#TokyoTalk Episode 3

​In this episode, we #TokyoTalk with Maeve Plouffe of the women's track endurance team, Matt Richardson of the men's sprint team and Tiffany Jane Cromwell of the women's road team. All three athletes making their @Australian Olympic Team debut in Tokyo 2020.

#AusCyclingTeam #TokyoTogether

The 2021 edition of the Giro d'Italia Donne was one full of ups and downs for the five Australians who started Stage 1 from Fossano.

As the curtain closed on this year's race in Cormons with a Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) stage win and Anna van der Breggen's (Team SD Worx) fourth maglia rosa, only Tiffany Cromwell (CANYON//SRAM Racing) and Sarah Roy (Team BikeExchange) remained of the Australian quintet.

The surviving duo

Cromwell played a vital role in catapulting her Swiss teammate Elise Chabbey into the top 10 in the general classification on the final day of racing and finished the Giro Donne 26th in the general classification herself.

The Adelaidean did her Tokyo 2020 preparations no harm in Italy, with consistent finishes across the ten stages.

Cromwell was most active on Stage 7's hilly circuits which finished in Puegnago del Garda.

The looming Tokyo 2020 Olympian tried her luck with a daring late attack which was ultimately neutralised by Trek-Segafredo's Elisa Longo Borghini.

"Decided to try my luck with an attack at just over 1km to go on the uphill finish," Cromwell said of the seventh 2021 Giro Donne stage.

"Had nothing to lose. Didn’t work out, but won’t stop me from trying again another time."

Much like Cromwell, current national champion Sarah Roy enjoyed a consistent Giro Donne.

Riding in service of compatriot Amanda Spratt until her abandonment of the Giro Donne, Roy’s best stage result was a sprint finish in Stage 5 into Carugate, which saw her come across the finish line in 16th place.

Speaking at the end of the Giro overnight, Roy said Team BikeExchange's staff and riders gave everything to their goal of Spratt's general classification ambitions.

"Janneke (Ensing), Ane (Santesteban), Georgia (Williams), Grace (Brown), and I raced hard for it each day to give Spratty the best chance and she also dug deep, despite the hard luck," she said.

"We were completely lucked out in the end though."
​

​The unfortunate abandons 


Amanda Spratt and Grace Brown's abandonments (both Team BikeExchange) were the results of a crash in the final kilometres of Stage 8 of the Giro Donne. 

Team BikeExchange entered this year's Giro Donne with a specific focus on riding for Amanda Spratt, who was placed 12th in the general classification before the crash. 


The Team BikeExchange leader battled on in Stage 9 despite her injuries but decided against starting the final stage to Cormons with her Olympic goals in mind.
  
With less than two weeks to go until the Tokyo 2020 road race, Spratt elected to gain an extra day of recovery as well as a head start on her final preparationsfor the Olympics. 


"Unfortunately, I've made the decision not to start the final stage of the Giro. I pushed so, so hard yesterday and through the pain just a bit too much," Spratt said. 

"With an eye to the Olympics ahead, I think it's the right decision not to race. 

  
"It's really disappointing, but it's how it is. Now we're looking ahead. 


"I had a lot of pain in my back and glute from the crash. I hoped it would get better during the stage but it was a tough battle all the way to the line. 

 
"I'm definitely disappointed after all the hard work from the team I had definitely hoped for more." 


Spratt's Tokyo 2020 teammate Brown suffered multiple wounds and a left shoulder contusion as a result of the crash, withdrawing from the race after Stage 8 following an assessment by the team doctor.
  

Brown, who finished third in Stage 4's 11.2km ITT behind van der Breggen and Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx), was quick to dampen any serious concerns of her upcoming ambitions in Tokyo post-crash.
  

"It was quite unfortunate that three of us came down in a crash today and we're all a bit cut up and bruised," she said after the eighth stage. 
  

"Personally, I'm fine, but I've hurt the muscle in my shoulder, and I have some quite deep cuts that need to heal. 
  

"I'm looking to be in good shape for the Tokyo Olympics and that's my priority now, so I want to rest up so I can be good for that." 
  

FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope's Queenslander Brodie Chapman had an eventful Giro Donne, to say the least. 


Chapman was always on the hunt for the breakaway up until the final stage of the Giro, when she fell victim to a "full-on" asthma attack in the first 10km. 


"At this point, there is literally nothing I could do except try to stay on my bike and move forward until the ambulance stopped me and administered some Ventolin," she said.


"I was so lightheaded I could hardly stand. Yep, sounds super dramatic and I was honestly not expecting anything like this to happen as I really felt motivated and excited ahead of today's final stage. 


"Frustrated to be sitting here wheezing like a walrus when I wish I was helping my teammates." 


The attack-minded Chapman was also caught up in a Stage 3 crash which left her right knee heavily bloodied while chasing moves in the break. 

Chapman's best finish of the 2021 Giro was a 16th on Stage 9's ascent finish of Monte Matajur. 

Welcome to Episode 2 of #TokyoTalk hosted by Matt Poyner.  

In this episode, we #TokyoTalk with Lauren Reynolds who will become the first Australian BMX rider to compete at three Olympic Games; Kaarle McCulloch who returns to the team after winning bronze at the 2012 Games; and Luke Plapp, the youngest on the Australian Cycling Team, who will make his debut in Tokyo!  

​#AusCyclingTeam #TokyoTogether ​

The Tokyo Olympic Games will offer 22 cycling gold medals over five cycling disciplines, with action to feature every day of the Games between 24 July and 8 August. Tokyo 2020 Schedule

A team of 29 Australian athletes will contest the Games, highlighted by Daniel McConnell, who will become the first Australian to contest four Olympics in Mountain Bike.

Rebecca McConnell, Annette Edmondson, Amanda Spratt, and Lauren Reynolds will become the first Australian women to contest three Games in Mountain Bike, Track Endurance, Road Cycling, and BMX. AOC Team and Athlete Profiles

Catch all the Cycling from the Tokyo Olympic Games on Seven and 7plus: Live, Free and Streaming in HD at the 7plus Olympic Hub at 7Plus Schedule

ROAD CYCLING
There are two events in the road cycling at the Tokyo Olympic Games – road race and individual time trial.

The men's road race will be the first cycling event held at the Games on Saturday 24 July, with the women's road race on Sunday 25 July.

The men's road race will cover a 244km course, including 4,865m of elevation. The women face a 147km course with 2692m of elevation, starting in Tokyo's Musashinonomori Park and incorporating incredible views of Mt Fuji.

On Wednesday 28 July, both the men and women will contest the individual time trials that will see riders take on two laps of the 22.1km course for men and one for women, starting at the Fuji International Speedway.

For more information on what Road Cycling is, click here.

The road cycling team boasts a wealth of international experience headlined by two-time individual time trial world champion Rohan Dennis and dual World Championship medalist Amanda Spratt who return for their third Games.

