Local to feature on global stage for UCI Gran Fondo World Championship
Johanna Clark’s bucket list is about to become shorter, as she tackles two world title events within three weeks.
The Torquay triathlete will compete in the Surf Coast Shire Council-supported UCI Gran Fondo World Cycling Championships in Lorne from October 16 to 19. She will then fly to Spain for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in November.
“There aren’t many 70.3s in Australia you can do, so because the Geelong one is right on my doorstep, I thought I’d do it again in March,” she said.
“I won my age group and earned a qualifying spot for Marbella in Spain, so now I’m counting down to my second 70.3 world championships.
“Mix that in with this amazing opportunity to put on the Australian suit for the UCI World Championships in Lorne, and I’m living my dream. The bucket list is getting ticked off.”
While the pandemic meant Johanna’s Ironman world championships debut in New Zealand fell through in 2020, there was a silver lining to the Taupō event being pushed back to 2024.
“Amy’s Gran Fondo was a lead-up race for Taupō and one of my girlfriends said that we should do Amy’s because it would be great preparation,” she said. “So I did, and I managed to get the last qualifying spot for the Gran Fondo World Championships.”
The Surf Coast will welcome the world’s best amateur road cyclists for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Lorne, which will coincide with Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo.
Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo is one of the most respected, long-standing events on the Surf Coast Events calendar.
Johanna said the 131km UCI world title road race would be ideal preparation for Spain.
“There are some great climbs through the Otways and the total elevation is about 2000m,” she said.
“The bike course in Spain is 1700m elevation, so the Lorne race is going to help me.
“I do love the bike. It’s my favourite leg, finding the stamina to push hard.”
The naturopath and mother-of-three believes the preparation is just as exciting as the races themselves.
“The long training sessions, the setbacks, the discipline, and the quiet wins that no one else sees – that’s where the real growth happens,” she said.
“As parents we so often pour all of our energy into helping our children achieve their goals, but it’s just as important to keep chasing our own.
“For me, the endorphins, the gratitude, and the perspective I gain from training and events are priceless. They remind me to live fully and to set an example of resilience and joy for my kids.
“My hope is that more women, in particular, will start seeking out adventures in our beautiful backyard and discover just how strong and alive it can make you feel.”
Swims at Cosy Corner and RACV Torquay, rides along the Great Ocean Road, and runs on The Esplanade and Surf Coast Walk trail are just some of Johanna’s regular training spots.
She covers about 200kms on the bike, 40kms on foot, and 5kms in the water each week, plus strength and mobility work.
“My husband Ed is an amazing support,” she said. “We were both in Melbourne for 20 years but we’re country people at heart. COVID brought us to Torquay earlier than we planned and it’s been great. It ticks every box – being in nature and being around so many like-minded people.”
Reflecting on her maiden triathlon in St Arnaud as a teenager on a yellow race bike from the local newsagency in her hometown of Donald, Johanna is grateful she rediscovered the sport.
“Ed decided he wanted to do one of the local triathlons in Altona not long after I’d given birth to our twins,” she said.
“I thought ‘this looks awesome’ so I waited a year or two, borrowed one of my friend’s bikes and it quickly escalated from there. I got a bike, I got a coach, and then I started doing the 2XU series.
“To now be part of these world championships events and compete against the best is amazing.”
Mayor Mike Bodsworth was excited for all the cycling action.
“This year’s Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo will be especially memorable, as it runs alongside the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships,” he said.
“I’m thrilled that recreational riders will be tackling the truly unforgettable course on the same day as the world’s best.”
Learn more about the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships and Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo via surfcoastevents.com.au.