TRACK | World champions & rising stars ready for Glasgow

Kristina Clonan - Credit @avikaa

A mix of world champions and rising stars make up the Australian Team set to contest round two of the 2019-20 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Glasgow from 8-10 November.

Reigning team pursuit world champion Sam Welsford will leave the pursuit bars back in Australia as he targets the bunch races in Scotland. Welsford will race the omnium and the Madison with three-time Madison world champion Leigh Howard at the Glasgow World Cup, his first trip back to the track since racing as part of the Australian Junior Team in 2013.

“Really keen to go back to Glasgow and give it a big crack, I have a busy schedule, and a bunch race focus,” said Welsford, who is looking forward to racing with Howard in the Madison. “Leigh has won countless World Championship and World Cup Madison events so to be able to draw on experience from him, I am really looking forward to that.

Howard will sport his rainbow jersey when he leads a youthful team pursuit quartet which includes Podium Potential Academy duo Conor Leahy and Godfrey Slattery, plus guest rider Joshua Duffy.

“I’m super excited, the knowledge you gain from these World Cup experiences can’t be compared to anything else,” offered Slattery, who with, Leahy, Duffy and Lucas Plapp teamed to win Oceania Championships team pursuit gold in October. “I’m really excited to be lining up alongside world champion Leah Howard in the team pursuit and I feel like we’ll learn quite a bit from his experience.”

Kristina Clonan and Macey Stewart will join Podium Potential Academy members Alexandra Martin-Wallace and Sophie Edwards in the team pursuit.

One year ago, Clonan and Stewart teamed with veterans Ashlee Ankudinoff and Georgia Baker to win team pursuit gold in the 2018-19 World Cup's opening round in France. At what will be Team Australia's opening World Cup for season 2019-20, Clonan is excited to offer her knowledge to two of Australia’s rising stars.

“It is amazing to think last year I was racing with Ash and Georgia at the World Cup in France and I was the young one. Now, Macey (Stewart) and I have Alexandra Martin-Wallace and Sophie Edwards,” said Clonan, now 21, who lauded the depth of the team’s program. “It is super exciting ahead of Glasgow, as we have been training really hard and super excited to see what we can do.

"But, with the inclusion of the Podium Potential Academy, we have huge prospects for 2020, 2024, 2028. We have plenty of cycles ahead, that’s for sure."

Martin-Wallace is eager to contest her second-career World Cup after racing the final round of last season in January.

“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s been a really big year building up to it, we’re coming together so well as a team, so I’m really excited,” said Martin-Wallace.

In the other women’s endurance events, 2015 omnium world champion Annette Edmondson will tackle the four-event omnium in addition to teaming with Georgia Baker in the Madison.

It will be an all Podium Potential Academy line up in the sprint competition with Matthew Richardson, Tom Cornish, Tom Clarke and Caitlin Ward set to race.

The Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy (PPA) Endurance riders will race in support of the Sport Australia #findyour30 campaign.

Following the Scottish round, members of the Australian Team will contest the World Cup's second round in New Zealand from December 6-8.
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Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome will host round five the 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup from 13-15 December. ​

Team Australia for 2019-20 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Glasgow from 8-10 November

Sprint

• Matthew Richardson
• Tom Cornish
• Tom Clarke
• Caitlin Ward

Endurance

• Annette Edmondson
• Georgia Baker
• Kristina Clonan
• Macey Stewart
• Sophie Edwards
• Alexandra Martin-Wallace
• Sam Welsford
• Leigh Howard
• Conor Leahy
• Godfrey Slattery
• Joshua Duffy​​

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