Richie Porte, who reached the podium at the 2020 Tour de France podium, has been selected for a second Games, while Grace Brown, Tiffany Cromwell, Sarah Gigante, Lucas Hamilton and Jack Haig will make their Olympic debut.

Rider Profiles

Key Dates:

• Road Race 24 July 12:00 - 19:15 AEST
• Road Race 25 14:00 - 18:35 AEST

• Individual Time Trial 28 12:30 - 18:40 AEST

MOUNTAIN BIKE

Mountain Bike Cross-Country will make its seventh appearance as an official Olympic sport at Tokyo 2020. The race will take place at the Izu MTB Course, two hours southwest of Tokyo.

The off-road course measures 4,100 in length with elevations of up to 150m. The men's cross-country race will take place first on Monday 26 July and the women's race will take place the following day on Tuesday 27 July.

For more information on what Mountain Bike is, click here.

Australia will be sending two athletes to Tokyo for Mountain Bike, Daniel McConnell, and Rebecca McConnell. Daniel becomes the first Australian to make four Olympic Teams in Mountain Bike, and Rebecca, the first Australian woman to make three Games in Mountain Bike.

Rider Profiles

Key Dates:

• Men's Mountain Bike - Monday 26 July 16:00 – 18:00 AEST
• Women's Mountain Bike - Tuesday 27 July 16:00 – 18:00 AEST

BMX RACE

Tokyo will host the fourth ever BMX Race Olympic event which will be held at the Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo. The track is situated close to the Athletes' Village and is in the south of Tokyo, right by the water.

For more information on what BMX Race is, click here.

Competing for Australia in the women's race will be Saya Sakakibara and Lauren Reynolds. Saya will be heading to her first Olympic Games at the age of 21 and will be optimistic after taking out the Tokyo Test event in 2019 at the Ariake Urban Sports Park. Lauren will become the first Australian BMX rider to compete at three Olympics, finishing 15th in London 2012 and 11th in Rio 2016.

In the men's race, Anthony Dean will line up for his second Olympic Games after making the final in Rio 2016. Anthony has been a consistent competitor on the world stage, placing sixth in the last UCI BMX World Championships in 2019 and finishing second and fourth in the UCI BMX World Cup rounds in Australia last year.

Rider Profiles

Key Dates:

• BMX Race Quarter Finals - Thursday 29 July 11:00 – 13:00 AEST
• BMX Race Semi Finals & Finals – Friday 30 July 11:00 – 13:20 AEST

BMX FREESTYLE

BMX Freestyle will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 at the Ariake Urban Sports Park. The event will take place at the same location as the BMX Racing and Skateboarding, right on the water in Ariake.

For more information on what BMX Freestyle is, click here.

Logan Martin and Natalya Diehm will make history as Australia's first Olympic BMX Freestylers when the discipline makes its Games debut in Tokyo. Logan will be heading to his first Olympic games as a world champion after taking out the UCI BMX Freestyle World Championships in France in June. Natayla took out the AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championships earlier this year and sits in the top ten in the world ahead of Tokyo.

Rider Profiles

Key Dates:

• BMX Freestyle Seeding Events - Saturday 31 July 11:10 – 13:20 AEST
• BMX Freestyle Finals – Sunday 1 August 11:10 – 13:50 AEST

TRACK CYCLING

At the Tokyo Olympic Games, six different track cycling events – the Sprint, Keirin, Madison, Team Sprint, Team Pursuit, and Omnium – will be contested for both men and women.

The Track Cycling competition will be held at the Izu Velodrome located in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, 120km southwest of Tokyo.

For more information on what Track Cycling is, click here.

Australia will be represented by 14 track cyclists at the Games, including six Olympic debuts, seven who will contest their second Games, while Annette Edmondson and Matthew Glaetzer return for their third time.

Triple Olympian Matthew Glaetzer, Nathan Hart and Matthew Richardson will form the men's team sprint outfit and make up Australia's entries into the individual sprint and keirin. In addition, 2012 Olympic team sprint bronze medalist Kaarle McCulloch will compete in the individual sprint and keirin.

Fellow 2012 Olympic medalist Edmondson will be joined by Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Maeve Plouffe, and Alexandra Manly in the women's track endurance squad.

2016 Olympian Sam Welsford leads four Games newcomers in Leigh Howard, Kelland O'Brien, Lucas Plapp, Alex Porter in the men's endurance squad.

The final entrants for the Team Pursuit, Madison and Omnium will be announced closer to competition.

Rider Profiles

Key Dates

Monday 2 August 16:30 - 19:30

• Women's Team Sprint Qualifying & Finals
• Women's Team Pursuit Qualifying
• Men's Team Pursuit Qualifying

Tuesday 3 August 16:30 - 19:10

• Women's Team Pursuit First Round & Finals

• Men's Team Pursuit First Round
• Men's Team Sprint Qualifying & Finals

Wednesday 4 August 16:30 – 20.00

• Men's Sprint Qualifying & Rounds
• Women's Keirin First Round

• Men's Team Pursuit Finals

Thursday 5 August 16:30 - 19:50

• Men's Omnium Final: Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, & Points Race
• Men's Sprint 1/8 Finals, Quarterfinals, & Finals
• Women's Keirin Quarterfinals, Semifinals, & Finals

Friday 6 August 16:30 - 20:15

• Women's Sprint Qualifying & Rounds
• Men's Sprint Semifinals & Finals
• Women's Madison Finals

Saturday 7 August 16:30 - 19:25

• Women's Sprint 1/8 Finals & Quarterfinals
• Men's Keirin First Round
• Men's Madison Final

Sunday 8 August 11.00 - 14.15

• Women's Omnium Final: Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, & Points Race

• Women's Sprint Semifinals & Finals
• Men's Keirin Quarterfinals, Semifinals, & Finals

WATCH LIVE ON CHANNEL 7

Catch all the Cycling from the Tokyo Olympic Games on Seven and 7plus: Live, Free and Streaming in HD at the 7plus Olympic Hub at https://7plus.com.au/olympics

AusCycling is proud to release its latest insight to our #TokyoTogether Olympic Team, the #TokyoTalk podcast.

Hosted by Matt Poyner, this podcast will feature Tokyo Olympians discussing their preparation for the Games and their previous experiences.

The first episode features three-time Olympians Rohan Dennis (Road) and Matthew Glaetzer (Track Sprint) and Natalya Diehm (BMX Freestyle) who will make her debut in Tokyo!
​
Check out the first episode below and tune in to AusCycling's Facebook over the coming weeks for more episodes

In July, Team BikeExchange duo Amanda Spratt and Grace Brown and Canyon-SRAM Racing Tiffany Cromwell will line up together for Australia at the Tokyo Olympic Games. This weekend, they will contest the eighth edition of La Course in France.  

Fellow Australians in Brodie Chapman (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) and reigning national champion Sarah Roy (Team BikeExchange) will also line up in a field of the world's best. 

The women's peloton will tackle a 107.4km course set to take place on the same roads as the men's opening Tour de France stage. Beginning in Brestit will culminate with three laps of a 14-kilometre circuit, with the Côte de la Fosse aux Loups climb in Landerneau to provide a picturesque location for the finish line. 

