- Five days of elite cycling underway in Perth for Road National Championships
- Event features Australia's pinnacle road cycling titles and sold-out Gran Fondo National Championships
- Perth to be showcased across Australia and the world via live broadcast
- Part of the Cook Government's economic diversification strategy to generate valuable tourism dollars for local business and support local jobs
Elite cyclists have taken to Perth's roads today for Australia's premier road cycling event, the Westbridge Funds Road National Championships.
From 7-11 January, hundreds of Australia's top cyclists will race across Kings Park, Northbridge, Bold Park, the Perth High Performance Centre, and the Perth CBD as they compete for national road cycling titles.
Supported by the Cook Government through Tourism WA, the 2026 Championships mark Perth's second consecutive year as host city, building on last year's successful event which attracted thousands of competitors and tens of thousands of spectators.
The Championships are expected to again attract thousands of spectators, including hundreds of interstate visitors, over the course of the five-day event contributing millions of dollars to Western Australia's economy and support local jobs and businesses.
The Road National Championships also be broadcast live to viewers across Australia and around the world, showcasing Perth's iconic locations and reinforcing WA's status as a world-class events destination.
The Championships feature events covering four formats over the five action-packed days, including time trials, criterium, road race and gran fondo.
Some of the biggest names in Australian and international cycling will join the action, including Ben O'Connor, winner of two stages of the Tour de France; Luke Durbridge, defending road race national champion; Luke Plapp, three time road race national champion and winner of three individual time trial titles; and Ruby Roseman Gannon, Olympian and Commonwealth Games representative.
Securing the prestigious cycling event forms part of the WA Government's economic diversification agenda by building a stronger tourism and events sector, supporting local tourism and hospitality businesses and creating jobs for Western Australians.
Find out more at roadnationals.org.au
As stated by Acting Tourism Minister Dr Tony Buti:
"Hosting the 2026 Road National Championships further reinforces Western Australia's growing reputation as a premier destination for professional national championships and mass participation sporting events.
"Events like this provide a boost for local tourism, local jobs and hospitality businesses, and contribute millions of dollars to WA's economy.
"It's because of these community-wide benefits that we're curating an always on, year-round calendar of events, as part of the Cook Government's economic diversification strategy.
"We invite everyone who has travelled to Perth for the Championships to explore our city or stay a little longer and experience WA's incredible tourism regions."
