Gravel Racing awards are not exactly known to be conventional, and the Tasmanian Devil's Cardigan is no exception. Forget the shiny trophy with the names of the latest winners proudly engraved, it won't keep you warm as a post-race festive rage through a cold Tasmanian winter night - a woolly cardigan with each winner's name sewn into it and a top-step rider on the podium. The bag of potatoes you get will help fuel more rides.

Still, the 2nd year of hosting the Australian Gravel National Championship means that the unconventional prize will once again be accompanied by the title of National champion, one of the most traditional and coveted awards in the entire field of cycling.

A cardigan is hidden in a moss ball and a potato is mashed, fried or It should be a particularly fierce battle in the race in the northeast pocket of the island state this year to see who rides in green and gold jerseys after being roasted. Last year's winners, Connor Sense and Justin Barrow, will compete in the Derby again this Saturday with a stream of other riders returning from US Gravel Racing, including 2022 men's Australian title winner Brendan Johnston.

"We just want to see them hammer each other with mechanical stuff because we just have such a strong field," Devils Cardigan organizer Gareth Sutcliffe told Cyclingnews, adding that it's the second year in which a national title has been awarded in race conditions. It was a much more known amount for a person, he added.

The challenge of a nearly 106% gravel course of 90 kilometers and a vertical gain of 2,300 meters caught some off guard in 2023, and the flat with poor timing ruined the chances of many competitors.

"There are a lot of people who have learned a lot about tire selection, so I hope that many of those gun riders have learned from the experience of last year.

A hint of an era when gravel was a very new field could be a thin field of top-level candidates, and riders from one of the earliest countries could accept a formal championship race of discipline to recognize the prestige it provides and the opportunities it serves to provide.

The depth of the field is a top multi-discipline that fights it out alongside a new wave of gravel professionals who are making their mark in both Australia and beyond

alongside riders like defending champion Sens and Barrow plus2022 title holder Johnston. It's a race where everything is not bound, but many other riders who have returned from recent race blocks in the United States are standing at the start line. 

They include a strong contender for Courtney Sherwell, who not only swept the impressive list of Australian gravel victories, but also won her net in the Beechworth UCI Gravel World Series Round and Sutton Grange Gravel– as well as Tripel Crown. A couple of runners–up in the Belgian waffle Ride that helped the overall of the second. Bendigo riders won the national title at the Australian Marathon Mountain Bike National Championship earlier this year. Sherwell may be one of the top favorites alongside defending champion Barrow– who claimed victory in both the 7UCI Gravel World Series round in Nanap Western Australia and Gravel Locos in the US last month – but could also mount a challenge and could be a potential winner. There are many others. They include Cassia Borio of Western Australia, who claimed victory in the Lifetime Otter Classic and is second only to Barrow at the age of 7. Ella Blore and Izzy Flint, who were 2nd after Sherwell in the Marathon National Championship, were also able to mark. Sens will also cut out his job for him as the Bendigo rider is trying to defend his title in the men's race. Johnston is one of the biggest challengers, and Canberra is settling into the second season of the Lifetime Grand Prix and building gravel momentum. Johnston had a strong start to the season, winning the Nanap Gravel World Series and winning the Marathon National Title on a mountain bike. Then there is a long list of other potential rivals, 2022 from Devil's Cardigan winner Tasman Nankervis, who won the first edition of RADL GRVL on 1 May, to Adam Blazevic who burst into the gravel scene in multiple UCI Gravel World Series races in 2022 and Sutton Grand The winner Mark O'Brien also claimed the prestigious Melbourne to Warrnambool on the road this year. 

Last year's second-place rider Alex Lux, like third-place Scott Borden, also clearly shows what threat he will be on this course. In addition to that Tali Lane, Welsh, who took 2nd place on Sutton Grange and mountain bike, won the Otway Odyssey. The list is even longer: former World Tour road racer Nathan Earle, who won the Devil's cardigan at Jcl Team Ukyo in 2021, Cyclocross National Champion Chris Aitken, and Mountain Bike XCO National Champion Cameron Ivory. It was a great experience. Skilled riders in each field may be difficult to pick a winner, but the depth of the field and the conditions of the course mean that it must certainly be a hard fought and quick version of the race.

"The course is probably the fastest running ever on the dry run-up we've had, so the champagne gravel is definitely shining," Sutcliffe said. "But we haven't lost a chunky section yet, so you just can't rest in your glory and you just explode away at the pace."

To keep up to date with all the latest Gravel title news, the 2024 Gravel National Champions Index is a great place to start. See the links below for more information.