Hailing from Tasmania’s capital—where coastal roads quickly wind into remote terrain—Scott Bowden’s journey on two wheels has charted its own unique course. A Rio Olympian in both cross country and road at the tender age of 21, his background in mountain biking laid the foundations for a career forged on an abundance of natural talent.
After his Olympic debut, Bowden shifted focus to the road, spending several seasons in Europe chasing a spot in the WorldTour. But after a tough run with long COVID, he returned home to reset—balancing training days with a Paramedicine degree. Even while dedicating time to study, form on the bike started building, leading to XC Short Circuit silver at the 2024 and 2025 National Championships and a breakthrough win at the Dirty Warny, a 250km race dubbed the Southern Hemisphere’s greatest gravel monument.
For this edition of Training Grounds, we caught up with Scott to talk favourite Tassie routes, ride routines, and why training smart on a limited number of hours means knowing when—and where—to go all out. Just watch out for those wild dogs…
Riding in Hobart, give us the lowdown.
In the past couple of years, I’ve become a real creature of habit, often riding the same roads and loops on repeat. I spent years riding different routes every day when training full-time, but now I enjoy the simplicity and low cognitive load of heading out the door and up into the hills of Collinsvale, which is close to where I live. That way, I have no traffic lights and minimal cars to contend with; there’s a number of climbs, so it’s perfect for training and getting a good hit out in.
My rides during the week are typically around 1.5 hours, and on the weekend, I try to do a longer ride or two, around 3 hours, which is not a lot of volume for some of the races I do, so I generally ride hard whenever I head out the door. The climbs around Collinsvale, in particular, are surrounded by some mountains, so the scenery is pretty spectacular, and it’s like a little rural town tucked away only about a 40-minute ride from the CBD. The only thing you have to watch out for up there is the odd vicious dog that may chase you - so it always pays to be prepared for an impromptu all-out effort!
For the uninitiated, can you pinpoint what makes Hobart so special?
The diversity of the riding around Hobart is pretty special, and there’s no shortage of route choices, as you can pretty much ride in every direction, with an abundance of climbing options. I generally seek out routes that have the least amount of stopping time because I like to maximise the time I spend on the bike actually riding.
What usually unfolds before you start rolling?
Typically, be as efficient as possible! I step outside, look at Mt Wellington, check the weather forecast, and decide which kit to wear. I then mix my drink bottles with carb mix and/or pack ride food to fuel the work I plan to complete. My chain is always lubed the night before because no one likes a noisy drivetrain. Cafe stops have become fewer and further between now that I need to get home to work or fit in other life activities.
On the occasion when you do have some time for coffee, where are you stopping?
Wondr in Moonah for a quick post ride coffee. They also have a great range of pastries.
And for more substantial pit stops, where would those be?
Machine Laundry would definitely be the go to. They have humongous muffins and a great range of egg type dishes which is my go to. Mid-ride the Agrarian Kitchen in New Norfolk on a weekend or Summer Kitchen in Ranelagh are great excuses to get out for a decent ride with a coffee or food stop along the way.
What are you never leaving home without?
If it’s a ride 4 hours or longer then 1 litre drink bottles so I don’t have to stop to fill my bottles up as often. A rain jacket is close to a must in Hobart, even in summer, as the weather has a habit of changing quickly, and the descents can get quite chilly. Shokz headphones are pretty much a staple on every ride. I don’t often listen to music for the entirety of a ride, but I like having the option to play some bangers when I’m on a mission.
Where are the best routes you’d recommend to anyone dropping into town?
Of a weekend, a loop south of Hobart down around the Huon/Channel. There are so many options to include or omit sections to add or shorten your ride, and lots of different climbs. The views are stunning and stimulate the senses. From my house, it's a minimum of a 130km loop. This includes the most ridden section of road in Hobart, Bonnet Hill.
No Frills Channel Loop - 109km
The most straight forward Channel loop from town to get a taste of some of the best riding Hobart, and Australia has to offer. Lots of climbing with the options to add more along the way! Also some nice options for cafe stops along the way in Cygent, Huonville or with a slight detour into Ranelagh.
Collinsvale Triple Crown - 45km
More or less my go-to, with three solid climbs on quiet roads. Nice as an easy ride or a proper hit out! I guess I’ve probably completed the first of the three climbs close to a thousand times.
Thursday Night Worlds Loop (Short Commando) - 43km
The route the Worlds ride uses with 2 main climbs for a hit out. Short enough that it’s a great option pre or post-work for those based in the CBD, with mostly quiet roads early in the morning.
And Segments?
Collinsvale - 3.6km
In my opinion, this is the most coveted climb in Hobart. Professional cyclist Nathan Earle has the KOM after doing 483w for 10 minutes (roughly 7w/kg). I’m 2nd at 10:12. There is no hiding on this climb as the average gradient is 8.1%.
Bushy Park Loop - 80km
This is a segment of my go-to ~3hr loop. Certainly not a popular segment, but I often complete longer tempo efforts throughout the ride, so looking at this segment gives me a bit of an indication of how I’m going compared to previous efforts.
Cascade Brewery to Strickland - 4.6km
It would be amiss of me not to include this segment as it is one of the most hotly contested each summer when there is a weekly Thursday Night ‘Worlds’ bunch that leaves town at 6pm. There are a number of segments that are essentially raced throughout the ride.
To sum up, what makes Hobart such a great destination for riders?
Endless climbing opportunities and the short duration it takes to get into what feels like semi rural terrain. You can ride from the CBD at sea level to the top of Mt Wellington (1271m) in under 25km. Overall, it's pretty epic.
Scott Bowden (@scottbowden) was shot on location in Hobart by Luke Newhouse (@lukenewhouse_) wearing the latest season of MAAP Training apparel, available now.