First held in 2014, La Course has provided many iconic Women's WorldTour moments, including Chloe Hosking's 2016 win on the Champs Elysees on the final day of the Tour de France. 

The 2021 edition may be the final time it is held, with the official launch of the Tour de France Femmes set for 2022.

Grace Brown (Team BikeExchange) has enjoyed a superb first half of 2020, with six podium appearances highlighted by victories at Brugge-De Panne and the opening stage of Vuelta a Burgos.

"I think it will be a really good course. The climb in the circuit isn't very long or steep, but the repetition over four laps will cause attrition. I expect it will be raced quite aggressively with only a select group making it to the finish," said Brown.

"We are lining up with a small but strong team, and I think we will race smart and be really competitive at La Course this year."

In mid-July, Spratt, Brown and Cromwell will be joined by Sarah Gigante (Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank) in the four-rider Australian Cycling Team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.  

The Tokyo Olympic women's road race will feature a 147km course with 2692m of elevation, which starts in Tokyo's Musashinonomori Park and will incorporate incredible views of Mt Fuji. The Time Trial will see riders take on one lap of the 22.1km course beginning at the Fuji International Speedway.

"It (the Olympic Games) has been a childhood dream," said Brown. "But I think it's only really become a reality in the last year or so when I really stepped up in the sport and started getting results and proving that I could compete against some of the best girls in the world.

"It's been a crazy time all over the world because of COVID and there's been a lot of uncertainty in everyone's lives and sport has been particularly affected by that. So it's really exciting that it's finally coming together and it looks like that will get to the start line."

Catch all the La Course action live from 4.30 pm AEST Saturday 26 June on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand, just ahead of the beginning of Stage 1 of the Tour de France.

• Official website https://www.lacoursebyletourdefrance.com/en/  
• Watch vis SBS.  https://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/

Check out how some of our athletes celebrated Olympic Day around the world. 

BMX rider Anthony Dean was today selected to the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo.

The 30-year-old South Australian returns for his second Olympics, after his Rio Olympic debut where he finished eighth.

"I cannot wait!" Dean said. "I am so excited for the opportunity."

"In 2016 I won every lap in the semi-finals but fell short in final with a DNF. I now have the opportunity to get my Olympic redemption from Rio."

Dean's selection finalised the Australian Olympic Cycling Team for Tokyo, featuring 29 athletes across BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, Mountain Bike, Track and Road disciplines.

BMX Racing will run from 29-30 July and BMX Freestyle from 31 July-1 August both at Ariake Urban Sports Park. 

Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo - BMX

Natalya Diehm
BMX Freestyle

Logan Martin
BMX Freestyle

Anthony Dean
BMX Racing

Saya Sakakibara
BMX Racing

Lauren Reynolds
BMX Racing

​The Australian Olympic Committee has named six riders to compete for the Australian Olympic Team in Tokyo in BMX and Mountain Bike, loaded with Australian Olympic firsts.

Daniel McConnell becomes the first Australian to make four Olympic Teams in Mountain Bike, Rebecca McConnell the first Australian women to make three Games in Mountain Bike, and Lauren Reynolds the first Australian BMX rider to make three Olympics.

Logan Martin and Natalya Diehm will make history as Australia’s first Olympic BMX Freestylers when the discipline makes its Games debut in Tokyo.

Olympic debutant Japanese-born Australian rider Saya Sakakibara completes the women’s BMX racing team for Tokyo.

In May, the Australian Olympic Committee announced nine road cyclists and an additional track endurance rider to join the track team who were selected March 2020.

Boasting the current BMX Freestyle World Champion Logan Martin, World Cup and World Championship medallists in Saya Sakakibara and Rebecca McConnell, the team is full of world class talent.

Sakakibara said making a Games in the country she was born in was a dream come true.

“To be honest, it feels so surreal,” Sakakibara said. “It’s been a dream since I was a little girl to go to the Olympics - to actually reach that goal is amazing.

“The story doesn't end here though - I've made my first Olympic team selection, but the journey starts here.

“My family have been true supporters for me. And they really believe that I could be in this position and that they really believe that I would be going to the Olympics this year. They’re just really thrilled to know and hear that it's actually official, and it's all happening.

“My biggest goal for the Games is to be at the start gate, and know that I've done absolutely everything that I can to get to where I am. So when I'm at that gate, all I have to do is just trust everything that I've done, and enjoy it.”

Logan Martin celebrated his official selection from hotel quarantine after returning from claiming the World Championship title in Montpellier.

“I’m extremely stoked to not only be selected on the Australian team for the Tokyo Olympic Games, but also to be the first Australian ever to be going to the Olympics for Freestyle BMX, that’s massive!” Martin said. “I set this goal four years ago, with 100% confidence I would make it and it’s finally coming to fruition.”

“Becoming the World Champion for the second time is really something special. To do it just a month out from the Olympics was perfect for my selection onto the team. I knew this Worlds was a make or break event but I didn’t let that pressure get to me, I just wanted to show everyone the work I had been putting in throughout the past year and a half.

“My goal is to always do MY best. I know my best will be a big contender for a gold medal so I always try to focus on that leading into events and it will be the same heading into Tokyo.”

Australian Cycling Performance Director Simon Jones welcomed today’s announcement.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all riders on their selection, and all riders who have been part of the process through to selection,” Jones said. “I’m proud of the riders who will be representing Australia in Tokyo, and we are very excited to see how everyone in the team meets the challenge of what’s likely to be a unique Games experience.”

“The selection process never gets easier and that’s because we have a strong and competitive team. Due to COVID, these athletes have been working for this selection for the past five years and there are a limited number of places on the team – we know Olympic selection means everything.”

Today’s Selected athletes join 22 track and road riders bound for Tokyo, and brings the total number of selected athletes to 232 of an expected 450-480 Australian Olympic Team size for Tokyo.

The men’s BMX Racing discipline is subject to an appeal by a non-nominated athlete, with selection to be announced when the process is finalised.

It was ecstasy and agony for Australia at the 2021 UCI BMX Freestyle World Championships in France on Monday, with Logan Martin (Gold Coast, QLD) celebrating a second world title in four years while a knee injury sadly ended reigning world champion Brandon Loupos’ (Sydney, NSW) title defense.  

"It feels amazing. I came out here and wanted to pull a good ride and take the win," said Martin, who claimed the inaugural world title in 2017. "That is two times now, and I am super stoked. I am speechless." 

How it unfolded 

Twelve riders took to the Montpellier BMX Freestyle Park for the 2021 World Championships final, with Australia featuring four riders in Logan Martin (Gold Coast, QLD), Brandon Loupos (Sydney, NSW), Josh Matthews (Gold Coast, QLD) and Jaie Toohey (Gold Coast, QLD).  

