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ROAD | Team Garmin-Australia for 2021 Santos Festival of Cycling

13/1/2021

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Team Garmin-Australia has joined with AusCycling in announcing a new partnership as they join the 120 strong peloton racing in the 2021 Santos Festival of Cycling. 

Led by World Tour star and INEOS Grenadiers rider, Richie Porte, Team Garmin-Australia will be joined by EF Education-NIPPO's James Whelan and four time track world title holder, Sam Welsford, among others. 

“The quality of both the men’s and women’s teams is testament to the passion each of these riders have for racing and starting the 2021 season at the Santos Festival of Cycling,” said Stuart O’Grady, Men’s Race Director.   

“We’re really excited that Team Garmin-Australia have committed to racing at this year’s Santos Festival of Cycling and are looking forward to them bringing their experience and energy to the race.”

The six-member women’s outfit is highlighted by leader and triple world champion Annette Edmondson, with rising stars Maeve Plouffe, Georgia Baker and Trek Segafredo’s Lauretta Hanson.

“We are eager to showcase the quality of racing in Australia with both the men’s and women’s teams, but I’m particularly excited by the strength, skill and experience of the Women’s team,” said Kimberley Conte, Women’s Race Director.  

“To bring in this quality of athlete and some of our future cycling stars is legacy to the Santos Tour Down Under.”

Team Garmin-Australia will join the teams lining up for the 2021 Santos Festival of Cycling with a field comprised of National Road Series, Continental and World Tour riders.

“The quality of teams and of the cyclists racing in this year’s event will really put Australian cycling on the map for passionate fans and cycling and sporting enthusiasts,” adds Event Manager, Ryan Healy.

“We are bringing some of the best WorldTour riders and of course the up-and-coming champions to race.  Fans will have the opportunity to watch great racing, but to also watch our future champions in the making.”

Team Garmin-Australia’s participation will offer the race a dynamic element that incorporates riders from the World Tour stage, Commonwealth and Olympic Games and World Champion excellence. The combination of athletic prowess within Team Garmin-Australia is certainly a nod to the multi-faceted nature of the 2021 Santos Festival of Cycling.



Team Garmin-Australia: 2021 Santos Festival of Cycling

MEN’S
  • Richie Porte - AUS
  • Sam Welsford - AUS
  • Kelland O’Brien - AUS
  • Leigh Howard - AUS
  • Luke Plapp - AUS
  • Alex Porter - AUS
  • James Whelan - AUS
​
WOMEN’S
  • Maeve Plouffe - AUS
  • Annette Edmonson - AUS
  • Georgia Baker - AUS
  • Ashlee Ankudinoff - AUS
  • Sarah Gigante - AUS
  • Lauretta Hanson – AUS
  • Neve Bradbury - AUS

More at https://tourdownunder.com.au/2021-event 

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Ride, race or workout with the Australian Cycling Team on Zwift

16/4/2020

 
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Ever wanted to ride with the Australian Cycling Team? Well this is your chance!

Cycling Australia is providing a virtual racing, workout and participation series on the online training platform Zwift which aims to get people active and have fun while the COVID-19 pandemic keeps us indoors.

Every Saturday at 10.00am AEST, cyclists will have their chance to ride with Olympians, Paralympians and world champions of the Australian Cycling Team in a variety of sprint and endurance HIIT rides.

Weekend Rides with the Australian Cycling TeaM

Every Saturday: 10 am AEST - check out the schedule here.
DATE
LEAD PROGRAM
RIDE LEADERS
DESCRIPTION
18 April
Men’s Team Endurance
Sam Welsford, Alex Porter
Endurance HIIT Set
60/120 intervals
2 ​May
Women’s Team Endurance
Georgia Baker, Ashlee Ankudinoff
Pyramid Set
9 May
​Men’s Team Endurance
Kelland O'Brien & Leigh Howard
Sprint HIIT Set
Sprint Intervals
16 May
Women’s Team Endurance
Nettie Edmondson
Team Pursuit Set
23 May
​Para-Cycling
Carol Cooke
Group Ride (Women Only)
1.0 - 2.0w/kg
30 May
Men’s Team Endurance
Luke Plapp
Pyramid Set
Pyramid Builder
6 June
​Women’s Team Endurance
Maeve Plouffe, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Nettie Edmondson
Sprint Set
13 June
Para-cycling
Stu Tripp & Emily Petricola
Group Ride
2.5 - 3w/kg
Australian Cycling Team athletes will also feature in the The Chop handicap series and PretzHELL climbing rides.

Join Zwift today to access these events and more! 

TOKYO 2020 | ​Track Cyclists on Target for Tokyo

19/3/2020

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Australian Olympic Committee Release

Fifteen track cyclists have been announced on the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020 today, featuring six Olympic debuts, seven athletes making their second Olympic Team and Annette Edmondson and Matthew Glaetzer returning for their third Games.
 
Matthew Glaetzer, Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson, Kaarle McCulloch and Stephanie Morton will compete in the sprint events, with Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Amy Cure, Annette Edmondson, Maeve Plouffe, Leigh Howard, Kelland O’Brien, Lucas Plapp, Alex Porter and Sam Welsford selected for the endurance events.
 
With athletes who have medalled at the Olympics and claimed World Championship titles in their career, the 15-strong squad will compete from 3-9 August in Tokyo’s Izu velodrome over 12 events, including the Olympic return of the two-rider Madison event for the first time since Beijing 2008.
 
Australian Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020 Ian Chesterman welcomed the cyclists to the Australian Olympic Team, acknowledging the current unprecedented uncertainty around international sport.
 
“Athletes have waited four years, and in some cases longer, for this opportunity,” Mr Chesterman said. “We are in uncharted waters, but we want to set a course to ensure they can prepare for the Games in the best possible environment and they can get to the Games safely. Part of that process is to announce athletes as they are nominated and selected to the Australian Olympic Team.
 
“Australian track cyclists have a phenomenal Olympic legacy and I want to congratulate the fifteen athletes selected today to continue that tradition.
 
“This is the result of more than a decade of unrelenting hard work by our athletes and it is worth celebrating. This is an achievement for the athletes, the whole Cycling Australia team, coaches, family, friends and supporters.
 
“The resilience these athletes have already shown is inspiring – Matt Glaetzer’s named to his second Games despite the challenge of thyroid cancer; Kaarle McCulloch overcoming the disappointment of missing Rio 2016 to become World Champion in 2019 and make her Olympic return; each athlete selected today has a story of perseverance and we’re proud to select them to the Australian Olympic Team today.
 
“There’s certainly disruption in preparing for the Games for many sports, but I encourage the fifteen cyclists announced today and all athletes pursuing their dream of competing at Tokyo 2020 to continue taking care of what they can control – training and preparing as best as possible to be ready for Tokyo.”
 
2019 World Champion and London 2012 bronze medallist Kaarle McCulloch was proud to be selected for her second Games, just weeks after she secured a 2020 World Championships Team Sprint silver with Steph Morton off limited preparation.
 
“The dream I had when I was 12 watching the Sydney Olympics with my dad feels as real as yesterday,” McCulloch said. “I’ve always had the Olympic spirit within me and I’m ecstatic to be able to be back competing.
 
“My motto into the world championships was “perfect preparation doesn’t predict”. This is the same kind of attitude I’ll be taking with me into Tokyo amidst all the uncertainty and nervousness in the world right now.
 
“Nothing changes for me in terms of my application to my training but a lot is changing in the way we train. As athletes, we are role models for everyone for health. We are taking quite serious steps in our training to ensure we are being responsible athletes but also people. We are following all the guidelines as set out by our medical professionals and we are prepared to face this challenge.
 
“We as humans are facing a challenge but we have also shown we are able to overcome. The world will recover from this and I believe everyone has within them part of the Olympic spirit, this is why the Olympics are so special - it brings the world together when we need it the most.
 
At just 19, Lucas Plapp will make his Olympic debut as the youngest member on the 2020 Track Team after a monumental rise in the past 12 months.
 
“I had a little tear in my eye when I found out I made the Tokyo Team, it was a pretty special moment and I was just speechless,” Plapp said.
 
“After the Brisbane World Cup [December 2019] I really started to believe I could make this Team.
 
“I’ve learned so much from [teammate] Sam Welsford from his experiences four years ago and the rest of the team create such a good environment to learn and train in – it helped me realise it’s where I want to be and helped me take my own performance to a new level.
 
After the Danish team broke the World Record held by Australia at the World Championships in February 2019, Plapp is looking forward to the challenge.
 
“It’s a new scenario now to be the hunter and not the hunted, we’ll be using that to our advantage to try to come out and show the world what we’re capable of.”
 
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Cycling Australia Steve Drake congratulated the athletes on their selection to Tokyo 2020.
 
“It is exciting to see a team with a rich blend of experienced Olympians and a number of rising stars set to make their debut, with all selections a testament to the hard work and performances of our athletes and to the commitment and dedication of our coaches, and performance support staff,” Mr Drake said.

“These are unprecedented times, with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting communities across the world. The impacts to sports including cycling are widespread, but we will continue to work through these challenging times to ensure our athletes and staff remain healthy and prepared for the Games.”
 
With individual event determinations expected closer to the Games, the endurance athletes will compete across the Team Pursuit, Omnium and Madison events with sprinters taking on the Individual Sprint, Team Sprint and Keirin events.
 
Today’s selection takes the selected Team size for Tokyo 2020 to 43 athletes. Cyclists in the road, BMX, BMX Freestyle and Mountain Bike disciplines are expected to be nominated and selected in the coming months.

Find out more with full Australian Olympic Team athlete bios at www.olympics.com.au/olympians
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TRACK | Madison, IP and Omnium recaps - Day 4 Berlin

1/3/2020

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Photo Casey Gibson
Women’s Madison 120 laps / 30km 

One of the fastest ever World Championship Madison took its toll on the Australian pairing of Annette Edmondson and Amy Cure with the duo unable to complete the 120-lap final in Berlin. 

Edmondson’s dual 2019-20 World Cup gold medals and Cure’s two career World Championship medals in the discipline placed Australia as one of the favourites leading in, and the pair followed their plan during the first thirty laps after figuring in the first two sprint points. 

Reigning champions the Netherlands upped the pace shortly after, with France leading a race-changing attack at the halfway mark which splintered the field across the length of the track.

