'What the hell is happening': Lauren Bates shocks herself with points race national championship win

Lauren Bates has shocked herself by winning her maiden elite track national championship in the points race at the 2025 AusCycling Track National Championships in Brisbane.

The first-year elite rider from the Australian Capital Territory was unaware she had won when she finished the last of the 100 laps, but confirmation of her win from live commentary at Anna Meares Velodrome during her second warm-down lap had the 19-year-old reeling in disbelief.

Bates rose to prominence with a national title-winning performance in the second half of the points race, gaining 30 of her 33 points in the final 30 laps, including a solo lap gain that added a vital 20 points to her tally.

"I was confused that I was even on the podium," Bates said.

"I'm still in shock because after taking a lap I still thought I was maybe in fifth position and then I looked up at nine laps to go and I was like, 'holy crap, I'm leading the race'.

"I thought I was so far behind, before I took the lap I was sitting in ninth spot or something and then I came around and I didn't look.

"I had to kind of make the decision if I would leave it, take the five points in the sprint and then try get back on or just go get back on and I could feel the lactic building.

"So, I was just thinking get on and then pray I hold on for the sprint and then I looked up with one sprint to go and I thought no way am I leading the race.

"I can't believe it, I actually can't. It all felt all a bit blurry to me and then it just felt like, 'what the hell is happening', and then the velodrome was just noise and everything else just went out of my head.

"With two laps to go I was not in position and was thinking I was going to get booted out the back and I just knew I had to sit there and pray I can hold on."

Bates' lap gain before the 20 laps to go sprint vaulted her momentarily to the top of the race, before New South Wales' Keira Will scored three points in the sprint to regain the lead.

Will had gained a lap herself in lightning speed 20 laps before Bates and were the only two riders to do so, gaining themselves 20 points each.

In the penultimate sprint, Bates picked up another two points for finishing third in the sprint, leapfrogging Will to lead by a solitary point ahead of the final double-points finish.

Bates led the bunch through for the bell lap with Will on her wheel, a position she was unable to hold as the speed increased under the impetus of a determined Bates, who was narrowly pipped for the final sprint win by Will's New South Wales teammate Nicole Duncan.

Duncan winning the maximum 10 points on offer in the final sprint was enough to push herself into the silver medal position on 27, ahead of Will in third on 26.

Amazingly, Bates won the national title without winning a single sprint, a feat Duncan did four of 10 times, followed by Victoria's Alyssa Polites on three, who looked menacing through the midway stage of the race after clicking off consecutive sprint wins at 60, 50 and 40 to go.

Bates said her win was more of a shock because of her target realignments, which largely pushed track to the side last year in favour of road.

"I just came out here for a bit of fun. In the middle of last year I made the decision to stop doing as much track and focus more on the road and I've had a massive domestic season so far," she said.

"Literally since Tour of Bright in December I haven't stopped and then we've had RoadNats, Cadel's, TDU and then four ProVelo rounds. I was only going to do two rounds, so, I'm feeling pretty cooked but I came here to have a bit of fun and I ended up not doing the IP, just because I didn't really want to do it.

"I was just thinking I'm going to do the events I think are fun.

"I'm so honoured and I've worked really hard, not specifically for this, but I've been working really hard all season and it's nice to be ticking little boxes like winning the Q Tour ... and that was just a good feeling to realise I can be competitive and it feels pretty darn good to get this.

"I've always loved the track, I love it so much. I was just happy to be out there and racing – it's been so fun."

Feature picture: Mackenzie Sweetnam