The long-range Australian gravel race, the Dirty Warrny, is building toward its second edition with a growing field that will sprinkle a handful of WorldTour road professionals among a growing group of specialists and gravel curious riders from across other cycling disciplines.
The 246km gravel race, which was inspired by the Melbourne to Warrnambool road event which first ran in 1895, is taking place on Saturday running in south-west Victoria. It runs from Geelong to Warrnambool on a course that includes 84% gravel and more than 3,000m of climbing.
The first edition of the event, which provided a southern hemisphere gravel option more comparable to the high profile long-range US events, was won by Courtney Sherwell and Brendan Johnston. Both will face some serious competition as they line up to attempt a title defence.
Johnston, who was the Australian gravel champion last year, in 2023 has spent much of the season racing in the United States. There he lined up for the Life Time Grand Prix series – which includes Unbound, Leadville Trail 100 MTB and Big Sugar Gravel among its seven events – and built toward the podium in the final races to rise to seventh on the final overall leaderboard.
Johnston may be coming into the race off the back of a strong show of form, however while he has been away Connor Sens has emerged as a serious gravel threat on the domestic scene. With a growing focus on the discipline this year, the 24 year old put his rivals on notice when he swept up the Australian title at the Devil’s Cardigan in north-eastern Tasmania and then reiterated his claim with victory at the October round of the UCI Gravel World Series in Beechworth.
Sherwell also took victory at the Gravelista event in Victoria’s high country, beating Matilda Raynolds to the line. It could well be another showdown between the two in the coastal centre of Warrnambool where Raynolds has repeatedly tasted victory, already having won two editions of the Melbourne to Warrnambool road event.
However, it certainly more than a two-way race with riders joining the fray including Cassia Boglio, who came second at the UCI Gravel World Series SEVEN race in Nannup earlier this year. Then there is also Movistar rider Sarah Gigante, who has just returned from Europe where she got bitten by the gravel bug after riding Sea Otter Europe.
“I’m back in Melbourne and all set for the 246km Dirty Warrny this Saturday!! The only thing left to do is to look for my grey socks that I used in Sea Otter Europe, so that I don’t ruin a second pair of fresh whites,” said the 23 year old on Instagram.
Gigante will be joined by other WorldTour riders in the field as well, with FDJ Suez’s Grace Brown once again on the start list for the 140km event from Forrest to Warrnambool.
Alpecin Deceuninck’s Jensen Plowright will once again be taking on the men’s 246km distance and given he finished one spot off the podium in 2022 and also won the Melbourne to Warrnambool road race in 2021, will be among the riders to watch. As will Mark O’Brien, who punctured out of the leading group at the UCI Gravel World Series round in Beechworth last month and took third place in Warrnambool at last year’s race.