With the average pace the race ticking over the 50-kilometre an hour mark, and the physical intensity causing several crashes, the Aussie pairing fell off the pace and were lapped by the main bunch inside the final 30 laps. The Australian duo then pulled out of the race with 15 laps remaining. 

“We [Australia] had a lot of success as pairings in the World Cups this season, and we felt we knew what to expect,” said a disappointed Edmondson following the race. “We have been working so hard at home as a squad for the Madison, and we feel we were as mentally and tactically prepared as we could have been. 

“So I will take responsibility for that result because Amy had good legs. She was making really good decisions. I was making good decisions at the start of the race, I thought we were on, but as the race went on, I had no legs. I knew what I needed to do, but my legs couldn’t take me to do them.” 

While World Championships marked Edmondson’s return to competition after recovering from a broken collarbone sustained at December’s Track Cycling World Cup, the twenty-eight-year-old wasn’t using that as an excuse for the result. 

“I wouldn’t have put my hand up to race this race if I didn’t think I was mentally and physically prepared. Obviously, it was a slightly different prep, but I felt fitter than I have before. 

“Amy’s back has been average over the last few months, but she has been back on top, and she was ready to go as well. We both believed we could do it.”

Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters of The Netherlands (36pts) defended their title in emphatic style, with France (24pts) and Italy (20pts) joining them on the podium. 

Men’s Omnium

Cameron Meyer launched a thrilling comeback late in the points race to secure sixth overall in the men’s omnium. 

Meyer, who claimed World Cup gold in the event last December, opened his 2020 World Championship omnium campaign with fourteenth in the scratch race, before placing eleventh in a hectic tempo race. 

Despite crashing early in the elimination race, commissaires allowed Meyer to rejoin the race and his eighth-place moved him eleventh overall on 60 points, 52 behind France’s 2017 world champion Benjamin Thomas. 

In the points race, Meyer attempted several attacks early but the field kept the Australian in check. Meyer lead a late breakaway with Britain’s Matthew Walls, and such was the pace of the race, it took nearly forty laps for the pair to take the lap on the field.

The twenty points rocketed Meyer into sixth overall however as it came with ten laps remaining, this is where he remained on the final standings. 

Benjamin Thomas held off a late surge by the Netherlands’ Jan Willem van Schip to take gold over the Dutch cyclist with Walls taking the bronze medal.  

Meyer returns to the track on the final day of competition for the men’s Madison, with the two-time world champion to team with Sam Welsford for the 200-lap/50-kilometre race. 

Women’s 3km Individual pursuit    

Twenty-year-old Maeve Plouffe continued to impress on debut with a top ten finish in the 3000m individual pursuit. The reigning national champion Plouffe clocked 3mins 26.742secs for the 12-lap event, bettering her personal best by five seconds which set only four months ago at the Oceania Championships. 

“The individual pursuit is an event I really enjoy riding, as weird as that sounds,” Plouffe said. “So to get the opportunity to ride it this week was amazing.” 

It has been a rapid rise for the Adelaide cyclist who joined the Australian Cycling Team’s Podium Potential Academy in 2018, before becoming a train-on member of the Podium squad late in 2019. Since then, Plouffe has claimed the World Cup team pursuit gold and silver and impressed while on her World Championships debut this week. 

“People are congratulating me on my steep trajectory, but I wouldn’t have had it if I didn’t get to train with the squad every single day,” said Plouffe. “My results started to improve when I got to train with them once a week. The squad are hard racers, but they are also hard trainers. They go out every day in training and rip their legs, and it is motivating to be with them.” 

Plouffe believes the disappointment of finishing off the podium this week will fuel the squad as they continue their charge toward the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

“Even though we have been a little disappointed this week with the team pursuits, It is almost a blessing in disguise coming out and seeing where the world is at,” Plouffe said. “Everyone says that Tokyo is only five months away, but I think you can achieve a lot in five months.”

“And I have never had an amazing result off the back of an awesome result because sometimes you need a kick in the guts to come back strong.”

2019 world champion Ashlee Ankudinoff finished in fourteenth position in a time of 3mins 28.118secs. 

Chloe Dygert claimed her third world title in the event in four years, breaking the world record twice on the day (3:16.937).
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TRACK | Baker & Australia boast all the right ingredients

25/2/2020

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Australia’s women’s endurance squad boasts incredible depth, experience, and proven success across all levels with multiple world champions such as Annette Edmondson, Amy Cure, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker and Alexandra Manly. 

At the 2020 World Championships in Berlin, the stellar squad will be joined by 20-year-old debutant Maeve Plouffe who comes to the team from the Podium Potential Academy ranks. 

The squad heads into the Championships as the defending world champions in three events, team pursuit, individual pursuit and points race. However, the World Championships will offer more than just rainbows in 2020 as it is the final opportunity for the world’s best to refine and rehearse ahead of August’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“In every other year, the World Championships is the focus, it is the key priority for us,” Tasmania’s Baker explained. “But this year is a special year being an Olympic year, so it provides an opportunity to trial some different things. 

“We are making sure that we have everything right for Tokyo, while still having our eye on the prize here too."
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In the team pursuit. Australia enters the Championships as the reigning world champions after Baker, Edmondson, Ankudinoff, Cure and Manly soared to the world title one year ago in Poland. 

In 2020, Australia’s team pursuit outfit will feature Baker, Edmondson, Ankudinoff, Cure plus debutant Plouffe across the two-day, three-round event which opens the Championships on Wednesday morning. 

The squad has enjoyed success this summer with silver and gold during the World Cup season, during which they unveiled a new strategy which involves the front riders making their turn in the straight, rather than the traditional bend change. 

“As we go from different tracks, we have to make some adjustments the last two track sessions have been focusing we get our swings right, to make sure that we nail them,” said Baker. “It has been going really well in training and we are used to that swing now.
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Four years ago, the then 21-year-old Baker finished fourth in the points race and fifth in the team pursuit while on her elite World Championships debut. A few months later she made her Olympic debut in Rio where she rode in all three rounds as Australia finished fifth in the team pursuit.

As she aims for a second Olympic selection and the team strives for Olympic glory, Baker, 25, can see similarities in Plouffe’s path onto the team and is revelling in mentoring her younger teammate where possible. 

“Maeve has been a really big breath of fresh air.  She definitely deserves the spot to be in our team, she is so strong and I look forward to seeing her debut this week,” said Baker.   

“It is funny, I think she is doing exactly the same thing I was doing four years ago. I learned so much from the last Olympics, and I would love to pass on as much as I can to Maeve. 

“If we want to have the best result, then every piece of information we have to give to her is really important.  She is great with that, she is absorbing everything and taking it all in.”
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Baker has excelled over the last twelve months in the Madison, claiming World Championship silver (with Cure) and triple World Cup gold during the recent 2019-20 season (twice with Edmondson twice and once with Manly). 
 
As the Australian team continues to determine the best possible options and combinations for all three endurance events at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Cure and Edmondson have been slated to race the Madison in Berlin. 
 
Baker has been provided with an individual opportunity in the third Olympic event, the four-event omnium, which she will contest on Friday. 

“It is a great opportunity for us in Berlin. It is our last chance at a major competition to test everything out before the Olympics,” said Baker. “We want to trial everything we can, to make sure we have the best Madison pairing in Tokyo, and the best team pursuit squad in Tokyo. 

“I am super excited to take on the omnium, it will be my first at this level, so I will be taking each event as it comes and I am looking forward to seeing what I can do.”

In the remaining endurance events, Ankudinoff will look to defend her individual pursuit crown with national champion Plouffe also set to ride the individual race against the clock. 

Alexandra Manly will line up to defend her title in the points race and will also contest the scratch race. 

AUSTRALIAN SCHEDULE


DATE (IN AUS)    TIME (AEDT)

Thurs 27/2: 430am - 8am
W - Scratch 10 km - Alexandra Manly
W Team Pursuit - Qualifying 11pm AEDT
    
Fri 28/2: 430am - 730am
W - Team Pursuit - Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Annette Edmondson, Maeve Plouffe
    
Sat 29/2: 430am - 815am
W - Omnium - Georgia Baker
    
Sun 1/3: 230am - 6am
W -  Madison 30 km - Annette Edmondson/Amy Cure
W - Individual pursuit - Ashlee Ankudinoff; Maeve Plouffe
    
Mon 2/3: 12am-3am
W - Points race 25 km - Alexandra Manly

FOLLOW

​WATCH 

Live on FOXSPORTS Australia Channel 506
https://www.foxtel.com.au/tv-guide/search?q=world%20championships 

FOLLOW 

#AusCyclingTeam 
  • australiancyclingteam.com 
  • Facebook @AustralianCyclingTeam
  • Instagram @AustralianCyclingTeam
  • Twitter @AusCyclingTeam

#Berlin2020

  • Trackcycling-berlin.com
  • Twitter @trackworlds2020
  • Instagram @trackworlds2020
  • Facebook @TrackWorlds2020

Photos - John Veage, Hikari Media
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TRACK | Team Australia Guide for Berlin Track Worlds

20/2/2020

 
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Photo - Hikari Media
The 17-member Australian Team departed Adelaide on Wednesday evening bound for the 2020 UCI Track World Championships in Berlin, Germany. 

The five-day Championships, to be held from 26 February - 1 March, offers the world's best a final opportunity to refine and rehearse ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. 

In all, 20 titles will be decided in Berlin, with particular interest on the six Olympic events - Team Pursuit, Madison, Omnium, Team Sprint, Sprint and Keirin. 
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Photo - Casey Gibson
ENDURANCE 

  • Ashlee Ankudinoff - St George CC, NSW - 2019 individual & team pursuit world champion
  • Georgia Baker - Northern Districts CC, TAS - 2019 team pursuit world champion
  • Amy Cure - Mersey Valley Devonport CC, TAS - 2019 team pursuit world champion
  • Annette Edmondson - Norwood CC, SA - 2019 team pursuit world champion
  • Alexandra Manly - Central Districts CC, SA - 2019 points race & team pursuit world champion
  • Maeve Plouffe - Port Adelaide CC, SA - World Championship debut
  • Leigh Howard - Geelong CC, VIC - 2019 team pursuit world champion
  • Cameron Meyer - Midland CC, WA - 9-time career world champion 
  • Alexander Porter - Scotch College CC, SA - 2019 team pursuit world champion
  • Cameron Scott - St George CC, NSW - 2019 team pursuit world champion
  • Samuel Welsford - Northern Beaches CC, WA - 2019 scratch & team pursuit world champion
  • Luke Plapp - Brunswick CC, VIC - World Championship debut
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Australia heads into the Championships as the defending champions in five events - men's and women's team pursuit; men's scratch, women's points race and women's individual pursuit. 

