After this extensive and always difficult review process it has been decided that two sprint athletes will not have their Australian Cycling Team membership renewed.
Those athletes are:

• Jacob Schmid
• Patrick Constable

As noted, this process of categorisation is not easy and we thank both riders for their positive contribution to the team and to our sport.
As part of our ongoing commitment to athletes well being, we are providing human resources and financial transition support to both men and our dedicated staff are available to guide them through their exit from the team.

They are:

• Ruth Anderson, Head of Performance Psychology and Behaviours
• Mark Gregory, Senior Athlete Career Development Adviser
• Murray Lydeamore, Welfare Officer
  
  

​All three are available to assist the athletes on an immediate basis and over the next 12-months.

The next major event for the Australian Cycling Team track members is the 2020 Oceania Championships in New Zealand in October, followed by the 2019/2020 UCI Track World Cup season which runs from November 2019 to January 2020, including round #5 in Brisbane,  December 2019.
​
FOLLOW
#AusCyclingTeam Facebook @AustralianCyclingTeam | Instagram @australiancyclingteam  | Twitter @AusCyclingTeam

​Australia has finished the 2019 UCI Track World Championships in Poland in second place overall with ten medals, tying the Netherlands for the most gold medals with six. Underlining this consistent display across the Championships, the team boasted a result inside the top six in all but one Olympic event.  
​
Adelaide’s Alex Manly continued the rainbow connection for the women’s track endurance squad with an electrifying victory in the 100-lap points race, while the vintage form of Sydney’s Kaarle McCulloch continued as she completed a set of medals with a surprise silver in the keirin.

Sprint world champion from 2018 Matthew Glaetzer finished just off the podium in fourth, as did two-time world champions Leigh Howard and Cameron Meyer in the Madison.

“Fantastic results, ten medals is tremendous, but more importantly it is about the performances,” said Cycling Australia Performance Director Simon Jones. “We saw some really good results across the board. The men’s team pursuit stands out clearly, a world record performance and by such a margin.

“The women’s endurance squad’s performance was outstanding, there has been through quite a big change in the program and the girls have really bought in, there is good energy.

“The women's team sprint gold which equally shows that they keep getting better as a team. Matt [Glaetzer] had a big season and to perform the way he did here, to finish fourth is a good result considering what we are trying to achieve at the moment.

“From here we stop, to try to learn, not just from the World Championships, and to keep asking ourselves what we need to do. I think it the trick to this is to make sure we get the fundamentals right and we don’t make it too complicated because I think we are where we need to be at the moment.”

​Matthew Glaetzer wrapped up his 2019 UCI Track World Championships with a fourth in the men’s sprint, his second result just off the podium after also finishing fourth in the keirin.
​
Since winning the world title in the Netherlands twelve months ago, it has been a packed schedule for Glaetzer which took in both National and Oceania Championships, Commonwealth Games, the Japanese keirin season, plus four rounds to open the recent 2018/19 World Cup season which netted three gold and one silver.

On Saturday, fifth fastest qualifier Glaetzer looked on track for a successful title defence with strong rides sending him to the semi-final against Jeffrey Hoogland (NED).

However, on Sunday, the Dutch rider was too strong for the South Australian in their clash in two straight rides, ending the reigning champion’s hope of becoming just the second Australian to defend a sprint world crown.

Up against hometown hero Rudyk (POL) and a parochial crowd in the bronze medal final, Glaetzer took the win in their first heat, before later being relegated for entering the sprinter’s lane. Riding a wave of red and white flags, Rudyk overcame Glaetzer in the front straight in their second heat to take the bronze medal.

Alexandra Manly claimed her second rainbow jersey of the 2019 World Championships with an electrifying victory in the 100-lap points race.

“I can’t believe what just happened just then, it is still a blur, it is so super special,” said Manly, who announced her race intentions early by figuring in the points in the opening two of ten sprint competitions.

A conservative next thirty laps ensued before Manly launched a decisive move at the halfway mark. Together with Yang (KOR), Manly took a lap on the field and with it twenty bonus points and the race lead.