BMX Freestyle Park, which will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, is an adrenaline-fueled mix of tricks and jumps over a series of ramps and obstacles. Athletes complete two one-minute runs each, with judges scoring on difficulty, originality, style, flow, risk, height and execution of tricks. The riders are ranked by the best score from their two runs.  

The start of the final was delayed for 45 minutes following the crash of a rider in training which would, unfortunately, set the tone for what turned out to be a crashed-marred final.  

Brandon Loupos (Sydney, NSW) was the first rider to take to course, with the 2019 world champion looking strong with a host of scorching tricks early in his first one-minute run. However, heartbreak followed when his foot slipped on the pedal, which sent the Sydney rider crashing to the floor. 

Clutching his right knee, Loupos was quickly stretchered off by event medical staff. Despite a brave second attempt at completing his opening run less than ten minutes later, still visibly in pain, Loupos retired just moments into his second run. His first run score of 39points placed him eleventh overall. 

2017 world champion Logan Martin (Gold Coast, QLD) stunned with an array of tricks in his opening one-minute run to rocket to the top of the standings with a score of 94.90points. In his second run, Martin chose fewer but more challenging tricks, with his near-flawless run judged to a score of 93.30points. 

Martin celebrated his victory in the Team Australia pits after watching the final two riders fall short of bettering Martin's opening run score of 94.90points.  Daniel Sandoval (USA) won silver, while Marin Rantes (Croatia) took bronze.  

The Championships was Martin's first international competition in over twelve months after spending the last 15 months in Australia, where he claimed the 2021 national crown in March.  

"While we have had a year and a half off, we have all put in so much hard work and the competition has stepped up so much," said Martin, 27. "The last year never really slowed down for me. I just rode as much as I could, stayed focus all the way up to this event. It has paid off today. It is such a good feeling.  

"The competition was tough out there today, I did just want to do my run, I had a good run planned. While I didn't do what I wanted to do completely, I still got a high score and next time, hopefully I will pull out the one I want to get done." 

"Going into this event we were trying to top America. But I came here just trying to do my best, I knew I had done all the work, and it all paid off today." ​

Matthews and Toohey impressed from the opening day while on their World Championships debut, finishing sixth and tenth, respectively.  

Matthews scored 74.40points in his first run and lifted in his second run to score 85.70points. Toohey crashed seconds into his first run but recovered to make a stunning comeback in his second run, which saw him attract a finals best score of 60.60points despite hitting the deck late.  

Team Australia will head fly out of France tomorrow and back to Australia to complete two weeks of hotel quarantine before resuming training on the Gold Coast. 

The BMX Freestyle selections to the Australian Olympic Team will be announced later in June.  

Final Results Elite Men

• 1. Logan Martin (AUS) 

• 2. Daniel Sandoval (USA)  

• 3. Marin Rantes (CRO)  

• 4. Justin Dowell (USA)  

• 5. Nick Bruce (USA) 

• 6. Josh Matthews (AUS)  
• 10. Jaie Toohey (AUS) 
• 11 Brandon Loupos (AUS)  

Complete Results ​

Team Australia has arrived in France ahead of the 2021 UCI BMX Freestyle World Championships, to be held in Montpellier from 4-8 June 2021.   

Reigning world champion Brandon Loupos (Sydney, NSW), 2017 world champion Logan Martin (Gold Coast, QLD), Josh Matthews (Gold Coast, QLD) and Jaie Toohey (Gold Coast, QLD) arrived on Wednesday.

The Championships provide the final opportunity for nations to qualify points towards positions in the BMX Freestyle competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The nation that finishes on top of the Men's BMX Freestyle UCI Olympic Qualification Rankings at the end of the qualification period will secure two male athlete positions at the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

With Australia and the USA currently tied on points at the top of the rankings, Australia needs to contest the World Championships in order to stay in contention for top spot. 

One of the most popular disciplines of cycling, BMX Freestyle 'Park' is defined by aerial tricks made possible by the shape of the course and the speed of the riders.

If the technicality of the tricks is very important in the scoring process, other criteria such as the use of the whole Park and the originality of the lines chosen make it possible to judge this discipline.

The Men's Finals will take place from midnight Australian EST on Tuesday 8 June.

Complete Program

Brandon Loupos - 2019 World Champion

I'm really looking forward to going back to defend my rainbow jersey.

It (the rainbow jersey) means everything to me, really.  I feel like I can go do my my normal routine that I do every day and go in with the rainbows, but at the same time, it's something that I'm not going to try and over achieve for it. I'm going to let it come to me. Because as long as I do my best performance, I know it's in the package.

To have no competitions for way over a year has been really, really disappointing for a lot of us. So finally have something to connect that warm up to the Olympics is awesome.

The BMX world is such a friendly community, regardless what country you're from, we're all one big happy family,, so it's gonna be really hard for all of us to be together after not seeing each other for nearly two years, and go within six feet of each other, or metre and a half. And, and, you know, stay within a distance of each other.

Logan Martin - 2017 World Champion

I'm super excited (to be off to Worlds) after a year and a half with no international contests. The last year and a half I've actually been putting in a lot of work, even though it was essentially downtime and staying home a lot. So I'm excited to go and put on a show and compete with my friends again.

We've just been training and working to the Olympics, we had a massive block, like a massive training block. But I found motivation to perfect old tricks, learn new tricks, and just keep on pushing.

It is super cool that the first event back we are traveling as a team, it is a World Championship. Our main focus going into the World Championships is to beat America as myself and Brandon need to do better than America so we can qualify Australia in the top spot and take take two riders to Tokyo.

I just want to go and plan out a good run and pull it and execute it to a high standard. And there was the results will, you know, the results will work out the way they work out. But I just want to go and do my best.

In the women's UCI Olympic Qualification Rankings, Australia is currently in position to secure one place at the Games. Regardless of whether Australia contests the World Championships, Australia's position on the rankings is unlikely to change, therefore Natalya Diehm will not travel to the World Championships in line with AusCycling's position statement on international competition activities. 

Australian National Team for 2021 BMX World Championships

• Logan Martin (Gold Coast, QLD) - 2017 world champion  
• Brandon Loupos (Sydney, NSW) - 2019 world champion 
• Josh Matthews (Gold Coast, QLD)   
• Jaie Toohey (Gold Coast, QLD) 

 
#AusCyclingTeam

• australiancyclingteam.com 
• www.facebook.com/AustralianCyclingTeam
• instagram.com/australiancyclingteam
• twitter.com/AusCyclingTeam​​

Australia's Women's Track Endurance squad will contest one final race in Adelaide this Friday night before heading to Brisbane to finalise preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games!

Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Annette Edmondson, Alex Manly and Maeve Plouffe, who will line up for the Australian Olympic Team on the track at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in August, will take to the boards in the Adelaide Track League on Friday night at 6.30pm. 

The quintet will contest the Scratch Race in the middle of the program and then contest the headliner of the night – the Eliminator (a modified Elimination race) - as their final race in Adelaide, the home of the Australian Cycling Team Headquarters. 