Australia's title defence in the men's team pursuit will begin in the opening session and will feature world record holders Sam Welsford, Alexander Porter, Leigh Howard, plus Cameron Scott. 

Podium Potential Academy member Luke Plapp comes into the team to replace world champion and world record holder Kelland O'Brien who will not race the World Championships as he continues his recovery from a broken collarbone sustained in January. Plapp, a dual 2018 junior world champion, will make his elite Worlds debut in the individual pursuit and is listed as a reserve for the team pursuit. 

Nine-time career world champion Cameron Meyer will take on the omnium, and the Madison with Sam Welsford, while Welsford will take to the track in defence of his scratch race world title. 
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Photo - Hikari Media
Reigning women's world champions Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Annette Edmondson will team with World Championship debutant Maeve Plouffe in the team pursuit. 

Ankudinoff will look to defend her individual pursuit crown with Plouffe also set to ride the individual race against the clock. Alexandra Manly will line up to defend her title in the points race and will also contest the scratch race. 

Edmondson and Amy Cure will pair up for the Madison, while Baker will tackle the omnium. 
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Photo - Casey Gibson
SPRINT 

  • Stephanie Morton - South Coast CC, SA - 2019 team sprint world champion
  • Kaarle McCulloch - St George CC, NSW - 2019 team sprint world champion
  • Nathan Hart - ANU CC, ACT - 2018-19 Track World Cup gold medallist  
  • Matthew Richardson - Midland CC, WA
  • Thomas Cornish - Southern Cross CC, NSW - World Championship debut

Reigning world champions Stephanie Morton and Kaarle McCulloch begin their team sprint title defence on Wednesday's opening day of competition. Triple World Championship sprint silver medalist Morton will also race the individual sprint and keirin.  

McCulloch, a triple medallist in 2019, will take on three events; the team sprint, individual sprint and 500m time trial. 

2018 sprint world champion Matthew Glaetzer is a late withdrawal from the Championships after sustaining a leg injury at training last week. With his 2020 focus on a third Olympic Games selection, Glaetzer, who was slated to ride the team and individual sprint plus the keirin, will remain in Australia to focus on his recovery. 

Podium Potential Academy member Thomas Cornish will replace Glaetzer for the team sprint, scheduled for the opening day of competition, where he will team with Nathan Hart and Matthew Richardson. 

Hart and Richardson will also contest the sprint, while Cameron Scott and Alexander Porter will line up in the 1000m time trial. 
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Photo - Hikari Media
SCHEDULE - DATE (IN AUS); TIME (AEDT)

Thurs 27/2 430am - 8am
  • W - Scratch 10km    Alexandra Manly
  • W - Team Sprint    Stephanie Morton/Kaarle McCulloch
  • M - Team Sprint    Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson, Thomas Cornish
  • M & W Team Pursuit    Qualifying 11pm AEDT
    
Fri 28/2  430am - 730am
  • M - Team Pursuit   Leigh Howard, Sam Welsford, Cameron Scott, Alexander Porter
  • M -  Scratch 15km    Sam Welsford 
  • M - Keirin   NA
  • W - Team Pursuit   Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Annette Edmondson, Maeve Plouffe
  • W - Sprint   Qualifying 1230am 
    
Sat 29/2   430am - 815am
  • M - Points race 40km   TBC
  • M -  Kilometre Time Trial   Cameron Scott, Alexander Porter
  • M - Individual Pursuit    Luke Plapp
  • W - Omnium    Georgia Baker
  • W - Sprint    Stephanie Morton; Kaarle McCulloch
    
Sun 1/3   230am - 6am
  • W - 500m Time Trial    Kaarle McCulloch
  • W -  Madison 30km    Annette Edmondson/Amy Cure
  • W - Individual pursuit    Ashlee Ankudinoff; Maeve Plouffe
  • M - Omnium    Cameron Meyer
  • M - Sprint    Qualifying 9pm 
    
Mon 2/3   12am-3am
  • W - Points Race 25km    Alexandra Manly
  • M -  Madison 50km    Cameron Meyer/Sam Welsford 
  • W - Keirin    Stephanie Morton
  • M - Sprint    Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson

​​WATCH 

Live on FOXSPORTS Australia Channel 506

FOLLOW 

#AusCyclingTeam 
  • australiancyclingteam.com 
  • Facebook @AustralianCyclingTeam
  • Instagram @AustralianCyclingTeam
  • Twitter @AusCyclingTeam

#Berlin2020
  • Trackcycling-berlin.com
  • Twitter @trackworlds2020
  • Instagram @trackworlds2020
  • Facebook @TrackWorlds2020
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TRACK | Madison gold for Baker & Edmondson

15/12/2019

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Edmondson & Baker celebrate gold - Photo John Veage
A dominant Australian gold medal in the women’s Madison highlighted the second day of the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane on Saturday night.

​Women’s Madison 

Georgia Baker and Annette Edmondson secured Australia’s only gold medal of the night with a powerful performance in the women’s Madison, beating their French rivals by 12 points. 

The pair won four out of the first six sprints to build an early lead, as the French duo of Clara Copponi and Marie Le Net did their best to catch the Australian pair.

Baker who won silver in the Madison at the world championships earlier this year, as well as gold at last week’s Cambridge World Cup was thrilled with the result. 

“We’re really lucky in the Australian Cycling Team because we have so much depth in our program so we can swap partners and still come away with really good results,” Said Baker. 

“Nettie and I had a successful campaign in Glasgow and that was a very sprint dominant race so we wanted to try something different here, it’s nerve-racking going out there and trying something new but it’s also really exciting and I think we have done the training to back ourselves in and pull off a good result no matter what happens.”

“It was pretty cool out there, we had to dig deep, we tried a couple of different tactics from last Friday and Glasgow and we’re really happy we pulled it off,” said Edmondson after the win. 

“I think in the past we were quite new to this discipline so whenever we got on the front we were like ‘oh my gosh we’re in front let’s go’ and we’d win by too much if we happened to win it or we’d be out the back so we wanted to try and make it a bit more consistent.” She added.

Despite the best efforts of the French team, Baker and Edmondson maintained the lead for almost the entire race. Both Australia and France lapped the field to stay clear of the United States who finished on 32 points to claim the bronze.
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Glaetzer - Photo John Veage
Men’s Keirin

An unbelievable finish to the men’s keirin final was one of the highlights of the night with Colombian young gun Kevin Santiago Quintero Chavarro powering past Australia’s Matthew Glaetzer on the home straight to claim the narrowest victory and his maiden World Cup win. 

Chavarro finished third in his first round before winning the repechage round and just scraping into the final with a third-place finish in the second round. 

Glaetzer topped his first-round heat with an exceptional ride and then flew by the competition with a come from behind victory in the second round, unfortunately, he did not have the legs to hold off Chavarro on the final sprint to the line in the final. 

“It was very busy, no one really wanted the front, I got caught up on the wheels and didn’t have a smooth run but I was close enough to home to give it a good shot and put myself in the race,” said Glaetzer.

“I was in a strong position to win and unfortunately just towed the Colombian around and gave him a good sit but I gave it everything I had and I’m happy with how I’m racing this week and today with the keirin so I’ll see how much I have left in the tank for the sprint tomorrow.”

Glaetzer improved on his keirin bronze from last weeks World Cup just a couple of weeks after having surgery for thyroid cancer. 

“Today I was feeling fine, each race felt good, but tomorrow will be a test for me to see how I qualify for the sprint and how much gas I’ve got in the rounds so hopefully I get back up better than I did last week and have a good fight in the sprint.” Said Glaetzer.

Tomas Babek (Czech Republic) rounded out the podium with a third-place finish. 
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Morton v Lee - Photo John Veage
Women’s Sprint 

In the women’s sprint, reigning world champion Wai Sze Lee was too strong for South Australia’s Stephanie Morton as she claimed the gold medal in straight rounds. 

Lee was dominant all day after topping qualifying with a time of 10.387 edging close to the world record and achieving a personal best. Lee got through to the quarterfinals with no issues, never dropping around on her way to the gold medal race against Morton. 

“Today I tried my best, I had a personal best on this track as it’s really fast and also I felt really good. I saw Anna Meares today also, and it brought back many memories of races with her. So today was very nice because I won a medal,” said Lee. 

“I don’t really mind where I race, I am really pleased that there were many Hong Kong people here to support me.”

Unfortunately, it was an all too familiar result for Morton, who finished second to Lee at the World Championships earlier this year.
​
Morton finished second in qualifying (10.525), before winning her first-round heat to set up a quarter-final against teammate Kaarle McCulloch. She won every heat until the final race against Lee. 

“It was actually really good out there with really good vibes. Going out and doing my 200, every time I went past the fence people were cheering ‘Go Steph, Go Steph’!” said Morton.

“Lee is a fierce competitor, she’s very fast. So I wanted to go out there and see if we could learn something new, and try to execute what I need to try and execute. We don’t have many more dress rehearsals before Tokyo and I am really happy with how I rode today, especially against Wai Sze Lee, it’s money in the bank as we head toward Tokyo.

“The sprint day is a big day, by the time you get to the finals it’s a bit tiring but I was really happy all day with how I executed my races. When you’re executing races well and you don’t have the legs, that’s all you can ask for, because when you have the legs later on you’ll get up for the win.”

Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Federation) defeated Colombia’s Pineda Bayona in straight rounds to take home the bronze medal. 

Men’s Omnium

The men’s omnium was won by New Zealand’s Aaron Gate who finished on 134 points, 18 points clear of Germany’s Roger Kluge. Kluge performed consistently and ended the event with the silver medal.

Gate started off with a second-place finish in the scratch race behind Eiya Hashimoto (Team Bridgestone Cycling) who finished with 113 points to claim the omnium bronze medal. 

Gate went on to win the tempo race while Hashimoto took second as the pair battled it out for the overall lead early on. Gate gave a dominant performance in the points race to claim the omnium gold despite a 12th place finish in the elimination race. 

