Australia’s enduring connection with the Trial des Nations (TdN) will continue on September 21-22 with both men’s and women’s teams competing at this year’s event in Pobladura De Las Regueras, Spain.
Rookie Jonathan Chellas will join seasoned TdN riders Connor Hogan and Chris Bayles in the men’s team at the prestigious international event, while the women will be represented by Lillie Yiatrou, national champion Kaitlyn Cummins and Jenna Lupo.
Phil Whittle will again be the team manager, a position he has held since 2011.
The men will compete in the International Trophy division, which has a massive 24 countries entered – six more than last year when Team Australia finished fifth behind Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic and America. It was Australia’s 27th top-10 finish in the International Trophy, which included a stirring victory in 2017.
Meanwhile, after showing huge amounts of resilience in 2023 with the minimum roster – Cummins and Yiatrou – the addition of Lupo to the Aussie women’s team will add some much-needed wriggle room where the best two scores are counted in every section.
Despite the unrelenting pressure, Cummins and Yiatrou still finished eighth out of 11 teams in 2023, and will be looking to make even more inroads this year.
Other than Yiatrou, five of the six Team Australia riders completed their TdN shakedowns in the final round of the TrialGP World Championship in Spain on September 14-15, with Hogan (Trial2) and Lupo (Trial2 Women) the standouts.
As well as Japan in the International Trophy, the other defending champions in the 2024 TdN will be Spain in the top-tier men’s division – led by the incomparable moto trial master Toni Bou – and Great Britain in the women.
Unlike last year’s event in France – held at an altitude of 1700 metres in stifling conditions and on a circuit featuring huge rocks and steep, loose climbs – the permanent 980-metre high Pobladura De Las Regueras facility is not expected to be quite as brutal but will still place a premium on skill, composure and temperament.
The 2024 TdN will commence on Saturday with practice and an opening ceremony in the evening, before competition on Sunday.
For more information on the TdN, including results, click here.
2024 Australian Trial des Nations team:
Men
• Connor Hogan (SA, seventh TdN appearance)
• Chris Bayles (Tas, ninth)
• Jonathan Chellas (NSW, on debut)
Women
• Lillie Yiatrou (SA, third)
• Kaitlyn Cummins (NSW, fourth)
• Jenna Lupo (Tas, fourth)
Team Manager
• Phil Whittle (Vic, 12th)