There has been a lot of positive buzz around the 23-year-old Brunswick Cycling Club product. She has shown over past summers of cycling that she can hold her own with some of the best sprinters in the world and has also showcased her climbing talents on the local scene.
Going back through a year largely devoid of racing for Roseman-Gannon after a nasty injury that required knee surgery, nearly all of her events became major targets, resulting in an impressive strike rate of victories.
At time of writing, she has won her last eight national-level races in a row, from the Australian Criterium National Title, a clean sweep at the Bay Crits, another clean sweep at the Ride Sunshine Coast, which combined with success at Gibraltar-Inverell all the way back in May that would see her crowned the National Road Series champion.
Her success with ARA-Pro Racing Sunshine Coast has continued with BikeExchange-Jayco thus far, with Roseman-Gannon getting used to being one of the favourites at every race she turns up to.
“I think I’ve been feeling pressure for a long time that I put on myself,” said Roseman-Gannon in an interview with SBS Cycling Central. “Definitely stepping up to the WorldTour, especially when I was at the Sunshine Coast race, I really did feel that pressure.
“External pressure, internal pressure, it’s all the same thing. I’ve just been focused on preparing the best I can and executing the best I can and at the end of the day shit happens. It doesn’t always work, but a lot of time if you do that preparation it does, so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
There is always a prepared and exacting air about Roseman-Gannon in interview settings, she’s clearly very smart, says all the right things from a team and sponsor perspective and displays a driven personality.
For her next target, Roseman-Gannon will enter the elite women’s national road race as a favourite, with many picking her or WorldTour star Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) to take the prestigious green and gold jersey.
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the last few months and year to get to this point,” said Roseman-Gannon. “I’ve known I’ve had good legs, but I’ve been nervous because I know that with those good legs comes pressure.”
There was a palpable relief as she won the criterium championships, a weight lifted after a number of close-run seconds in the event in the past. There’s no question now that she has arrived. 2022 beckons as an exciting year, one that will open a new world for the Victorian.
“The reason that I’m in the sport is because I love racing,” said Roseman-Gannon. “The opportunity to go to so many races around the world is extremely exciting.
“I think we have a good team with good riders and I’m just excited to meet all my teammates race with them and execute some really cool races. Hopefully, we get can get wins with my teammates.”
As much as the Australian public and pundits – this writer included – love to imagine riders coming from Australian domestic racing to immediately make an impact in Europe, it takes time in modern times. Even transcendent talents like Grace Brown and Katrin Garfoot took a season or so to adapt to the pace of the WorldTour before delivering their best.
Roseman-Gannon knows this, but has also set herself a lofty goal, to ride in the home world championships in Wollongong.
“A lot of it feels like I’m diving in the deep end, so I want to get my first race out of the way, find a bit of flow and get stuck into it,” said Roseman-Gannon. “It’s a big season but I do have my eye on Wollongong worlds, it would be amazing to race that in Australia, though it is a bit of a long shot. I’ll keep racing the best I can and see how it goes.”
As for where she will fit in at WorldTour level, Roseman-Gannon saw herself as one for the tough days with flat finishes. She will likely get some sprinting opportunities early with the departure of Sarah Roy from BikeExchange-Jayco, though Teniel Campbell, Ariana Fidanza and Nina Kessler all have some pedigree in fast finishes.
“I think I’m definitely not a pure sprinter, I’ll need a hard race to get rid of the pure sprinters or at least take some energy out of them,” said Roseman-Gannon. “But not a race so hilly that people like Sarah Gigante can drop me. So anywhere in between, I’m all right. I like punchy climbs, so maybe the classics races will suit me.”
The mention of Gigante took the memory back to the battles between the two in the National Road Series at the end of 2020. There, at the end of one race where Gigante won by minutes after attacking on a climb, Roseman-Gannon caught up with her post-race and talked of their complementing talents and how they should be on a team together.
That dream scenario for Australian cycling fans won’t happen on a trade team in the short term, with Roseman-Gannon contracted for two years with Australian team BikeExchange-Jayco, with Gigante on a new three-year deal with Movistar. However, they’ll each have a big influence on each other in the coming year, forming perhaps the highest IQ household in Girona.
“I would love to race with Sarah on a team,” said Roseman-Gannon, “I actually may be living with her this year, so I’m excited to train with her and maybe we will be representing Australia one day on a team together. Sad that we couldn’t race on the same team together this year, but maybe in the future we will be.”
Roseman-Gannon will race in the Elite Women’s Road Race at the Australian Road National Championships. You can watch the action on SBS and SBS On Demand from 10.00am AEDT.
