan Drafting CC) third.
With her previous best result coming when victorious in the Melbourne to Warrnambool race last year, Stewart is the youngest winner of the women’s elite road title since Sarah Gigante claimed the championship as an 18-year-old in 2019.
Stewart also took out the under-23 Australian title with Sunday’s win.
The three placegetters were in a five-rider group that formed early in the race. The peloton, full of top-class international riders, let the gap grow too far and the breakaway survived to the finish.
AAP
