Signaling the arrival of a new era in Australian cycling, AusCycling on Monday decided to host the Australian Road Championships in Perth for three years starting in 2025.

In 2011, respected former race organizer John Craven told now-retired sprint champion Robbie McEwen to "ride off into the sunset and let the youngsters take over" following objections to the fixed course and venue in Buninyong At the time, Craven's comments were picked up by major media outlets obsessed with Australian football, rugby and cricket.

Former pro Mark Renshaw thought his pure sprinters had no chance of winning the green and gold jersey on the rugged Victorian circuit. In the end, the sprinter and lead-out specialist decided not to show up for the event.

The speculation over the course and location of the title became an annual debate revisited every January. Jai Hindley (Beulah Hansgrohe) announced on social media that "West is best," pointing to a statement from the national federation, which said that the "West is best.

The news particularly tickled those on Australia's isolated west coast. The region has produced cycling's riches, including 2022 Giro d'Italia winner Hindley, Tour de France stage winner Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and recent Tour Down Under winner Sam Welsford (Beulah Hansgrohe). The region has produced an embarrassment of riches.

In anticipation of the expected announcement, CyclingNews heard from the men's Tour Down Under last week. Renshaw, recently appointed sports director of Astana Kazakstan, said it was "too late."

"Due to the nature of the sport, it is better to have different courses. It could produce worthy winners every year."

"We could do it in the parking lot. You can do it in a parking lot and still have a good championship. I think it's great that they're going to be different.

"If you can hold it in one location for three years, you can at least get some traction, build the event, peak, and move to a new location.

For some within the peloton, it was a moot point. Jack Hague (Bahrain Victorious) rarely returns to Australia from Europe, where he is based, for the "Aussie Summer of Cycling," which includes national titles, the Tour Down Under, and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Never.

"To be honest, I've only competed in the Nationals once as an elite. [I don't usually stay in Australia, so it's pretty hard to race with 8 or 10 Jayco [Alura] guys. I've chosen not to participate the last few years."

AusCycling has not yet announced the course for the 2025 title, nor whether it will change each year.

For other athletes, the move to Perth will come at an additional cost, which former men's national champion and co-founder of the ARA Skip Capital team, Matt Wilson, said athletes may have to pay themselves.

Perth is about a five-hour flight from Australia's east coast, and airfare during peak holiday seasons like January can cost several thousand Australian dollars per person, or the same as a round trip to Europe. If one were to fly from Melbourne to Perth on a Friday for four days with one piece of checked luggage, it would cost $2,541.86 (Australian dollars) with Qantas. Note that, to be fair, travelers from the West have been paying the same price for this trip for the past 20 years.

"We have 30 riders on our team. 'We have four cars and a staff of five. It's a huge cost, very unburdensome. If the players want to go to the championships, they have to pay for the bulk of it themselves. We have to do what we can within our budget."

However, Wilson welcomes the move, despite the "logistical challenges" and "obvious financial burden."

"More variety, more opportunities for different types of riders to win championships. That's great.

"On the negative side, bike racing is not what it used to be, where you could take it somewhere, pop it in, and start right away. These races cost a lot more and the quality of races and championships is much higher than it used to be.

The year Wilson won gold at the 2004 National Championships, he celebrated on a line marked by a banner and a simple sign that read 'FINISH. The championships have now become a genuine event, with the climb up Mount Bunyon drawing spectators and establishing itself as an important element of the road race.

"I would love to see it held on the East Coast or in Queensland. Perth is a great city, I think they would do a great job, and they have a pretty rich cycling culture"

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"Buninyon is frustrating sometimes. It's always the same place, the same course, but in a way they do it well. Even if the course is the same every year, it's still fun to go there. I'm sad to see Buninyon go, but I'm sure I'll be back there again someday."

O'Brien grew up watching titles in his home state of Victoria, then became a cyclist and competed for titles in Victoria himself.

"I'm a strong supporter of the event staying in Ballarat, but it wouldn't hurt to try somewhere else. I think there's something about the Nationals course at Mount Banyon that gives different riders a smell. I think that makes the race fair and fun for everyone."

South Australian all-rounder Damien Howson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) is divided on the Buninyon course, but also wants change.

"I think the Nationals is a good opportunity for the states to get the best riders from Australia.

"It makes the racing on the course less predictable and the type of winner will be different on different courses. Buninyong is an unpredictable course and has produced many winners, from sprinters to climbers to opportunists.

"But you've seen some winners who are as strong as a five-minute force. For the past decade, it has often been a track-based rider from the Team Pursuit team that wins. To mix it up is just like throwing a cat into a flock of pigeons."