After the race, the men's and women's endurance squads will pack their bags and head to Brisbane where they will join the sprint squad for the final preparations before departing Australian shores for Japan in mid July. 

WHAT'S ON

The headline race at this week’s Adelaide Track League will be The Eliminator, a modified Elimination race, and a monster Elite Women’s field including the full Australian Olympic Track Endurance squad!

There will be a Men’s and Women’s Madison featuring the ACT Academy squads and interstate state institute riders at the head of the night, with Junior and Sprint racing peppered through the program in between the Elites!

TICKETS

​If you’re local to Adelaide, head on over to AdelaideTrackLeague.com to get your tickets for this Friday night’s racing. 

Tickets to all this are just $10, with kids under 15 getting in free! You can book both paid and free tickets over at https://adelaidetrackleague.com. 

LIVE STREAM

If you can’t make it to Adelaide, never fear! Adelaide Track League’s Facebook page will play host to a livestream of the whole night’s action for free, no subscription required. Head on over and like the page so you get notified of the livestream going up!
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LINKS

• Website: https://adelaidetrackleague.com
• Tickets: https://bit.ly/3eJsgEw
• Facebook (livestream): https://www.facebook.com/adelaidetrackleague

Nine cyclists have been selected to the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo, with eight road cyclists and a track endurance rider announced by the Australian Olympic Committee today.
 
The road cycling team boasts a wealth of international experience headlined by two-time individual time trial world champion Rohan Dennis and dual World Championship medallist Amanda Spratt who return for their third Games.
 
Richie Porte, who reached the podium at the 2020 Tour de France podium, and Tour de France team time trial stage winner Cameron Meyer, have been selected for a second Games.
 
Grace Brown, Sarah Gigante, Tiffany Cromwell and Jack Haig will make their Olympic debut.
 
Track endurance rider Alexandra Manly will also make her Olympic debut after being selected to the team.
 
The men’s road race will cover a 244km course including 4,865m of elevation, with the women facing a 147km course with 2692m of elevation, in a course starting in Tokyo’s Musashinonomori Park incorporating incredible views of Mt Fuji. The Time Trial will see riders take on two laps of the 22.1km course for men and one for women, starting at the Fuji International Speedway.
 
Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team Ian Chesterman welcomed today’s selections.
 
“Congratulations to all the cyclists selected today for the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo,” Mr Chesterman said.
 
“The Team includes a vast array of experience and success at the highest levels, which will prove invaluable as they take on the best in the world in Tokyo.
 
“The road cyclists are all currently training and racing in challenging conditions around the world, and today’s selection is testament to the incredible effort and determination they have shown throughout their riding careers.
 
“While it’s a great day for the athletes, it’s also a day of celebration for the families, friends, supporters, teammates and coaches who have helped them achieve their Tokyo Olympic milestone. Thank you to Aus Cycling and all of the sport institutes who have helped train and develop these athletes to help bring the athletes to the level they are at today.
 
Today’s selection brings the number of selected athletes in the Australian Olympic Team to 111 of an expected 450-480.
 
Tasmanian Porte said it was an honour to represent Australia in Tokyo.
 
“The Olympics is a massive career highlight for me,” Porte said. “You don't take for granted to be selected for the team in a country like Australia as it has so many worthy guys to choose from, so to just make the team, it's a big honour.
 
“I think it's going to be a fantastic Games; I look forward to just getting there and racing. I think it's a fantastic course, it's going to be hard, but we can aim to be up there for the podium.
 
33-year-old Spratt is looking forward to the challenge of the hard Tokyo course in her third Olympics.
 
“We've got a really great team for Tokyo,” Spratt said. “We've got a great road Captain in Tiffany Cromwell, we've seen what Grace has been doing over in Europe and that youth of Sarah Gigante we've got a strong and well-rounded team that will really suit this course.”
 
“It’s such an honour to be selected for my third Olympic Games. That's been over a 10-year period, as well, it's something I've never complacent about. I'm really looking forward to being able to use what I've learned from those and really go there and performing Tokyo with a great team.”
 
20-year-old Victorian Sarah Gigante is still buzzing after receiving her maiden Olympic selection.
 
“It just feels so surreal to be named a member in my first Australian Olympic Team,” said Gigante, who has claimed three national road titles in three years (2019 road, 2020 and 2021 time trial). “Going to the Olympics is one of those things I always dreamed of...but it always seemed like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - something I hoped really existed but certainly something very far away and a bit of a fantasy!”
 
Simon Jones, Performance Director at AusCycling welcomed today’s selections.
 
“I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge every rider who put their hand up for the Olympics.
 
“The selection process never gets easier and that’s because we have a strong and competitive team. For those who didn’t make the team this time; keep pushing - Paris is not far away.
 
“I’m immensely proud of the riders who will be representing Australia in Tokyo, and we are very excited to see how everyone in the team meets the challenge of what’s likely to be a unique Games experience.”
 
Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo – Road Cycling

​Track cyclists selected for the Australian Olympic Team – Alexandra Manly selected today, joining other track riders who were selected March 2020

Below is an update on the nomination processes for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, plus a notice regarding no Australian Team selection for the 2020 UCI Junior Track World Championships in August, in Egypt. 

Olympic & Paralympic Nominations Update

Following the deferral of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games until 2021 and recent Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announcements, Cycling Australia (CA) can make the following updates with regards to nomination processes for the following teams after the suspension of the qualification periods as of 3 March 2020.

For Mountain Bike, BMX Freestyle and BMX Race (Supercross), the Olympic qualification periods for which should have ended on 11 May 2020, 27 May 2020 and 1 June 2020 respectively, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) replied favourably to the following propositions from the UCI:

• Mountain Bike Cross Country (XCO): The points awarded at two weekends of the UCI MTB XCO World Cup during the 2021 season will be added to those taken into account in the ranking of 3 March 2020. The weekends are still to be determined and will be communicated at a later date.
• BMX Freestyle: The points awarded at two weekends of the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup during the 2021 season will be added to those taken into account in the ranking of 3 March 2020. The weekends are still to be determined and will be communicated at a later date.
• BMX Race: The points awarded at two weekends of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup during the 2021 season and at the 2020 UCI BMX World Championships will be added to those taken into account in the ranking of 3 March 2020. The remaining UCI World Cup weekends are still to be determined and will be communicated at a later date.  CA will also await further updates from UCI as to the rescheduled dates for the 2020 UCI World Championships and the 2021 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup schedule.

With regards to Para-cycling and Road:  
​

• Para-cycling: The UCI Management Committee has approved a modified qualification system based on the principles applied for the Olympic qualification process mentioned above. This is awaiting approval from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The points gained in the UCI combined nations ranking up until 3 March 2020 will remain valid and will see the addition of points earned in the first two rounds of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup for the 2021 season. The weekends are still to be confirmed and will be announced at a later date.
• Road: Cycling Australia will add several races from the 2020 calendar to the Olympic nomination document but races in 2021 will be weighted with higher importance. The selection window will be frozen for the majority of the 2020 season and will resume before the 2020 UCI Road World Championships and will include events up until the end of April 2021.

