The Veris Women’s Racing (VR) team is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by people who come together with a common goal and with a vision to support and grow women’s cycling.

As the only West Australian registered National Road Series team, the Lexus of Blackburn Women’s Herald Sun Tour represents a fantastic opportunity for non-eastern seaboard based Aussie riders to develop into world class racers.

Veris Women’s Cycling rider and road captain Kirsty Deacon finished 32nd overall in the 2019 National Road Series after consistent performances all year. A notable 2019 result for her and the team was when she finished just 1min 47seconds off the podium at the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic. The 235km race is known to be one of the toughest in the world and this shows she has the legs for a multi stage tour.

When asked about the Veris program, Deacon said “It’s an amazing program to be part of, with a very strong focus on developing riders and setting them up for success in the sport. In 2020, it’s grown to include several exciting new young riders from all over the country.”

She added “I’m particularly looking forward to racing both the descent and climb of Falls Creek. Coming from North East Victoria myself, and having watched the Herald Sun Tour come through there previously, I’m excited to be racing such an action-packed stage in that part of the world.

“This is Veris Racing’s first year doing the Lexus of Blackburn Women’s Herald Sun Tour and we definitely won’t just be hiding safely in the bunch. We’ll be looking for every opportunity to impact the race and make the most of it. We’re bringing a strong team and we look forward to seeing what we can do.”

The team has a solid mix of both experienced and young up and coming riders. Veris supports its developing riders through mentorship from experienced racers, who provide leadership, advice and a support network, something which was previously scarce in women’s cycling.

With a new year, new goals and a new group of riders behind them, we’d expect Veris to create an early break in an attempt to get some time early and animate the race. We don’t expect them to control the race via physical prowess, however if they can race smart and use their local knowledge, they’ll be able to secure a top 10 finish either individually or in the teams classification.