Cameron Meyer (Australia) had a second-place finish in the elimination race and the points race however he only managed to move up to fifth place in the overall standings.
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TRACK | Women's team strike pursuit gold in Brisbane

13/12/2019

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Annette Edmondson, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Maeve Plouffe, Georgia Baker, Alexandra Manly. Photo John Veage
Double team pursuit gold medals for Australia highlighted the opening day of the 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup on Friday at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane. 

Reigning world champions Georgia Baker, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Annette Edmondson, Alexandra Manly, plus Podium Potential Academy member Maeve Plouffe, guided Australia to gold in the women’s event. In the men’s, world champions Sam Welsford, Leigh Howard, Kelland O’Brien, Alexander Porter plus Podium Potential Academy member Luke Plapp secured Australia’s second gold.

In the women’s team pursuit, little separated Australia and New Zealand in qualifying with the all-black skinsuits quartet of Holly Edmondston, Bryony Botha, Michaela Drummond and Racquel Sheath setting the fastest time (4:16.573), just two-tenths ahead of Australia’s Baker, Ankudinoff, Manly and Plouffe. 

With Edmondson replacing Ankudinoff for their first-round matchup against the United States, the team booked their place in the gold medal final (4:12.889) with a scorching ride was just half a second outside their national record set at last week’s World Cup.

Ankudinoff returned for Manly in an enthralling final with the Australians stopping the clock at 4mins 13.237secs to take the gold medal by three-tenths of a second over their Trans-Tasman rivals (4:13.553). 

The result evened the ledger between the two teams after the Australians took silver behind New Zealand at last week’s Cambridge World Cup.

“We don’t get the opportunity to race in front of a home crowd, especially at a World Cup, so we wanted to go out firing and win gold,” said Edmondson. 

“I think we are heading in the right direction, and we have been working pretty hard behind the scenes, we wanted to do some fast times here in Brisbane, we have ticked some boxes, and will use it as inspiration to keep the momentum for the Olympics.

“Maeve is only 20 years old and has a lot of power behind her considering she is so young. She has only been in training with us for the last month so to be able to ride three strong rides today and also a couple of rides over in New Zealand last week is promising. 

“We also have Amy Cure at home, so we know that we have the numbers here and it is very exciting moving forward.”

In another race of rivalries, Canada (4:17.509) defeated the United States (4:21.540) for bronze. 
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Photo John Veage
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TRACK | Madison gold & bronze; Edmondson claims dual medals in Glasgow

11/11/2019

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Photo - Argon18
Madison gold to Annette Edmondson and Georgia Baker, Madison bronze to Sam Welsford and Leigh Howard, and omnium bronze to Edmondson highlighted round two of the 2019-20 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Glasgow
Edmondson and Baker dominated the 120-lap Madison from the outset, winning five of the first eight sprints held every ten laps, while figuring in two others, to set up a commanding lead. 

Despite a crash by Baker inside the final 15 laps, the pair kept calm and rode away with the win on 40 points ahead of Great Britain (31pts) and the Netherlands (19pts).

"The Australian women's endurance squad has been focusing on the Madison in particular over the last couple of months.

"So this result means a lot not just to us, but the entire squad back home who have been helping us prepare for this track season," said Edmondson. 


"Going into the race, we were focused on getting the little things right, wanted to make it simple, focus on the process and hope the result came.

"We are so happy to take the gold medal, and it shows all the hard work back home in Adelaide is working," said Baker.

Australia's focus now turns to the World Cup's fourth round in New Zealand from December 6-8, followed by the 
2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup on home soil at Brisbane's Anna Meares Velodrome from December 13-15.
"We head back home tomorrow, and then the New Zealand and Brisbane World Cups become our goals. There are not many more opportunities to race and practice, so to know what we are doing is working is great for the confidence," added Edmondson.  

Edmondson celebrated twice on the podium at the World Cup after claiming bronze in the four-event Omnium final. The 2015 omnium world champion finished on 111 points, just ten behind dual reigning world champion Kirsten Wild (NED). 

"Each race was close together, and it all came down to a hard points race and the final sprint to get ono the podium," said Edmondson, who finished sixth, third and fourth in the scratch, tempo and elimination races before grabbing a medal with third in the points race.

​"I'
m satisfied with that performance, and we came here to try to be consistent with all the races and to make improvements on what we learned at Worlds. There were movements made forward with that regard, but still plenty of room for more improvements."
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Glasgow World Cup done and dusted for another year. Had a blast racing with @australiancyclingteam and enjoying new experiences with a great bunch. Came away with a bronze medal in the Madison with @samwelsford and 5th in the Scratch race to top off a nice first race back into the international scene. Look forward to getting back with my @aussietpboys this week and working towards our next targets in Cambridge and Brisbane now!

A post shared by Leigh Howard (@leighhoward1) on Nov 10, 2019 at 5:06pm PST

Reigning team pursuit world champion Sam Welsford and three-time Madison world champion Leigh Howard won bronze in the men's Madison. 

In a frantic race, the Australian duo were one of three teams with winners France and silver medalists Great Britain to take three laps in the 200-lap race. It was a gallant effort by the pair to find the podium after a crash by Howard with sixty laps to go, put pressure on the pairing as the race lifted in intensity over the final fifty laps. 

"We went into the race with a reasonably tight plan, and we executed it very close to what we envisaged," said Howard. "But the crash put us both under the pump, and in the end, the French pairing was too strong.

"We managed to hold third place, so not too shabby, but without the crash, I think we could have shaken things up a bit more in the last 50 laps, but that's bike racing!".
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Glasgow UCI Track World Cup done and dusted. Another couple TPs under the belt and more experience gained. Thanks @australiancyclingteam crew for the ripper week! □ @iamtrackcycling • #trackcycling #velodrome #glasgow #findyour30

A post shared by Conor Leahy (@_conor_leahy_) on Nov 10, 2019 at 1:00pm PST

Welsford finished seventh in the omnium, while Howard donned his rainbow jersey to lead a young team pursuit quartet comprised of Podium Potential Academy duo Conor Leahy and Godfrey Slattery, and guest rider Joshua Duffy to seventh. Howard also finished fifth in the scratch race. 

Baker finished seventh in the scratch race, while she also teamed with Kristina Clonan and Macey Stewart plus Podium Potential Academy member Alexandra Martin-Wallace to finish sixth in the team pursuit. 

The Podium Potential Academy represented Australia in the sprint competition with Matthew Richardson, Tom Cornish and Tom Clarke finishing eighth in the team event. Clarke was ninth in the keirin, while Richardson was eleventh in the sprint.

​
Caitlin Ward won her keirin heat, before going on to win the 7-12 final to finish seventh overall.

The Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy (PPA) Endurance riders raced in support of the Sport Australia #findyour30 campaign.
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TRACK | No excuses for Edmondson as she targets Brisbane Track World Cup

7/11/2019

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Reigning team pursuit world champion Annette Edmondson (SA) will leave no stone unturned as she strives towards representing Australia on home soil at the 2019-2020 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup to be held at Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome from 13-15 December. 

Edmondson and the Australian Cycling Team’s best will battle for gold across the three-day event which acts the penultimate round of the World Cup Series and a chance to grab valuable qualifying points for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“There’s nothing like home soil, we had the 2012 World Championships on home soil and the 2018 Commonwealth Games and that was incredible,” said Edmondson. “It’s been three years since I’ve worn these rainbows and you never take it for granted.

"To have another chance to represent Australia, in the rainbows in the team pursuit, with a home crowd, that is amazing.”

Read the full story here >>> ​brisbanetrackworldcup.com
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TRACK | World champions & rising stars ready for Glasgow

6/11/2019

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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.
​
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​​

Follow
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  • facebook.com/trackworldcup
  • twitter.com/trackworldcup
  • instagram.com/trackworldcup
  • tissottiming.com/Results
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TRACK | TEAM AUSTRALIA for 2019-20 World Cup in Glasgow

1/11/2019

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Welsford in action at during the 2018/19 World Cup - Photo Guy Swarbrick.
Cycling Australia is pleased to confirm the riders that will contest the 2019-20 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Glasgow from 8-10 November. 
 
The team for the second round of World Cup is highlighted by reigning team pursuit world champions Sam Welsford, Leigh Howard, Annette Edmondson and Georgia Baker. 

In Glasgow, Welsford will race the omnium and the Madison with three-time Madison world champion Howard. 

Howard will lead a youthful team pursuit outfit which includes Podium Potential Academy duo Conor Leahy and Godfrey Slattery, plus guest rider Joshua Duffy.

Edmondson will line up in the omnium and team with Baker in the Madison, while Kristina Clonan and Macey Stewart will join Podium Potential Academy members Alexandra Martin-Wallace and Sophie Edwards in the team pursuit.

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.
​
Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome will host round five the 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup from 13-15 December. ​
Team Australia 

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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TRACK | Edmondson earns fifth in omnium

2/3/2019

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image via Casey Gibson
In just her fifth international competition in the new four-race format, Annette Edmondson finished fifth in the women’s omnium.

The South Australian opened her campaign with a controlled second place in the scratch race before a tenth place in the tempo race placed fourth overall at the halfway mark of the competition.

 Edmondson’s run at the podium took a dent after finishing fourteenth in the elimination race which dropped her down to sixth overall, twenty-eight points reigning world champion Kirsten Wild (NED) heading into the final event, the points race.

Early in the 80-lap race, Edmondson dropped to seventh however she launched herself midway through the race into medal contention after taking a solo lap and with it twenty bonus points.

Despite her best efforts in the final thirty laps, Edmondson could not gain an advantage on the four riders ahead of her and finished fifth overall, just five points off the bronze medal.

“I would have liked to have had a different result today, but I made a big mistake, and there was nothing I could do about it,” said Edmondson, referring to her elimination race result. “But you just have to put your head back on and think about the last race to come and how to change the result.

“I had to do something in the points race, I managed to take a lap, but in the end, it took it out of me. I gave it everything I could and fifth was the best I could manage on the day.”

The 2012 Olympic medallist and 2015 world champion in the now-defunct six-race format, Edmondson is still finding her feet in the four-race program.

“I like that it is in one day, but I am still getting used to it and there is still a lot to learn of the new format,” said Edmondson, who took gold at the World Cup in New Zealand in January. “I need to get better at the tempo race, so it wasn’t like I had a perfect race other than the elimination race today.