“With specific regard to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) nomination process, we will continue with our approach to nominate athletes with medal-winning potential as a priority,” said Performance Director Simon Jones.

“These changes to the qualification window simply mean we have more time to get those nation quotas that will support our medal targets. With COVID-19 looking like it's under control in Australia, we will need to make the best of this situation and work towards 2021 goals.”

No Cycling Australia National Team Selection for 2020 UCI Junior Track World Championships

Due to the Australian Government’s international travel bans as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, CA will not be selecting a team to compete at the 2020 UCI Junior Track World Championships which are scheduled for 16 - 21 August 2020, in Egypt. 

“It is unfortunate that we have had to make this decision, but the health and safety of our athletes and staff team is paramount,” said Performance Director Simon Jones.
 
“As a high-performance network, we will continue to create domestic opportunities for developing athletes as we have done recently with the Under 19 Individual Time Trial camp and the High Performance Network (HPN) virtual camps in April.” 

Updates on the next camp will be communicated shortly.

As we reported on 18 March, one of our Adelaide-based staff members tested positive to COVID-19 on Monday 16 March. The team member is receiving the right medical support and is in good spirits in hospital and making progress. 

Government health authorities have undertaken tracking and tracing, as per their policies and processes. 

In addition to these measures, we have chosen to test six additional team members - comprising three athletes and three staff - this decision was a precautionary measure only. Five have since returned negative results. We expect to receive the remaining test result over the next 24-48 hours and will provide an update when this is received.

Following a review of this situation, we are confident that staff and athlete exposure to the infected staff member was extremely low primarily due to a pre-planned staff and athlete break from the Adelaide training environment for the period of 7-15 March.

In responding to this situation, Cycling Australia and the Australian Cycling Team have activated its Critical Incident Management Team. This team convenes daily to facilitate rapid decision making and leadership. 

Cycling Australia and the Australian Cycling Team have been proactive in implementing a range of measures aimed at reducing the potential impact of the infection over and above government public health recommendations and considerations.  

Further to this, we have been proactive in implementing evidence-based hygiene practices and education as far back as 2018, and more recently we stepped up and reinforced hygiene practice for travel and training prior to the 2020 season. We are confident that we have taken and continue to take prudent measures to maximise athlete and staff health.

Recent measures that have been taken to reduce infection risk and protect staff and athletes:

• Super-drome closures this week; 17-20 March
• Additional cleaning of the training environment and office spaces
• Social distancing measures such as reduced staff and athletes at the Super-drome, reduced working in closed spaces and reducing contact and face to face meetings, the closing of meeting spaces such as athlete lounge and kitchen areas will be implemented from 23 March
• Podium Potential Academy athletes have returned to their families and home states
• SASI Development athletes will train outdoors for the next four weeks, providing more space between people, and sessions in the venue 
• Continued vigilance on best practice hand hygiene and no handshaking

On the performance side, we have been proactive in short and medium-term planning with scenario and contingency planning for all high-performance competition and domestic racing and camps with a continuing priority focus on protecting the health of athletes and staff. 
​
We are seeking to provide both a training purpose and appropriate objective setting but also being considerate of the broader global impact of this infection pandemic.  

Simon Jones, Performance Director, Cycling Australia

More: The most up to date information on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) can be found at the Australian Government Department of Health website with advice and information relating to high-performance environments found at the AIS webpage.

Over the next few months, the athletes and teams that will represent Australia in the five cycling disciplines - Road, Track, Mountain Bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle - at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be announced. 

Below is a summary of the Olympic Qualification and Selection Timing situation as it currently stands.
​
We understand this is ever-evolving and rapidly changing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will await further updates from the AOC over the coming days and weeks. 

Table: Announcement Date, Events & Quota Places per cycling discipline

Australia has finished the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships with three medals after Stephanie Morton won a bronze medal in the final event of the Championships, the women's keirin.

Morton's bronze added to the team sprint silver won with Kaarle McCulloch on the opening day of competition. All three of Australia's medals came through the sprint squad with Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson, and Thomas Cornish winning team sprint bronze on day one. 

Despite Australia exiting a Track World Championships without a gold medal for the first time in twelve years, Australian Cycling Team Performance Director Simon Jones remains focussed on the team's overarching strategy which is aiming to deliver success at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

"Australia has had a pretty glittering history of winning world titles - in 2017 we won more world titles than you could poke a stick at and that is not what we are trying to achieve this year," Jones said. 

"We want to win in Tokyo. Yes, we were aiming for podium performances here, or very close to, and you can't hide the fact we have come up short in some areas. But we have to learn from it. 

"We tried several different things here, and we have to settle on a plan and then train to it. Now we have finished this period. We gave everyone opportunities, and now we have to gather the facts and make some decisions now.

"There are five months to the Games, which is a long time." 

Jones was impressed by the results of debutants Maeve Plouffe, 20, Luke Plapp, 19, and Tom Cornish, 20, who moved into the team via the Podium Potential Academy. 
​
"The youngsters did very well, it is great to see, and that is a testament to the Academy in that we are providing opportunities to younger talent. They also provide upward pressure, and that is really good to see."

When Australian Cycling Team track sprinter Matthew Glaetzer had a sore neck in October, his first thought was that he suffered a bulged disc following a substantial period of strength training.  

Earlier this month, Glaetzer was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, with the South Australian dual world champion and dual Olympian undergoing surgery last week to remove the cancerous growth. 

“This all came about from me pulling up a bit sore in early October after doing a heavy leg press effort. I thought I had strained my neck somehow. 

“Then leading up to and at October’s Oceania Championships, I was seeing the physio almost every day, and it just wasn’t getting better at the rate that it should’ve been.”

Following the insistence of Australian Cycling Team staff, Glaetzer underwent further tests in Adelaide to find the underlying cause, with an MRI and ultrasound revealing nodules on his thyroid gland.

It wasn’t until he was hurriedly moved to the top of specialists’ waiting lists over the coming days that Glaetzer suspected it wasn’t due to him going too hard in the gym. 

“They had me contact my doctor in the next hour, have a CT scan and a biopsy. That afternoon was pretty hectic seeing specialists, so I had a feeling that it was probably going down the line that I didn’t want it to.”

Following the scans, Glaetzer continued his regular schedule, making a trip to Melbourne the next day for a session in the Monash University wind tunnel for Olympic equipment testing. 

On the way home in the taxi, Glaetzer received the phone call that would change his life. The doctor called to deliver the news he had thyroid cancer, with a silver lining that it was the most treatable form.

The dual world champion underwent surgery early last week and has been advised to allow the wound in his neck to heal and to keep his heart rate and blood pressure under control before resuming normal training in a few weeks. 

“You never want to hear that you’ve got cancer, it’s got such an ominous connotation to it, and it’s pretty heavy. And I’m there with some taxi driver next to me, and I’ve just been notified that I’ve got cancer and you need to take a moment and be ok. 