Boylan (IRE) and Badykova (RUS) teamed to try to put a halt to Australia’s third women’s endurance world title of the week when they took a late lap, pushing Manly into third overall.  

Manly’s smart tactical race paid dividends as she finished among the points in the final sprint which elevated her to the top of the podium.  
“The plan worked out perfectly. I conserved energy at the start but still managed to get points,” Manly explained. “Then I recovered, recovered, recovered and when the moment was there I attacked.

“I knew I had to go for a lap as I knew I would need a big chunk of points if I wanted to be in the mix for the medals. I just needed to stay composed for the final sprint, and I did.”

The win was the women’s endurance squad’s third of the week, with Manly joining Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Georgia Baker (TAS) to claim the team pursuit title, while Ankudinoff won the individual pursuit. Cure and Baker also claimed Madison silver, while Edmondson finished fifth in the omnium.

“This week has been super special, Ash getting the rainbows yesterday was so inspiring. And the girls in the Madison last night, they fought all the way, they almost had it. And also to Nettie, she only had one mistake which cost her but she fought to the end.”

The Madison always promises and never fails to deliver, with the Australian pairing of Leigh Howard and Cameron Meyer edged off the podium in the dying stages of the 50km Madison final in which riders averaged an astonishing 59.2km/h.
​
The Aussie duo set the tone early, duelling with the Polish pairing and an excited crowd to sit atop the rankings equal with the home team after 5 (of 20) sprints.

At this point, eventual gold medallists Germany made their first serious play for a medal, taking a lap on the field. This move was immediately answered by Australia, Denmark, Great Britain and Belgium.

Second overall at the halfway mark, Howard and Meyer took another lap and for the rest of the race they desperately fought for a spot on the podium.

However, the Aussie pairing was pushed out of the medals in a see sawing final fifty laps which saw multiple laps taken by the German, Belgian and Danish outfits in a thrilling end to the race.    ​

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.”

Two days after pulling on the team sprint rainbow jersey, South Australia’s Stephanie Morton (SA) claimed a third consecutive World Championship sprint silver medal.

“You can never be upset with three straight podium appearances at a World Championships,” said Morton, “Yes, it wasn’t the gold, but you have to put it into perspective that I am actually being consistent at a standard enough to get medals at a World Championships.”

At the Pruszkow Velodrome on Thursday, Morton topped the flying 200m qualifying for the fourth-straight World Championships with a time of 10.546secs (averaging 68.272km/h). She then progressed unscathed to the semi-finals with wins over Madalyn Godby (USA) and Olena Starikova (UKR).

Morton was dominant in her semi-final defeat of rising star Lea Sophie Friedrich (GER) , beating the German in straight heats, setting up a tantalising clash with Lee, with the pair claiming five of the six World Cup sprint gold on offer this season.

In the first heat, Lee turned on her speed to reel in Morton on the home straight for the win. Morton took it to Lee in the second heat with a surprise attack with two laps to go, however, it wasn’t enough to hold Lee claimed her maiden world title.

“She is absolutely on fire at the moment, she was amazing when I raced her at the World Cups and I knew it was going to be some tough racing,” said Morton, who celebrated her maiden elite world title on Wednesday in the team sprint with Kaarle McCulloch. “I ticked boxes today, but I also made mistakes.  The first ride in final I wasn’t too happy with, I made one small mistake and it was race over. Not unhappy with the final, still yet to go over it. 

“But we will go through and see what we got right and what we didn’t.”

 For the 28-year-old Morton, it continued a consistent 2018/19 season which saw her top the sprint qualification, while claiming two gold, silver and a bronze in the four World Cups she entered.

“I feel like every race I go into now I am more confident, am racing better... the exposure we are getting consistently racing at this higher level I feel more prepared going in,” Morton said. “When I first started racing at this level, I was so nervous.

 “Now it is cool calm and collected. You have a job to do and you get it done, simple as that.”

 Morton will now have a day off before contesting the keirin on the final day of the Championships on Sunday.

“Kick the heels up tomorrow (Saturday), have a bit of rest and recovery, and we will see what happens in the keirin on Sunday.  We all know what that is like, it is unpredictable, so bring it on.”

April 2018 - Commonwealth Games - Australia - 3:49.804.

