SEVEN race pulls in more than 1000 cyclists to Lower South West

More than 1000 cyclists hit the Lower South West this month for Australia’s premier gravel race. The SEVEN’s 125km course started and finished in Nannup on May 16, with competitors winding their way through Bridgetown and Donnybrook, also known as the “golden triangle of cycling” in Western Australia. The open male winner was Theo Yates, who completed the race in four hours and 39 minutes, with the open female winner being Maria Madigan, who also won last year’s event, finishing in five hours and 19 minutes. Australian national road race champion Michael Freiberg also competed and placed second in the male open. The 125km route links together some of the State’s best gravel roads and climbs to form an ultimate one-day challenge for riders, with its seven sectors featuring 10 categorised climbs and over 3000m of elevation gain. SEVEN is also fast becoming one of the most popular off-road events on the WA cycling calendar after growing from 237 competitors in 2018, 550 in 2019, 750 last year to now more than 1000 in 2021. The event also drew more than 2500 people to the region over the weekend. Full results from the race are available online.