“But I anticipated this throughout the process, I was preparing myself for the worst-case scenario. I figured there's nothing I can do about it, at this point worrying about it wasn’t going to make it better. 

“So I drew on my faith in God, I knew that he had it under control. 

“I am thankful for the type of cancer that I do have and that it is treatable. I am grateful for the fact that my medical team caught it when they did, that they went through the steps, that they were very diligent in checking my sore neck that has then led to catching this.” 

Glaetzer is resolved not to let this stop his pursuit of a third Australian Olympic Team selection for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“It helps me to deal with it if I downplay it, obviously I know it’s very serious, but at the same time, it’s very treatable. So it is now about what’s the plan from here, how can I minimise its impact on myself as an athlete. 

“Because I don't want to stop being an athlete anytime soon, I love what I do.  

“I’m not going to stop chasing the Olympics and trying to be the best in the world, it’s what I love to do. 

“It puts everything into perspective, but I’m not going to let this stop me. If I’m able to, and it's safe to, I'm not going to let this have power over what I want to do.

“It’s just going to set me up for my next charge and make me stronger.” 

Glaetzer still plans to contest two UCI Track World Cups in New Zealand and Brisbane in December, following which he will have further treatment in the form of iodine tablets. 

“I’m planning to go to the Cambridge and Brisbane World Cups to continue my preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Then after the World Cups is when the next part of my treatment happens and that might knock me around for a bit. 

“But we have a rest week after the Brisbane World Cup anyway so it fits in relatively well to our preparation and the impact shouldn’t be too severe if all goes well.”

In addition to the support from his family and church congregation, Glaetzer is grateful for the support of the Australian Cycling Team. 

“The support network I have is incredible, the coaches, the medical staff and my church community who I told about the details have given me support, and it was a really good tight-knit group of people who were close to me and that were supporting me through the secret stage and keeping it under wraps up until the surgery. 

“It’s a pretty massive elephant in the room for me, so it helped me knowing my teammates knew, so if I got upset or if they saw something a bit unusual on a normal training day, they would know why and that helped me. 

“It’s a credit to the team we have here at Cycling Australia, and it’s about more than just cycling. We care about each other, we care about each other outside of cycling, and that’s shown through the last two weeks.”

With a favourable prognosis due to catching the cancer so early, Glaetzer is calling on all men to make sure they have regular health checks. 

“Going through everything that I have, it has just highlighted that if there is anything unusual or if there’s something that’s not normal to you, then you need to go and get it checked. 

“In my case, I’m grateful that I had a sore neck and that I went through the super detailed process of checking it. 

“So many guys have the ‘yeah that’ll be right, it’ll get better’ mentality, but you don't know what it could be, or how it could impact you and your family in the future. 

“So I just recommend to blokes that if there's anything unusual, just go and find out what's going on.

The Australian Cycling Team will open the 2020 track season at the 2020 Oceania Track Championships from October 16-19. 

• Event: Oceania Track Championships
• Date: 16 -19 October 2019
• Location: SIT Zero Fees Velodrome Surrey Road Invercargill
• Live Stream: Watch all sessions live via Cycling Southland
• Results: Results by event
• Program: Complete 2020 event programme

The Championships opens a busy summer of track cycling which included a 2019-2020 UCI Track World Cup season that will take in Brisbane for Round Five from 13-15 December.  
 
Reigning world champions in action include Steph Morton and Kaarle McCulloch will sport their rainbow jerseys in the team sprint, while also contesting the keirin and sprint. 

In the endurance events, points race world champion Alex Manly and team pursuit world champion Amy Cure will line up in the points race, Omnium and will team up in the Madison. 

Sam Welsford will don his rainbow bands in the scratch race and will pair with team pursuit world champion Kell O'Brien in the Madison. The duo will also take on the Omnium. 

Matt Glaetzer, Nathan Hart and Podium Potential Academy (PPA) athlete Matt Richardson will comprise the men's team sprint outfit, and will also line up in the keirin and sprint. 

The team pursuit outfits for Australia will be comprised of PPA riders in Luke Plapp, Godfrey Slattery, Conor Leahy, Alexandra Martin-Wallace, Sophie Edwards, Maeve Plouffe and Samantha De Riter.

Fellow PPA members Holly Takos and Tom Clarke will be in action in the sprint events. 

In addition to continental honours, riders will compete for valuable UCI points that will go towards Olympic qualification. 

A live results link and live streaming details will be available closer to the event. 

Australian Team

Sprint 

• Matt Glaetzer
• Nathan Hart
• Matt Richardson* 
• Tom Clarke*
• Steph Morton
• Kaarle McCulloch
• Holly Takos*

Endurance

• Amy Cure                             
• Alex Manly
• Alexandra Martin-Wallace*
• Sophie Edwards*
• Maeve Plouffe*
• Samantha De Riter*  
• Kell O'Brien*
• Sam Welsford*
• Luke Plapp*
• Godfrey Slattery*
• Conor Leahy*

* Podium Potential Academy

Details

• Event: Oceania Track Championships
• Date: 16 -19 October 2019
• Location: SIT Zero Fees Velodrome Surrey Road Invercargill
• Live Stream: Watch all sessions live via Cycling Southland
• Results: Results by event
• Program: Complete 2020 event programme

“Pretty cool to be here, it is an amazing place to have the finish line for the Olympic Games, will certainly be a great spectacle with the grandstands,” Amanda Spratt, 2018 World Championship road race silver medallist. 

“It is very different having such wide roads to race on, this is very different for us. But it is about picking which lines to take, so it has been really valuable to be here and ride the course.”

Greco who is aiming for selection to the Australian Paralympic team which will contest the Paralympic Games road race, individual time trial and team relay events, could picture the atmosphere expected in twelve months time. 

“Good to come here ahead of the Games to learn about the heat, to feel the atmosphere of being at the track, it is exciting knowing how big it will be next year with the crowd.” ​

With one year to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Kaarle McCulloch is gearing up for the ride of her career.

The London 2012 Olympic Games team sprint bronze medallist with Anna Meares is enjoying some of the best form of her career in 2019 with a triple World Championship medal haul including the team sprint world title with Stephanie Morton. 

"Things are going really well for me this time around," said McCulloch, 31. "I became World Champion in February with Stephanie Morton in the Team Sprint, and we're just getting faster and faster every time we get on the track together. I think we're in a good spot."

McCulloch is hoping to claim her second Olympic team nod and is hungry after narrowly missing selection for the 2016 Rio Games.  The veteran knows the task ahead is tough and long, but will be using all of the experience gained over the past twelve years within the Australian Cycling Team program. 

"Everything seems to be coming together for me, I feel in a good position, everything I have learned from my experiences over the last three Olympic cycles is holding me in a good place," she added. "Really looking forward to seeing what I can do in Tokyo. When it comes to race day in Tokyo, I will know I have done everything I possibly could have done and whatever happens, happens." 