“But practice makes perfect and I will have a lot more opportunities out there before the big one in Tokyo.

“Yes, it is disappointing today, but it makes you hungrier.”
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TRACK | Women's Team pursuit claim gold

1/3/2019

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Photo © Casey Gibson
Moments after cheering their male counterparts to team pursuit glory, Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Georgia Baker (TAS) completed the prestigious double by claiming the women’s crown.

Fastest qualifiers on Wednesday (4:14.915), the quartet subbed in Alexandra Manly - who celebrated her twenty-third birthday on Thursday - in place of Edmondson for their first-round clash with Italy. A malfunction in the Australian starting gate, followed by a false start by the Italians, failed to rattle the Australians as they soared into the final with a stunning win in 4mins 13.913secs.

Edmondson returned for the final and the Australian quartet pounced on the British outfit from the gate, establishing a lead of half a second after one kilometre. In a tight tussle, the margin remained under one second for the entirety of the 16-lap race, with the Australians holding off a late fightback to win in a time of 4mins 14.333secs (averaging 56.619km/h), two-tenths of a second ahead of Great Britain (4:14.537).

“It still hasn’t sunk in, we always believed we could do it,” said Edmondson, who shared in the 2015 world title with Cure and Ankudinoff.  “We’ve got a great team vibe at the moment, everyone is really positive and really relaxed coming in and in a good mental space, so when you see your teammates doing well you do the same!

“We did all we could out there and we’rereally happy to be world champions!”

Georgia Baker was ecstatic to claim her maiden elite world crown.

“We put three really strong rides together, we’re so happy to be world champions,” Baker said. “At the moment I am struggling for words I am so proud and happy be in the rainbows. We have worked super hard, not just us but also Macey and Kristina back at home. They deserve every bit of this too.”
Fellow Tasmanian Amy Cure was overcome with emotion following the win, her second after winning in 2015.

“It is so great to be able to share this moment with these girls, it has been a bit of a roller coaster year, so it’s great to be able to pull on the rainbows now and do it with this group.”

For Ankudinoff, she becomes the first Australian woman to win three career team pursuit world crown after claiming the 2010 (with Tomic and Kent) and 2015 crowns (with Edmondson, Cure and Hoskins).

“It has been a couple of years since we have been on the top step. This is definitely special to share it with the four other girls plus two at home, it is a very special moment and I will never forget this,” Ankudinoff said.

Celebrating her twenty-third birthday on Thursday, Alex Manly received the best present from her teammates as she cheered trackside during the final.
“Super special to share it with these girls, it is awesome. They gave me chocolates this morning but I think this present is a lot better,” Manly said.
After recording his first World Championship victory at the helm of the women’s track endurance program, a visibly emotional Jason Bartram lauded praise on the Australian Cycling Team.

“It means a lot, it really means a lot,” Bartram said. “I’m proud of the girls and we put everything into this.
​

“To see it come across and see those girls get what they work for every day means everything.

“The staff support we have is unreal, everyone chips in their little bit and plays their role and contributes to great performances. I could try and say names, but I hope everyone who has been a part of this along the way knows they are important and matter.”
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TRACK | Edmondson rediscovers track spark

21/2/2019

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Photo - Guy Swarbrick
In ominous words for her rivals, dual 2015 world champion Annette Edmondson has revealed she has rediscovered her love for track cycling as she embarks on her 2019 UCI Track World championships campaign.

“I found that spark again, a spark I haven't had for a long time and I'm really excited to be back,” said Edmondson, who last represented Australia at a UCI Track World Championships in 2016 after taking time away from the track post the Rio Olympic Games and hitting the road scene.

“It’s awesome (to be back), there aren’t many opportunities to represent your country at the World Championships.

“It’s been three years since I’ve been there, I decided I wanted to come back after I was a little bit jealous while my teammates were racing at the World Championships.”

Australia’s women’s endurance squad for Poland’s World Championships is comprised of Edmondson and fellow 2018 Commonwealth Games team pursuit gold medallists in Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS) and Alexandra Manly (SA). Georgia Baker (TAS) rounds out the quintet.
Edmondson will line up in two events in Poland, the team pursuit and the omnium, the two events in which she boasts rainbow jerseys from 2015. At the World Cup in New Zealand last month, and in what was just her second competition in the new four-race omnium format, Edmondson won gold. 

“It’s my third omnium in the new format so it’s an awesome opportunity to race against some of the best in the world,” said Edmondson who took her world title and Olympic medal in the now-defunct six-race format.

“While it was great to get a win in New Zealand I definitely didn't get to race against everybody that I wanted to so I’m really excited to see where I’m at when against all of the strong hitters at Worlds.”

Like all events, however, the focus will be on the team pursuit event which gets underway on the opening day of competition, with Edmondson’s excited about the team’s prospects following a number of changes at the Australian Cycling Team Headquarters in Adelaide. 

“We’ve changed a few things in the last couple of months at training and we’re joining in with the boys, we’ve got a lot more staff on board and we’re noticing a big difference because there’s a lot more attention to detail,” explained Edmondson. “It’s a good shift and a positive move forward and we’re looking forward to seeing the changes. 

“We’ve got seven super strong girls at the moment, it’s awesome to see strength coming through as well so we are all in a very good place leading into the next year going into Tokyo.”
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The Australian Team arrived in Pruszkow, Poland on Wednesday 20 February ahead of the 2019 UCI Track World Championships which will be held from 27 February to 3 March. 

SCHEDULE

  • Wednesday 27th February: W - Team Pursuit Qualifying; M - Team Pursuit Qualifying; W - Scratch 10 km; W - Team Sprint; M - Team Sprint
  • Thursday 28th February: W - Sprint Flying 200m & rounds; M - Team Pursuit; M -  Scratch 15 km; M - Keirin; W - Team Pursuit
  • Friday 1st March: M - Points race 40 km; M -  Kilometre t.t.; M - Individual Pursuit; W - Omnium; W - Sprint
  • Saturday 2nd March: M - Sprint Flying 200m & rounds; W - 500m t.t.; W -  Madison 30 km; W - Individual pursuit; M - Omnium
  • Sunday 3rd March: W - Points race 25 km; M -  Madison 50 km; W - Keirin; M - Sprint

ABOUT 

Australian Cycling Team #AusCyclingTeam
  • Australiancyclingteam.com
  • Facebook AustralianCyclingTeam
  • Instagram @australiancyclingteam
  • Twitter @AusCyclingTeam

2019 UCI Track World Championships - Poland
  • www.pruszkow2019.pl
  • facebook.com/PZKol
  • twitter.com/pzkolarski​
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Track | ​Australian Team for 2019 UCI Track World Championships

30/1/2019

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Cycling Australia is pleased to announce a 17-rider team for the 2019 UCI Track World Championships to be held in Poland from 27 February to 3 March.

Team pursuit world record holders Leigh Howard (VIC), Kelland O’Brien (VIC), Alexander Porter (SA) and Samuel Welsford (WA) feature in the men’s endurance selections with Cameron Scott (NSW) who will make his World Championship debut. Nine-time world champion Cameron Meyer (WA) is also confirmed.

Commonwealth Games champions Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Alexandra Manly (SA), plus Georgia Baker (TAS), comprise the women’s endurance selections.  

Reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer (SA) headlines the men’s sprint quartet with Patrick Constable (SA) and Nathan Hart (ACT), with nineteen-year-old Podium Potential Academy member Matthew Richardson (WA) named to his maiden elite World Championship team.

Sprint silver medallist at the past two World Championships Stephanie Morton (SA), and Kaarle McCulloch (NSW) complete the women’s sprint selections.  

“These World Championships provide a great opportunity to benchmark where we are at against the world’s best,” said Simon Jones, Performance Director, Cycling Australia.

“However the focus will be about learning rather than winning. As we build towards Tokyo the focus will increasingly be on performance, but performing with a clear strategy and winning processes.”

The team will finalise preparations in Adelaide before departing Australia on February 20.

Australian Team

Endurance
  • Ashlee Ankudinoff   
  • Georgia Baker
  • Amy Cure   
  • Annette Edmondson   
  • Alexandra Manly   
  • Leigh Howard   
  • Kelland O’Brien   
  • Cameron Meyer  
  • Alexander Porter  
  • Cameron Scott   
  • Samuel Welsford  

Sprint
  • Kaarle McCulloch
  • Stephanie Morton    
  • Patrick Constable
  • Matthew Glaetzer       
  • Nathan Hart    
  • Matthew Richardson    

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Australian Cycling Team #AusCyclingTeam 
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Track | Australia crowned overall 2018/19 UCI Team World Cup winners

27/1/2019

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Picture
Photo - Guy Swarbrick
The Australian Cycling Team has been crowned overall 2018/19 UCI World Cup winners following an emphatic final World Cup round held at the Hong Kong Velodrome.

Australia claimed three gold, three silver and two bronze across the three days, highlighted by dual gold to Thomas Clarke, 23, in the sprint and team sprint with teenagers James Brister, 19, and Matthew Richardson, 19, plus omnium gold to Cameron Meyer.

Overall across the six-round World Cup series, Australia won 34 medals including 13 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze.
 

“It is a great team effort, a mixture of committed athletes, committed staff, everyone working together, I think it is a great thing to celebrate,” said Jon Norfolk, Head of Performance Pathways and People, Cycling Australia.

“Across this season we witnessed great results and performances from athletes within the Podium program and the Podium Potential Academy.  It is so great to have two separate tiers of our program able to perform on this kind of stage, to be able to refine and improve.

“It is also great to see both programs supporting each other as well, we have podium athletes supporting our younger athletes, and in turn, they are being inspired by racing and training with their heroes.  

“It is a really infectious environment.”
RECAPS: 

Sunday 

Forty-eight hours after teaming winning gold in the team sprint, Podium Potential Academy members Thomas Clarke, 23, and James Brister, 19, battled each other for gold in the individual sprint with Clarke taking the top step of the podium.

In a heartbreaking end to the men’s 30km Madison, Sam Welsford, 23, and Kelland O’Brien, 20, were edged into the silver medal position by New Zealand in the final sprint of the 120-lap race.

Alexandra Manly staged an epic comeback inside the final twenty laps of the points race to win bronze in women’s omnium.  