February 2019 - World Championships - Poland - 3:48.012.  

Australia’s Leigh Howard (VIC), Kelland O’Brien (VIC), Samuel Welsford (WA) and Alex Porter (SA) smashed their own world record by nearly two seconds on the way to reclaiming the rainbow jersey at the World Championships in Poland on Thursday.

The Australian quartet, guided by Tim Decker, brought the Polish crowd to its feet as they scorched the Pruszkow Velodrome in a new world record time of 3mins 48.012secs (averaging 63.155km/h), bettering the astonishing ride at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (3:49.804) where they became the first team in history to crack the three-minute fifty barrier.  

“I am lost for words, this team is proving to be more and more special every time we come together,” said O’Brien.  

`“What can I say except thank you, I am so grateful to be a part of this team,” said Howard. “I am fortunate that I have come back into the program with such a fantastic group, not just the riders but the staff has developed so much since I was last in the program and I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone.”

“Its a bit surreal to be honest,” said Porter. “I knew the boys were going quick, but I didn’t think we were going that fast.  I can’t put this into words properly, its crazy.

“It has been a rough season, I missed the first half rehabbing. Ten weeks ago when I broke eight bones and punctured a lung, I was just hoping to be here.”

Welsford, Howard, O’Brien, and debutant Cameron Scott (NSW) opened the team’s 2019 World’s campaign in style on Wednesday with the fastest qualifying time (3:52.152).

With Porter coming in for Scott, the quartet set a cracking near world-record pace in their first round matchup against New Zealand. However, they lost momentum when they were forced to navigate a splintered New Zealand after catching them with three laps to go before posting a time of 3mins 51.529.

Traditional rivals Great Britain didn’t stand a chance in the battle for the gold when the Australians pulled the throttle from the gun and never let go. Great Britain post a time of 3mins 50.810secs to win silver.

The team’s coach, Tim Decker was almost lost for words after the win.

“I’m a bit emotional,” revealed Decker. “It’s been a fantastic night and we probably exceeded our expectations in regard to time in the TP.

“We came in here with a real focus to nail our ride and try to execute a good, skilled ride and try to find a way to make it happen and give those guys a chance to chase the rainbow bands and they were hungry to chase.

“Yesterday we had a few challenges thrown at us, but we made our way into the final but they brought it together and came away with a pretty magical time.”

Less than half an hour ride and still dripping with sweat following the team pursuit world record ride, Welsford claimed a dramatic late victory in the scratch race.

“It has been a crazy thirty minutes, I am gobsmacked,” a shocked Welsford said. “To do a forty-eight with my boys Kel, Cam, Leigh, Porter, that’s the best thing I could ever imagine.

“To break our own world record and leading into the Olympics next year is bloody awesome.

“The icing on the cake is the win in the scratch race. It’s a dream come true for us.

Stephanie Morton (SA) and Kaarle McCulloch (NSW) surged to their first world title as a team sprint pairing in a stunning display of speed at the Pruszkow Velodrome on Wednesday.

The pairing topped the afternoon qualifying session (32.492), before setting a new national mark of 32.368secs in their first-round defeat of China.

In the final, the duo scorched the track once again, with McCulloch bolting from the gates and Morton powering home to record a time 32.255secs which eclipsed their new national mark.

“I am speechless, and it takes a lot for that to happen,” said Morton. “It is pretty surreal, we had pretty high expectations tonight, and we have absolutely exceeded them.  Gold was just a bonus.”

The win was Morton’s first at an elite World Championships, however, it is her fourth career rainbow jersey after she piloted visually impaired cyclist Felicity Johnson to three Tandem world titles in 2011 and 2012.  Morton and McCulloch’s previous best was silver at the 2017 World Championships.

“We had set a couple of things to focus on, the plan was to build on every ride and get faster and faster, regardless of conditions,” Morton revealed. “And we did, and that is the most important thing.

“Going back, reviewing the videos, seeing where can we get more gains and the fact that we pulled it off every time is the most important take home from today.”

For McCulloch, it was a fourth team sprint world crown after partnering Anna Meares to three straight titles (2009-11).

