Victoria oust South Australia to win their first four-woman team pursuit national title

Victoria has won their first four-woman elite women's team pursuit national championship and ended South Australia's four-year reign on the final morning of the 2025 AusCycling Track National Championships in Brisbane.

Alyssa Polites, Sophie Marr, Alana Hribar and Lilyth Jones started fast and maintained their lead over the South Australian quintet of Alli Anderson, Odette Lynch, Summer Nordmeyer and Katelyn Nicholson throughout the 4000-metre race to win by 3.992 seconds in a time of 4:22.572.

The fast start, led by Polites in the gate, split the Victorians in two for the first two laps of Anna Meares Velodrome before Jones and Hribar properly regathered with Polites and Marr.

At the 1000m marker, Victoria led by 2.3 seconds, a huge gap for so early in the race, but the big question was whether they would be able to sustain their rapid start.

Hribar swung up and off at the halfway mark, dropping Victoria to three riders, but South Australia still could not claw time back on their opponents who were continually motivated by seeing the team in red in the corner of their eye on the same straight.

In the end, Victoria answered the question of their 4000m team pursuit longevity comfortably in a result that would have come as a surprise to the South Australians, who have controlled the event for several years, minus New South Wales' 2020 win.

"It was a long time coming," Polites said.

"I think the last team pursuit title we all would've won as Victorians would've been back in under-19s or 17s. It feels really good to complete it as a team.

"The start was supposed to be controlled but we all came together and rode as a team really well."

"Adrenaline kicks in sometimes," Marr added.

"We did one training session a month ago and that was just to practice some swings but the calendar being so busy means we haven't had time to train together so that was our first real hit-out together."

Feature picture: Mackenzie Sweetnam