Round Preview - Grafton to Inverell Weekend

The Courses

The men’s Grafton to Inverell course remains unchanged from the iconic route traversing the Gibraltar range, through Glen Innes and into Inverell. At 230km and 3500m of climbing, the famous “Grafton” has earned its place as one of Australia’s toughest races.

The women’s Mt Mitchell to Inverell covers the same challenging roads along the Gwydir Highway with open, exposed sections of road that have the potential to blow the field apart.

The weather looks to be clear, with a mild headwind, potentially neutralising attacks and favouring those with a big sprint.

On Sunday the riders will take on the Lake Inverell Circuit for a criterium that offers a double dip of PSL points around the twisty 1.4km circuit.

With so many riders in with a chance of winning, this is going to be a good one!

SBS Men’s League

The men line up with one of the strongest start lists we have seen for 2026. Two olympic gold medallists and the Australian national road race champion are here, and that’s just contained within the Brennan_ team! Oliver Bleddyn lines up as the league leader alongside a stacked roster including Conor Leahy, Pat Eddy and Levi Hone.

CCACHE x BODYWRAP are also brining some serious heat, once again lining up with fast men for the classics Oscar Gallagher and Kurt Eather. Cobra9 x Leigh Surveyors have been impressive this season and will hope to keep the momentum as they search for a big win, bringing experienced aggressors Ben Carman and Sam Jenner alongside the up and coming Oliver Sims.

The entire Melbourne to Warrnambool podium will be lining up as well. Kevin Biffiger joins the Rauland Team for round 5, Oliver Stenning brings a strong Falcons Pedal Mafia team and Josh Beikoff appears set to line up in a promising sign following his crash at the Harbour City GP.

SBS Women’s League

The Butterfields Ziptrak team have been on a hot streak of late, winning just about everything on offer in the past two rounds. They will be the team to beat with Keely Bennett, Katelyn Nicholson and Odette Lynch on the startline, although at the time of writing they appear to be missing the top performer from the past two weeks in Sophie Edwards.

Alyssa Polites (Meridian Bikebug) makes her return after a successful track world cup. One of the best all rounders and experienced riders in the field, she is a threat to any event where she takes to the startline. NSTRMO x Attaquer x CCACHE are building momentum and will arrive with Abby McLain and Belinda Bailey at the helm to make an impression.

League leader Sophia Sammons (Team Redcat) will be looking to extend her lead in the overall standings after seeing her advantage slashed in round 4. Her Redcat team mates have been indispensable so far and they bring a team capable of winning in almost any scenario.