“We just got better and better with every ride, we were a bit nervous to begin with, but we just kept focussing on our processes which is what we were here to do,” said McCulloch, who in romantic circumstances celebrated the 2019 crown on the same velodrome she won her first world title in 2009. “Ten years on I am the world champion with Stephanie Morton and in a blistering time too.

“We are really proud, and happy that this is all building towards Tokyo.  This is a nice step in that direction we will take a lot of confidence out if this.

McCulloch also revealed she is relishing the switch to the position of first-wheel after spending her years with Meares in the second-wheel position.

“Anna and I worked really well together, but I feel a little relieved that I am only doing one lap now,” McCulloch joked. “So sucked in Steph, it was hard work chasing Anna in first-wheel, so I hope I am making it hard for Steph to chase me.”

Patrick Constable (SA), Nathan Hart (ACT) and teenage debutant Matthew Richardson (WA) finished sixth in the men’s team sprint.  Sixth fastest in qualifying (43.628), the trio was edged (43.518) out of the medal finals by eventual silver France (43.086) in the first round.

ABOUT The 2019 UCI Track World Championships will be held in Puruszkow, Poland. 

WATCH LIVE In Australia via FOXSPORTS Australia. VIEW GUIDE 

COMING UP The Championships run 27 February to 3 March. VISIT WEBSITE

• Thursday 28 February: Women’s Sprint begins with Flying 200m; Men’s Team Pursuit finals; Men’s Scratch 15km; Men’s Keirin; Women’s Team Pursuit first round & Finals
• Friday 1 March: Men’s Points race 40km; Men’s Kilometre Time Trial; Men’s Individual Pursuit; Women’s Omnium; Women’s Sprint
• Saturday 2 March: Men’s Sprint Flying 200m & rounds; Women’s 500m Time Trial; Women’s Madison 30km; Women’s Individual pursuit; Men’s Omnium
• Sunday 3 March: Women’s Points race 25km; Men’s Madison 50km; Women’s Keirin; Men’s Sprint

​FOLLOW 

• #AusCyclingTeam Facebook @AustralianCyclingTeam  |  Instagram @australiancyclingteam  |  Twitter @AusCyclingTeam
• #Pruszkow2019 www.pruszkow2019.pl  |  facebook.com/PZKol  |  twitter.com/pzkolarski

Photos © Casey Gibson

The Australian Cycling Team has completed its penultimate training session in Pruszkow, Poland ahead of the 2019 UCI Track World Championships which will be held from 27 February to 3 March 2019.

Team pursuit world record holders Leigh Howard (VIC), Kelland O’Brien (VIC), Alexander Porter (SA) and Samuel Welsford (WA), plus debutant Cameron Scott (NSW) and nine-time world champion Cameron Meyer (WA) will hit the training track on Tuesday for one last hit out ahead of the Championships which opens with the team pursuit on Wednesday afternoon.  

Back on the World Championship stage after Australia strategically skipped the 2018 World Championships in favour of the Commonwealth Games, Welsford is champing at the bit to claim a third team pursuit rainbow jersey in four years.

“We had the rainbows in 2017, so I’m pretty confident I can say on behalf of the boys that we want to go and get those back,” said Welsford. “Team pursuit times are getting so fast now, a lot of teams are getting down to that low (three minutes) 50 (second) barrier. I think we’re at a good level at the moment and in good form so we can produce a really good time that could go close to that world record.” Read full article.

2018 Commonwealth Games champions Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Alexandra Manly (SA), plus Georgia Baker (TAS) have wrapped up their on-track preparations as they target the top step of the women's team pursuit podium. 

In ominous words for the rest of the competition, dual 2015 world champion Edmondson has revealed she has rediscovered her love of track cycling since returning to the Australian Cycling Team to focus on the track.

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

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) set to make his elite World Championship debut.

Glaetzer is aiming to take his sensational early season form into the World Championships after a near-perfect start to the 2018/19 World Cups in which he powered to three gold and one silver across the first four sprint competitions. 

“I haven’t had a better season, the World Cups were almost flawless, except for the last (fourth round) one which took its toll,” said Glaetzer. “There is some strong competition, it's tough. Yes, I won three out of four, but it was very close all the way through.” Read full article.