Teenage debutant Alexandra Martin-Wallace shone in the scratch race, coming over the top of a fast finishing bunch to win silver.

Read full Sunday report

Saturday

A calculated performance from Cameron Meyer, saw the 31-year-old claim an emphatic gold in his first international omnium competition.

In her first race at the World Cup level since 2016 after suffering a broken foot and chronic back injuries, Caitlin Ward, 24, netted her best World Cup performance finishing eighth with a competition personal best 11.022seconds in the flying 200m.

Read full Omnium & Women's Sprint report
​
Friday

The Australian Cycling Team’s Podium Potential Academy riders stole the show on the opening day of competition with teenagers James Brister, 19, and Matthew Richardson, 19, bolting from the gates on their World Cup debut, with Thomas Clarke, 23, to win gold in the men’s team sprint.

In the team pursuit, the teenage quartet of Jarrad Drizners, 19, Godfrey Slattery, 18 Conor Leahy, 19, and Luke Plapp, 18, won bronze in just their second World Cup event.

The women’s endurance quartet of Maeve Plouffe, 19, Alexandra Manly, 22, and World Cup debutantsAlexandra Martin-Wallace and Sophie Edwards, both 18, finished fifth overall.

Read full Team Pursuit & Team Sprint reports
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Track | Hart & Edmondson grab World Cup gold at penultimate World Cup round

21/1/2019

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Nathan Hart wins sprint gold - Photo Guy Swarbrick
Gold to Nathan Hart and Annette Edmondson headlined the Australia Cycling Team’s campaign at the penultimate round of the UCI Tissot Track World Cup season in New Zealand at the weekend.

A stalwart as first-wheel in Australia's team sprint outfit for the best part of the decade, Nathan Hartcelebrated alone atop the podium with a memorable sprint victory. 
 
Qualifying second fastest, Hart moved through the rounds with wins over Poland’s Maciej Bielecki, Japan’s Tomohiro Fukaya and France’s Sebastien Vigier.  
 
In the final, Hart was too good for Poland’s Mateusz Rudyk, taking his first Tissot Track World Cup individual gold in straight heats. 
 
“It feels great to have raced to my first World Cup gold medal, it has been a while since my last win, so it's that little bit sweeter,” said Canberra’s Hart, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games representative in the team format. 
“My Mum and Dad made the trip over to Cambridge and were watching from the stands, so it was special for them to be there to watch, after all the support they have provided over the many years.

“To also win the Silver in the Team Sprint with Jacob and Tom, it has been a successful World Cup round.” 

On day one, Hart teamed with Jacob Schmid and Thomas Clarke to win silver in the team sprint,  Australia’s first medal of the round. 

The trio qualified third fastest (43.853) before defeating Japan in the first round in a time of 43.263secs which sent them into the gold medal final against three-time world champion New Zealand. There, the home team was too strong (43.121) for the Aussie trio (43.734). 

“This is really special as it is my first World Cup medal, and to make it even better being able to share it with Nathan and Jacob made it really a night I won't forget for a while,” said Podium Potential Academy member Clarke who was a late replacement for Pat Constable who was unable to race due to injuries sustained at the Track Down Under in Adelaide on January 11. 

“I felt for Pat missing out due to injury. It is not how you want to be selected for any team. I knew that stepping in for Pat was always going to be a difficult job as they have been smashing training back home and as a team have created some great chemistry in executing their team sprints.”
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Nettie Edmondson wins omnium gold - Photo Guy Swarbrick
2015 world champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Annette Edmondson returned to the top step of the omnium podium with a controlled victory in the women’s event.  

Edmondson opened her account in the four-race omnium with a win in the scratch race, before taking fourth in the tempo. Victory in the elimination race provided an eight-point lead heading into the final event, the points race. 

A controlled race from Edmondson saw her maintain her advantage over Canada’s Allison Beveridge (123pts) and Japan’s Yumi Kajihara (113pts) to take the win on 131 points. 

“[I’m] Delighted to get the win here, we came here to get some experience because this would only be my third omnium in the new format,” said Edmondson, who took her world title and Olympic medal in the now-defunct six-race format. “Happy to tick some boxes, test out some new plans.  

“The race might have been missing some of the bigger names in omnium, but the great opportunity of racing, to practice race strategies was not lost. Also, to learn to ride the final points race in the lead, that experience is hard to get at that level, so it was great to have this opportunity.

“It was a nice battle at the end there, but I did feel in control and happy to take the win.”

Kaarle McCulloch claimed her first individual sprint medal at a World Cup level when she claimed bronze in the women’s event.
 
On the eve of her thirty-first birthday, McCulloch surged to a personal best time of 10.677secs in sprint qualifying, second fastest and just three-hundredths behind Hong Kong’s Wai Sze Lee.  
 
‪McCulloch defeated Ukraine’s Liubov Basova and the USA’s Madalyn Godby to move to the semi-finals where her run was ended by Olena Starikova (UKR). 
 
In the bronze medal final, McCulloch came back from 0-1 down against hometown hero Natasha Hansen to win the bronze. 
 
“Very very happy, to win my first ever individual sprint medal at a World Cup,” said McCulloch, who celebrated her birthday with fifth in the keirin. “I was thrilled when I got into the semis, a little disappointed how I rode it, but happy with how I bounced back in the bronze ride off to beat Natasha on her home turf.”
 
A host of Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy riders got their first taste of international cycling when they made their World Cup debut.
 
The all-teenage quartet of Jarrad Drizners, Godfrey Slattery, Conor Leahy and Luke Plapp qualified seventh fastest (4:02.293) in the team pursuit, before defeating Russia with a time of 3mins 56.379secs in the first round.  However, the quartet just missed the medal rounds by three-tenths of a second and finished fifth overall. 
 
In other events, Drizners took a gallant fourth in the scratch race, Slattery was twelfth in the omnium, while Plapp and Drizners finished tenth in the Madison. 
 
The Academy riders now form the majority of the Australian sixteen-rider team that will line up in the final World Cup round in Hong Kong this weekend. 
​
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Dual Gold for Morton; Glaetzer, Cure & Edmondson claim silver at Track World Cup fourth round in London

17/12/2018

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Picture
Photo © Guy Swarbrick
The Australian Cycling Team has won two gold and two silver medals at the fourth round of the UCI Track World Cup in London at the weekend, with the four-rider team finishing third on the medal tally. 
​

Stephanie Morton surged to dual gold in the sprint and keirin, reigning world champions Matthew Glaetzer grabbed sprint silver, while Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson won the Madison silver.

Steph sizzles

Stephanie Morton’s career-best form has continued with the Adelaide cyclist winning gold in the sprint and keirin at the fourth round of the UCI Track World Cup in London at the weekend.

Morton topped sprint qualifying (10.595) for the fourth straight World Cup before taking care of Urszula Los (POL), Katy Marchant (GBR) and Olena Starikova (UKR).  In the final, Morton defeated Laurine van Riessen (NED) in straight rounds.

“I am delighted to finish my World Cup season with another win in the sprint,” said Morton. “The women's sprint depth is great at the moment; the racing has really stepped up.”

In superb signs for the 28-year-old, Morton fired to win keirin gold on the final day of competition and also during a planned high workload training phase designed to support racing and skill execution. It capped a long season for the Adelaide cyclist which began at the Oceania Championships in October and has taken in five countries.

The 2018/19 World Cup season netted her eight medals from four rounds including four gold and is littered with highlights including gold and an Australian Record with Kaarle McCulloch in round two’s team sprint after the duo was edged by just 0.001second in the first round.

Morton topped the sprint qualification in every World Cup, taking silver and bronze in the first two rounds before storming to her first individual World Cup gold medals in rounds three and four. After personal bests in the flying 200m at both rounds, Morton also clocked her first career sub-10.5 second ride in the flying 200m (10.484seconds).  


“It has been a huge couple of months of racing, so it is nice to finish on a high,” said Morton. “First keirin gold for me at a World Cup - so that's really special.

“It has been a really successful season and I will definitely soak it up and use that as motivation. I’m now looking forward to getting in some more good training back in Adelaide and getting ready for that final push into the World Championships.

“But, for now, I think I've earned myself an extra slice of pavlova at Christmas!”

She's into the second round of the women's keirin, and if @StephMorton28's form in the sprints last night is anything to go by, the Aussie will take some stopping □□

It's all about sticking to the plan! #TissotUCITrackWC pic.twitter.com/QeUqCX1lr0

— Track World Cup (@TrackWorldCup) December 16, 2018
Picture
Photo © Guy Swarbrick
Glaetzer grabs sprint silver

Reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer’s unbeaten run in the sprint this World Cup season came to an end with a gallant silver medal at the fourth round of the UCI Track World Cup in London.

Third fastest in qualifying (9.708), Glaetzer accounted for Melvin Landerneau (FRA) and Jair Tjon En Fa (SUR), before being pushed to three in his semi final match up with dual world champion Jeffrey Hoogland (NED).

In a repeat of the sprint finals from the first and second rounds of the World Cup, Glaetzer faced Harrie Lavreysen (NED) and it would be third time’s a charm for the Dutch cyclist as he dived for the inside line in the second heat and rode to victory.

“Today's sprint competition was the toughest I have ever done,” said Glaetzer, who is racing through a high workload training phase designed to support racing and skill execution. “After going to three with Jeffrey, I have never been that broken, drained and in pain. I was happy to make the gold ride off but knew I didn't have much left.

“I gave it everything I had against Harrie, I pushed the limits tactically and got caught out in the last race, but he had the legs on me so silver it is.”

The race capped a superb World Cup season for Glaetzer which included three sprint gold and one silver.  The Australian also clocked a 9.502sec flying 200 in the opening round, just shy of his 9.459sec personal best set five years ago (at altitude).

“My World Cup season in the sprint was something special, to have three gold and a silver is awesome,” said the Adelaide cyclist. “The keirin for me was a bit hit and miss with making one final in three races, but overall I am really content with my season.

“Now it's time for a break from travel, racing, freezing weather and time get stuck into the Aussie summer!”
Picture
Photo © Guy Swarbrick
Cure & Edmondson win Madison silver

In just their second race as a pairing, Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson delivered Madison silver for Australia at the fourth round of the UCI Track World Cup in London.