McCulloch, along with Morton, Matthew Glaetzer and Nathan Hart will head to Colorado in the USA in late July for a three-week altitude training camp.

The track cyclists will then turn their attentions to the Oceania Track Championships in New Zealand (October), 2019-20 UCI Track World Cups in Hong Kong and Brisbane (November/December), followed by the 2020 UCI Track World Championships in Germany (February), 

July 24, 2019 marks one year to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

THE TEAM 

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) hopes to send the biggest Team ever to leave Australian shores, with cyclists set to make up a strong part of the green and gold contingent. 

​Cycling Australia (CA) will consider athletes for nomination to the AOC that it believes can achieve or contribute to Gold medal winning performances at the Olympic Games. CA may also consider athletes for nomination that can achieve or contribute to medal winning performances.

For all Disciplines, quota places are allocated to the AOC in accordance with the Qualification System as set out by the International Federations.  CA may not nominate more athletes than are permitted to be nominated by the AOC, but may nominate fewer athletes than are permitted.

The cyclists named to the Australian Team will be announced by the AOC in early-mid 2020. 

Cycling Australia Nomination Criteria  |  IOC Tokyo 2020 Official Documents
​
EVENTS

Five cycling disciplines will be contested - Track, Road, Mountain Bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle. 

BMX - Ariake Urban Sports Park

• Freestyle Park (Men/Women)
• Racing Race (Men/Women)

​
Mountain Bike - Izu MTB Course

• Cross-Country (Men/Women)

Road - Fuji International Speedway

• Road Race (Men/Women)
• Individual Time Trial (Men/Women)

​Track - Izu Velodrome

• Team Sprint (Men/Women)
• Sprint (Men/Women)
• Keirin (Men/Women)
• Team Pursuit (Men/Women)
• Omnium (Men/Women)
• Madison (Men/Women)

Official Tokyo 2020 Schedule

WATCH

Seven has launched The Olympics Channel on 7plus which will broadcast until the Tokyo games start feature highlights and stories about the athletes and the Olympics. 
​
Via 7 Plus online or the app. 

​#TokyoTogether

Madison future in good (sets of) hands


With the Madison set to feature at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after being reintroduced to the programme for men and added for women, the Australian chances in just under two years from now looks promising. 

Macey Stewart and Georgia Baker teamed to take the women’s crown, while Cameron Scott and Alex Porter dominated the men’s event. 


It continues a strong year in the event for Stewart, who came into the Australian Cycling Team program last month, with the Tasmanian claiming the 2018 Oceania and national titles with Kristina Clonan.  
 
"A big confidence boost to go back to back in my favourite event,” said Stewart, who on her way to Paris for this weekend’s opening Tissot UCI Track World Cup series where she will race the Madison with Clonan. 


“It is exciting it [the Madison] is an Olympic event now, as it has always been my favourite event. It is exciting to be able to focus on it over the next couple of years towards Tokyo."

Long haul celebration


There was little time for celebration following the Championships, with a 13-member contingent checking in for a long haul flight to Paris on Sunday night. 


The team will have a few days to acclimatise and shed the jet lag ahead of this weekend’s opening Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup Series in Saint Quentin en Yvelines.


The team set to contest the opening round is:
​

• Sprint - Patrick Constable; Matthew Glaetzer, Nathan Hart, Jacob Schmid, Kaarle McCulloch, Stephanie Morton
• Endurance - Kelland O'Brien, Leigh Howard, Macey Stewart, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Kristina Clonan, Maeve Plouffe

Following Paris, the sprint crew is set to race on a third continent in three weeks at the Series’ second round in Canada. The endurance contingent will head to the London Six-Day event.

The Tokyo 2020 games are now under 800 days away.

Cycling Australia’s (CA) commitment to Olympic and Paralympic Gold medal performances and Athlete Wellbeing continues.

In line with the Cycling Australia High Performance Strategy announced in October 2017, additional athletes will join the Australian Cycling Team in October 2018, as part of the new Podium Potential Track Academy. The Track Academy is a vital part of the elite athlete pathway and one of the cornerstones of the Australian Cycling Team’s long-term strategic plan.

These talented young athletes will train alongside the Podium Athletes, be based in Adelaide, and be provided with resources and support to develop them towards 2024. As well as these longer-term prospects, it is possible that a small number of these athletes will bridge the gap to the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Simon Jones, Cycling Australia’s Performance Director: “Our goal is as clear now as it was when I started. Success at the Olympics in 2020 and 2024 is our goal, and we define ‘success’ as Olympic Gold. Our plan is all about continuing our focussed trajectory to Tokyo and beyond.

“An important element of the team’s balance and make up is to ensure a consistent flow of talent enters into the performance program, and we look forward to welcoming new riders into the Australian Cycling Team later in the year.”

As well as the new athletes set to join the Podium Potential Track Academy later this year, the Australian Cycling Team is also set to welcome three new elite riders:
​

• Kristina Clonan (QLD)
• Leigh Howard (VIC)
• Macey Stewart (TAS)

While the Australian Cycling Team is set to welcome many new riders, with a limited number of Team places available, four athletes will be transitioned out of the Australian Cycling Team system. Those athletes are:
​

• Jordan Kerby (QLD)
• Rebecca Wiasak (ACT)
• Rohan Wight (SA)
• Nicholas Yallouris (NSW)

Simon Jones: “It is always difficult to make these tough decisions and it is stressful for all parties in these circumstances. Of course, we recognise and understand it is especially tough for the athlete.

“I want to take this opportunity to recognise the contribution these four athletes have made to the Team and wish them all the best going forward. We will ensure in the short term that they have a support network around them and readily accessible support via our Senior Personal Excellence Advisor Mark Gregory, who is there to guide elite athletes through these complex transitions. 

The Australian Cycling Team’s commitment to improving athlete wellbeing is further reflected via a new AIS directorship centred around Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement. CA will seek to engage the new director Matti Clements to develop an even deeper understanding of this critically important piece of the elite athlete success puzzle.

Further, the Australian Cycling Team has appointed Dr Ruth Anderson to the newly created role of Performance Psychologist and Behaviours. Dr Anderson is set to join CA in July.  While this role will focus primarily on performance optimisation, Dr Anderson will also be an integral part of the support team that will oversee the implementation of additional athlete wellbeing and engagement tactics.

Finally, Cycling Australia have recruited Dr Paolo Menaspa as Head of Performance Solutions. Dr Menaspa will play a key role in supporting the coaching and performance support team to identify and deliver performance enhancing solutions.

Further depth will be added to the team shortly, with recruitment currently underway for a new Strength and Conditioning Coach and a new Para-cycling Technical Director; a replacement for Peter Day who will be retiring in September after decades of service to Cycling Australia.

Simon Jones: “Ultimately, we believe that our Performance Strategy will continue to deliver an optimum overall makeup of the Team as we strive for excellence at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic, for 2024 and beyond”.
​
Cycling Australia will shortly publish a full list of Australian Cycling Team Track and Para-cycling Athlete Members.