Cameron Scott jumps up a step in 2026 to clinch Australian men’s gravel title

It was a near miss for Cameron Scott at the AusCycling Gravel National Championships last year, but on Sunday, he returned to Ponderosa Pines and hit the bullseye.

The road regular, who also turns his hand to track, will now have every incentive to venture out on the gravel on a more regular basis, given he has a green and gold jersey to put on display.

It was another muddy day of racing, following a wet women’s title chase on Saturday won by Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM), and the field progressively thinned as it worked its way through a lap of the 17.5km Western Loop and two laps of the main course.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect today with the conditions, but it was just an elimination race– guys slowly dropping off one by one,” Scott told AusCycling. “These guys had me on the climbs, but I just had to measure my effort and come back on the descents. I think we were all pretty gassed, there wasn’t many attacks in the end.”

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Which turned out to suit Scott. Last year, he had finished behind Mark O’Brien, who had clinched the title with a solo sortie. This year, O’Brien was ninth.

Even though Scott isn’t exactly a regular on the gravel circuit, it is a discipline he has been dipping into over several years; in fact, he took second place in Gravelista on the very first year of the UCI Gravel World Series in 2022.

Sunday’s gravel victory in South Australia means Scott will hold the Australian title in a year where the nation is also hosting the UCI Gravel World Championships, though the heavy serve of climbs on the 140.7km route with 3,625m of elevation gains may not be so appealing for the sprinter.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyTop 10

Position

Rider

Time Gap

1

Cameron Scott

4:03:47

2

Brent Rees

+06

3

Harrison Bebbington

+13

4

Dylan Hopkins

+1:52

5

Oliver Johnston

+9:30

6

Kane Richards

+9:38

7

Brendon Davids

+12:39

8

James Kelly

+16:52

9

Mark O’Brien

+19:05

10

Kobe Henderson

+22:45