In a final marred by a crash which forced both Russia and the United States to withdraw, the British pairing of Kenny and Archibald exerted early control.  The Aussies lead a stunning challenge to take the race lead after four of ten sprints; however, the hometown heroes pounced in a searing final double-points sprint to take gold on 34 points.

Edmondson and Cure finished in second on 19 points, with Belgians Jolien D’Hoore and Lotte Kopecky taking bronze.

“We are extremely excited about winning silver,” said Edmondson, who teamed with Cure to win the 2017 Oceania Madison crown. “I have only raced a handful of Madisons, and as this was my first major international race, I was very nervous going in.

“To end up on the podium was really exciting. Yes, there are a few things we could do differently, but overall we are happy to get Australia back in the mix.”

Tasmania’s Cure, the 2017 World Championship Madison bronze medalist, was excited to be back on track in the event.

“I am thrilled to come home with the silver as I have been looking forward to the Madison, I always love racing it,” said Cure. “We made a few little tactical errors out there that hurt us, but I was proud of Nettie as this was her first international Madison above the Oceania level, so it was terrific for her to step up as she did.”
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German glory: Four gold for Australia at third round of UCI Track World Cup

3/12/2018

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Picture
Photo © Guy Swarbrick
The Australian Cycling Team grabbed four gold and two silver medals at the third round of the UCI Track World Cup in Berlin, Germany at the weekend.

World record holders Samuel Welsford, Alexander Porter, Leigh Howard and Kelland O'Brien, plus Cameron Scott claimed team pursuit gold, reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer continued his unbeaten run in the sprint, Stephanie Morton claimed her first individual gold of the season, while Sam Welsford took omnium gold.

It continues the team’s strong start to the six-event World Cup series which began in October.  The team topped the medal tally in Paris with eight medals including three gold, three silver and two bronze before adding four medals, including two gold at round two in Canada.

"This World Cup was another good benchmark for the Australian Cycling Team and shows we are progressing well and currently on track," said Simon Jones, Performance Director, Cycling Australia. "There is still a lot of work to do, but it’s good to score UCI points and be competing well."

Recap

World record holders Samuel Welsford, Alexander Porter, Leigh Howard and Kelland O'Brien, lined up in the team pursuit for the first time since April’s Commonwealth Games where they stunned the world with the first sub three minute-fifty second ride in the event’s history.

In Berlin, the quartet topped qualifying (3:53.426), and with Cameron Scott coming into the team for the first round and progressed to the final with a strong win (3:53.033) over rivals and Olympic champions Great Britain.

With Howard returning for Scott for the final, the world’s fastest team held off a challenge from a strong Danish outfit (3:54.703) to take the gold in a superb time of 3 minutes 51.210 seconds.

“It was great to line up again with the boys,” said Welsford. “We gel so well and to come back together and post a good time is a good sign we are on the right path.”

It was a successful weekend for Welsford who claimed dual gold in Germany with a come-from-behind victory in the final race of the four-race omnium.

“The omnium was a bit of a surprise; I haven't raced one at the world level since the World Championships in 2017, so to come away with the win was surreal. It came down to the last points race and luckily enough, I had good legs to take it out.”

In the women’s team pursuit, Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson rejoined the squad for the first time since April’s Commonwealth Games, and with Ashlee Ankudinoff and Georgia Baker, won silver.

Fastest qualifiers (4:19.073), the quartet moved to the final (4:18.083) by defeating Canada in the first round. In a heartbreaking final, the Australian quartet led for the first fifteen of sixteen laps, before the Great Britain outfit (4:16.153) caught their traditional rivals (4:16.413) inside the last half lap to take the gold.

Stephanie Morton topped sprint qualifying with her first career sub 10.5 second ride in the flying 200m (10.484seconds) before riding away to her first individual gold at World Cup level.

After knocking out Katy Marchant (GBR) and Daria Shmeleva (RUS), Morton took gold in two straight rides over Anastasiia Voinova (RUS) in the final to complete an undefeated campaign.

“After a few silvers, to finally turn it around and get my first sprint win at a World Cup, it is unreal,” said Morton, who collected five medals from six events across the first two rounds of the 2018/19 season in October. 

“With Matt and me in a heavy training block at the moment, I went into the day relaxed with no pressure on myself and was prepared for a big "shut up legs" kind of day.
“So when I looked up and saw the time of 10.4, I was speechless, and anyone who knows me knows that is very rare!

“I knew backing up was going to be tough with training in the legs so I took it one race at a time, focusing on the skill or tactic that Ross (Edgar) and I wanted to work on, knowing that crossing the line first would be the bonus.”

Reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer’s unbeaten run in the sprint this World Cup season remains intact with his third gold medal.   

Third fastest in qualifying (9.659secs), Glaetzer moved through to the quarterfinals with ease where he defeated Denis Dmitriev (RUS), before knocking Rayan Helal (FRA) out in the semi-finals. Glaetzer’s World Cup sprint reign continued as he took gold in two straight rides over Matthijs Buchli (NED) who had edged the Australian for keirin gold the previous night.

“Today was one of the hardest sprint competitions I have done,” said Glaetzer, who revealed he is in the middle of a training block. “The semi-final went to the best of three after I didn't execute my race plan properly, but I fixed it for the decider which took a lot out of me. It was at this point that I was wrecked and joked to Ross Edgar that I would try and keep up with Buchli in the final and not get dropped!

“We had our first race for gold, and when I was able to roll him up the front straight, it showed I still had just enough legs left to get the job done, so I made sure I didn't go to the best of three again!”

In other results, young guns Kelland O’Brien and Cameron Scott claimed fifth in the Madison, while Annette Edmondson was fourth in the omnium, and Ashlee Ankudinoff and Amy Cure finished sixth in the women’s Madison.  

Morton and Glaetzer will now move on to the UCI Track World Cup's fourth round to be held in London from December 14. 

All other members of the Australian Cycling Team will be back in action on home soil at the 2019 Cycling Australia Track National Championships which begin in Melbourne on Thursday 13 December at DISC Velodrome with the Para-cycling Nationals.

The Omnium Nationals cap the week on Friday 14 December, with Melbourne Arena to host a massive night of racing on Saturday 15 December headlined by the Madison, Team Sprint and Team Pursuit Nationals.  >>> tracknationals.org.au
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#GC2018 WIASAK WOWS on debut; nettie grabs bronze

7/4/2018

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Commonwealth Games debutant Rebecca Wiasak won silver in the women’s individual pursuit, finishing behind 2016 Olympic team pursuit champion Katie Archibald from Scotland.  Annette Edmondson took the bronze.
 
Wiasak wowed the crowd in the afternoon qualifying with a Games record (3:25.936), which also eclipsed her own national record. However Archibald eclipsed that mark in the very next ride.

In the final, Archibald looked strong early, before Wiasak took the lead and a .3sec advantage at the halfway mark.  However Archibald fought back and stopped the clock at 3mins 26.088secs ahead of Wiasak (3:27.548).

Congratulations to □□□□□□□ @_katiearchibald on winning □ in the Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit!

□□ @RebeccaWiasak you did us proud from start to finish □□#7CommGames #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/dKibPbKu3Q

— 7CommGames (@7CommGames) April 6, 2018
Rebecca Wiasak

I went hard. I used all my energy and enthusiasm. I'm happy to finish both races. I'm as thrilled 
today with a silver as I would be with a gold.

​I knew it was going to be a tough ask coming up against Katie Archibald, she's such a classy rider and you're stoked to make the final and you definitely have to stay confident that I could take it to her in the final.

I'm really happy to finish off both my rides really strongly.

It was bitterly disappointing to miss out on the team pursuit but you have to draw strength and inspiration from those rides," Wiasak said.

Watching it in bed last night trying to rest up for today, I was so emotional for the girls, you were in tears seeing them on the podium knowing that could have been you.

But I've been in that position so many times - the final rider cut - so when I was just sitting and waiting for today to jump up on the track I said to myself 'you've been waiting so long for this moment'.

I was the last rider cut for Glasgow and the fastest individual pursuiter at that point that season, and the last rider cut for Rio so I had to sit at home and watch as the non-travelling reserve so I know disappointment but it's continued to drive me and use that fire in the belly to keep me going and get me on this track.

You won't find many better than □□ @RebeccaWiasak □□

Gold!@SamJaneLane#7CommGames #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/OVCsXuc15M

— 7CommGames (@7CommGames) April 6, 2018

Bronze - NETTIE Edmondson

​In an all Aussie affair, Annette Edmondson held off a late surge from reigning national champion Ashlee Ankudinoff to win bronze. Earlier in the day, Edmondson set a Games record and personal best in qualifying (3:27.255) before it was broken by Wiasak and then Archibald. 

"I'm satisfied, I wasn't sure what to expect going in after yesterday, it was pretty solid on the legs but I had to go out there and focus and luckily I could pull out a PB.

"It was really tough in the final because you're up against your teammate and you really want to make it on the podium but at the same time one of your teammates doesn't get to come home with a medal, so it was hard but I am satisfied with the time I was able to ride.

"We've put our heart and soul into it the last few years and it just comes down to the day and who has the right prep or who believes in themselves more on the night, and sometimes there's a bit of luck involved."

How much /10 is □□ @NettieEdmo a legend?

We'll answer for you. 10.@SamJaneLane#7CommGames #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/8YJ9euDxRT

— 7CommGames (@7CommGames) April 6, 2018
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#GC2018 - TRACK ENDURANCE - GUIDE

28/3/2018

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The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Track competition will take place at the Anna Meares Velodrome (Brisbane) from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 April.

It will feature 20 events - eight endurance, eight sprint and four para-cycling - with the eight track endurance events to include the points race and scratch race, and the team and individual pursuits.  The team pursuit is set to make its Commonwealth Games debut for women.
 
The 2018 Games is likely to provide a milestone for team, with Australia having won 96 Commonwealth Games cycling gold medals.

WOMEN'S TEAM

Picture
Photo - Cycling Australia
 A six-member women’s endurance squad with a rich blend of World Championship, Olympic and Commonwealth Games experience will line up for Australia at the Games.
 
Reigning Games scratch race champion Annette Edmondson, 26 (SA) is back on the track for her second Games, with the dual world champion eyeing a spot in Australia’s team pursuit quartet for the event’s debut.
 
Edmondson’s 2015 team pursuit world champion teammates Amy Cure, 25 (TAS) and Ashlee Ankudinoff, 27 (NSW) will provide tremendous experience and multiple options for all four events.
 