Stephanie Morton (SA) and Kaarle McCulloch (NSW) comprise the women’s sprint selections, with the pair setting a new Australian record in the team sprint last November, while Morton netted eight medals including four gold across four rounds of the World Cup season.  

Morton knows she will take career-best form into this week’s World Championships and as she strives to find the top step of the Worlds sprint podium after two straight silver medals, she is fully aware she will be a marked rider in Poland. 

“I am certainly not the underdog anymore that’s for sure,” admitted Morton. “I think there’s the potential to start letting those thoughts creep in like ‘I’ve got to back up like last year’ or ‘I’ve got to do better than last year’ but you just can’t put that pressure on yourself." Read full article.

WATCH LIVE In Australia via FOXSPORTS Australia. VIEW GUIDE 

SCHEDULE The Championships run 27 February to 3 March 2019. VISIT WEBSITE
​

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

FOLLOW 

Australian Cycling Team #AusCyclingTeam  Facebook AustralianCyclingTeam  |  Instagram @australiancyclingteam  |  Twitter @AusCyclingTeam

2019 UCI Track World Championships #Pruszkow2019  www.pruszkow2019.pl  |  facebook.com/PZKol  |  twitter.com/pzkolarski

​Stephanie Morton knows she will take career-best into this week’s World Championships. And so does the rest of the world.
 
The 28-year-old fired across the 2018/19 World Cup season netted her eight medals from four rounds including four gold.  Morton topped the sprint qualification in every World Cup, taking sprint silver and bronze in the first two rounds before storming to her first individual World Cup gold medals in rounds three and four.
 
And as she strives to find the top step of the World Championship sprint podium after two straight silver medals, Morton is fully aware she will be a marked rider in Poland. 

“I am certainly not the underdog anymore that’s for sure,” admitted Morton, who also clocked personal bests in the flying 200m including her first career sub-10.5 second ride in the flying 200m (10.484seconds) during the past World Cup season.  
 
“But for me it’s just about focusing one race at a time. I think there’s the potential to start letting those thoughts creep in like ‘I’ve got to back up like last year’ or ‘I’ve got to do better than last year’ but you just can’t put that pressure on yourself. You’ve just got to go one race at a time and hopefully, if you do everything right, you’ll be at the final.
 
“But I’m not letting those thoughts creep in, I’m there to do a job, the end goal is Tokyo, so as much as it might be nice to take home the rainbow you have to think of the end goal which is Tokyo.
 
“So, wins this week might come from nailing a tactic or skill that I’ve never done before at a World Championship so I’m trying to be realistic and take that pressure off and hopefully just produce some good racing.”

Morton will partner with Kaarle McCulloch in the team sprint, with the pair finding success early in the season with gold in a new Australian record time in the second round of the World Cup. The pair begins their 2019 World Championship campaign on the opening day of competition.
 
“Kaarle has now moved down to Adelaide so we’ve been able to train together a lot more and just been able to gel and practice things in training that we usually wouldn’t get to,” Morton added. “We would often just rock up to the race and have to race together, so it’s been fantastic having her here and really bouncing things off each other and really pushing each other as well.
 
“I think it makes a huge difference having someone else there and both nipping at each other's heels and pushing each other to go faster and I think that’s why we saw some really good times at the World Cups and hopefully we can keep that momentum going into the World Champs.”
 
The Australian Team is settling into Pruszkow, Poland, ahead of the 2019 UCI Track World Championships which will be held from 27 February to 3 March.
 
Morton will be in action in the team sprint on day one (Wednesday) won team sprint gold with, the sprint begins on day two and three, before concluding her campaign with the keirin on Sunday.
 
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

 ​

​FOLLOW 

Australian Cycling Team #AusCyclingTeam  Facebook AustralianCyclingTeam  |  Instagram @australiancyclingteam  | Twitter @AusCyclingTeam

​2019 UCI Track World Championships #Pruszkow2019  www.pruszkow2019.pl  |  facebook.com/PZKol  |  twitter.com/pzkolarski

WATCH LIVE 

In Australia via FOXSPORTS Australia.  >>> Foxtel - TV Guide 

Sam Welsford (WA) is excited to be back on the World Championships stage and is champing at the bit at the chance of claiming his third team pursuit rainbow jersey for Australia in four years.