Cure, a dual 2014 Games medallist and 2014 points race world champion, is fresh from two national championship crowns in the scratch and points races. Ankudinoff, Australia’s only dual world champion in the team pursuit, boasts two World Championship medals in the individual format.
 
Dual individual pursuit world champion Rebecca Wiasak, 33 (ACT), who narrowly missed selection to the 2014 Commonwealth and 2016 Olympic teams, will make her major Games debut.
        
2016 Olympian Georgia Baker, 23 (TAS) overcame heart surgery in November to make her first Games team, while Alexandra Manly, 22 (SA) will also make her debut.  Manly, with Cure, Ankudinoff and Wiasak claimed silver at the 2017 World Championships, less than half a second behind world champions USA.

MEN's TEAM

Picture
Photo - Kevin Anderson
The seven-member men’s endurance squad might feature six Games debutants, but the team enjoys a wealth of experience, collectively boasting 19 rainbow jerseys and countless options for the pursuit and bunch races.
 
Triple 2010 Games gold medallist Cameron Meyer, 30 (WA) returns to the Australian team and enters fresh from claiming the points race world crown last month, his ninth career rainbow jersey.
 
Like his fellow Perth native, Olympic team pursuit silver medallist and reigning individual pursuit national champion Samuel Welsford, 22 (WA) will be a threat in any race, as will three-time world champion Leigh Howard, 28 (VIC) who receives his first Games nod.  
 
Hometown fans will be eager to see Jordan Kerby, 25 (QLD) in action, with the 2017 individual pursuit world champion rocketing to cult hero status after riding to the third fastest time in history just months after returning to track cycling.    
 
Rounding out the side is 2017 world champions Alexander Porter, 21 (SA), Nicholas Yallouris, 24 (NSW), plus Kelland O’Brien, 19 (VIC) - the youngest member of Australia’s 36-member cycling team.
 
While the men’s, and women’s, track endurance teams bypassed March’s World Championships a part of the Australia Cycling Team strategy to focus on the Games, the quartet of O'Brien, Yallouris, Kerby and Howard soared to Oceania gold last November in 3min 52.421secs - one of the top ten fastest pursuit times in history. 
 
The focus for both squads lies firmly with the team pursuit on day one, with the exact line up for each of the four events, to be confirmed closer to the competition start date.
WHEN ARE THEY RACING? 

  • Day 1 - April 5: Women's 4000m Team Pursuit; Men's 4000m Team Pursuit  
  • Day 2 - April 6: Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit; Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit  
  • Day 3 - Sat April 7: Women's 25km Points Race; Men's 15km Scratch Race  
  • Day 4 - April 8: Women's 10km Scratch Race; Men's 40km Points Race  

HOW CAN I WATCH?
​
  • ​TV - Channel 7 will broadcast GC2018 on three free-to-air channels – 7, 7TWO & 7Mate
  • Mobile - download the 7CommGames app from both Google Play & Apple store
  • Web - 7commgames.com.au 

HOW DO I FOLLOW?

Follow all the action at commonwealthgames.com.au, or via the official CommGamesAUS social media channels / #TeamAus ​

PHOTOS

Photos © Kevin Anderson, and Cycling Australia. 
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36-member Australian Team for 2018 Commonwealth Games

20/2/2018

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Picture
Image via Kevin Anderson
Commonwealth Games Australia is pleased to announce a strong 36-member team to contest the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Reigning Commonwealth Games champions Stephanie Morton, Matthew Glaetzer and Annette Edmondson headline the track selections, in addition to the return of 2010 Gold medallists Cameron Meyer and Kaarle McCulloch.  

Reigning road national champions Alexander Edmondson and Shannon Malseed, triple world championship medallist Katrin Garfoot and 2006 Commonwealth Games road race gold medallist Mathew Hayman feature in the road selections. 
The team will vie for 26 gold medals - track (16), para-cycling track (4), road (4), and mountain bike (2) competitions in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast from 4-15 April. 

Australian Team Chef de Mission Steve Moneghetti welcomed the athletes on to the Australian Team.

“We enjoyed strong success at Glasgow 2014 from the Cycling team, so with the depth and experience we have in this team we look forward to more success at Gold Coast 2018,” he said.

“The cycling program is an incredibly exciting one for fans, with competition at the new Anna Meares Velodrome, road cycling events that are free and open to all spectators and mountain biking at the Nerang trails.

“With many of these athletes spending a lot of time abroad, Gold Coast 2018 provides a unique chance for these athletes to compete in front of a home crowd,” Moneghetti said. 

With the announcement of the 36 cyclists today, the Australian Team currently numbers 222, or just under half the anticipated total of 470 athletes.

TEAM OVERVIEW

The men’s track endurance squad is replete with rainbow jerseys, with reigning team pursuit world champions Samuel Welsford, Kelland O’Brien, Leigh Howard, Alexander Porter and Nicholas Yallouris, plus individual pursuit world champion Jordan Kerby; named in their first Games’ team.  

Three-time world champion Leigh Howard will also debut, with eight-time world champion and triple 2010 Games Gold medallist Cameron Meyer rounding out the strong line up.  

Defending scratch race Gold medallist and dual world champion Annette Edmondson, dual 2014 Games medallist and world champion Amy Cure and 2010 representative Ashlee Ankudinoff will lead the women’s endurance squad. 
Dual world champion Rebecca Wiasak, Rio Olympian Georgia Baker and rising star Alexandra Manly all receive their first Commonwealth Games’ selections.

“It’s really not that often someone gets to represent their country in a home Commonwealth Games in their career, so for me, it’s something very special that I’ll never forget,” said Cure, a dual medallist from 2014. 

“(I am) super excited to have the team pursuit on the calendar at the Games. I’m really excited to see what the team can achieve; as one of our three Olympic events, it’s great to get another opportunity to race this race in front of big crowds.”

Australia’s sprint crew is awash with Commonwealth Gold with defending sprint champion Stephanie Morton to form a formidable women’s sprint duo with 2010 team sprint champion Kaarle McCulloch. 

2014 keirin Gold medallist Matthew Glaetzer will spearhead an impressive men’s sprint quartet with Rio Olympians Nathan Hart and Patrick Constable, and Jacob Schmid. 

A host of Australia’s WorldTour elite highlight the road selections, with reigning national champion Alexander Edmondson, 2006 Commonwealth Games road race Gold medallist Mathew Hayman, Steele Von Hoff, Mitchell Docker, Callum Scotson and Meyer, forming a versatile six-member men’s road squad.

“I have very fond memories of the 2014 Commonwealth Games from Glasgow, so I am really excited about lining up in the road race in 2018,” said Edmondson, who won Gold and Silver in the pursuit events on the track four years ago.
“Of course being a home games there’s a bit of added pressure, but we are going to have a home crowd cheering us on which is going to be huge.

“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity of racing in the green and gold on home soil!”

Triple world championship medallist and 2014 Commonwealth Bronze medallist Katrin Garfoot will head the six-member women’s team with reigning road national champion Shannon Malseed, dual national road champion Gracie Elvin and 2010 Games Bronze medallist Chloe Hosking, who gains a third team selection.

2010 team member Tiffany Cromwell returns while Sarah Roy makes her debut. 

“It's a bit of a pinch yourself moment,” said Hosking who becomes just the third Australian female cycling behind Anna Meares and Kathy Watt to be named to contest three Commonwealth Games. 
“To think I represented Australia at 20 in Delhi and I'm still racing and still getting stronger and still pulling on the green and gold. I would never have dreamt this growing up.”  

The Tandem Para-cycling selections are led by 2016 world champions Jessica Gallagher and Pilot Madison Janssen, while Bradley Henderson will make his debut with Pilot Thomas Clarke who won Bronze at the 2014 Games. 
2014 Bronze medallists and dual Olympians Daniel McConnell and Rebecca McConnell (nee Henderson) will contest the mountain bike cross-country competition.

“I'm very excited about the upcoming Games, to have a home Commonwealth Games is going to be a great experience,” said McConnell who grabbed a top ten finish at last year’s World Championships in Cairns. “I have pretty high expectations going into the Games.

“I really like the course, I think it suits my strength pretty well. I just want to get to the start line 100% fit and ready to go, if I can do that anything is possible.”
Similarly, Rebecca McConnell is hoping the home course advantage plays into her hands when she lines up against a world-class field.

“I have been fortunate enough to race on the course at the Nationals Series in January, it's a great course, with technical climbing and descending and the strongest rider will win,” said Henderson.  
“With world champions and World Cup winners in both the men's and the women's field the racing is going to be fast and exciting so we hope to see lots of spectators in April!”

Australia has enjoyed strong success at recent Games with a 24-medal haul including seven gold in Glasgow in 2014, and 21 medals (14 gold) in Delhi in 2010. 

Tickets still available to 12 sports across the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games competition schedule. 

Commonwealth Games Australian Cycling Team

ROAD
  • Tiffany Cromwell                                
  • Gracie Elvin                                       
  • Katrin Garfoot                        
  • Chloe Hosking                         
  • Shannon Malseed*                
  • Sarah Roy*                            
  • Mitchell Docker*                     
  • Alexander Edmondson                      
  • Mathew Hayman                    
  • Cameron Meyer                                 
  • Callum Scotson*                                
  • Steele Von Hoff*                    

MTB   
  • Daniel McConnell                              
  • Rebecca McConnell (nee Henderson)

TRACK ENDURANCE          
  • Ashlee Ankudinoff     
  • Georgia Baker*
  • Amy Cure       
  • Annette Edmondson  
  • Alexandra Manly*
  • Rebecca Wiasak*      
  • Leigh Howard*           
  • Jordan Kerby*
  • Cameron Meyer         
  • Kelland O’Brien*
  • Alexander Porter*      
  • Samuel Welsford*      
  • Nicholas Yallouris*    

TRACK SPRINT
  • Kaarle McCulloch      
  • Stephanie Morton 
  • Patrick Constable*     
  • Matthew Glaetzer 
  • Nathan Hart   
  • Jacob Schmid*           

PARA TRACK (TANDEMS)
  • Jessica Gallagher* / Madison Janssen* - Pilot         
  • Bradley Henderson* / Thomas Clarke - Pilot

​* Commonwealth Games debutant
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