2017 world champions Australia did not defend its rainbow jersey at the 2018 World Championships due to team’s target event of the year being the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The strategic decision not to attend both events was rewarded with Welsford, Leigh Howard (VIC), Kelland O’Brien (VIC) and Alexander Porter (SA) setting a new work mark of 3mins 49.804secs en route to winning gold.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to the worlds, we missed out on last years but I think all the boys were really really eager to get out there and race,” said Welsford. “We had the rainbows in 2017 so I’m pretty confident I can say on behalf the boys that we want to go and get those back so that’s what we’ll be striving for.”

Australia’s team pursuit outfit in Poland will feature the world record holders in Welsford, Howard, O’Brien, Porter, in addition to Cameron Scott (NSW) who will make his elite World Championships debut. 

The quintet combined to win team pursuit gold at the UCI Track World Cup in Germany in December and Welsford is predicting fast times when the team pursuit opens on day one of competition in Poland. 

“Team pursuit times are getting so fast now, a lot of teams are getting down to that low (three minutes) 50 (second) barrier,” he said. “I think we should be able to go out there and ride a really good time, but it really depends on the conditions of the Poland track.

“I think we’re at a good level at the moment and in good form so we can produce a really good time that could go close to that world record.”

Welsford will also contest the omnium, and the national champion will be one to watch in the four-race event after also claiming World Cup gold last December. 

“Pretty keen to test the Omnium again at the World Championships, it’s been a while since I’ve done that,” he added. “I had some early success in the World Cups last year so I’m really keen to give it a big crack. “I really think that the work we’ve been doing on the bike and in the gym will put me in a good spot, so I’m really keen to give the Omnium a crack again.”

A veteran of the team at just 23, the two-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist Welsford is also thrilled to be a part of teammate Scott’s debut. 

“Training with Cam and racing the Madison with him, he’s a good mate of mine so for him to come into the program and go to his first worlds is always pretty special,” Welsford said. “I remember my first one in 2016 and you’ll never forget your first worlds, so I think he’ll be loving it over there.”

The Australian Team is scheduled to arrive 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. 

Welsford will be in action in the team pursuit on the first two days, before taking on the omnium on day four. 

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​

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.”

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​

Reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer (SA) is aiming to take his sensational early season form into next week’s 2019 UCI Track World Championships in Poland. 

It was a near-perfect start to the 2018/19 season for the South Australian who powered to three gold and one silver across the first four World Cup sprint competitions in November and December. Glaetzer also clocked a flying 200m of 9.502sec early in the season, just shy of his 9.459sec personal best set five years ago (at altitude).

“I haven’t had a better season, the World Cups were almost flawless, except for the last (fourth round) one which took its toll,” said Glaetzer. “There is some strong competition, it's tough. Yes, I won three out of four, but it was very close all the way through.”

Glaetzer has admitted there is a different feeling on the eve of his ninth World Championships campaign which could see him join John Nicholson (1975, 76) as the second Australian to win two sprint world titles. 

“This year is different being reigning sprint world champion, but I see it as another challenge in my career,” explained Glaetzer.  “I have taken a step towards that higher position in the port, but it is a good challenge, it won’t be easy, more pressure and expectation from myself and externally.”

Glaetzer headlines a strong sprint quartet which features Olympians Patrick Constable (SA) and Nathan Hart (ACT) plus nineteen-year-old debutant Matthew Richardson (WA).

“It is exciting times in the Australian sprint team,” said Glaetzer of the squad which won ten medals including six gold over the six-round 2018/19 World Cup season.  Glaetzer will line up in the sprint and keirin, while Constable, Hart and Richardson - who claimed team sprint gold at the final round of the World Cup in Hong Kong - will form the team sprint outfit.

“Matt Richardson has been exciting, pretty impressive at a young age, but we are not putting pressure on him, he is there to experience it and enjoy it and see what he can do.

“Hopefully, I might be able to slot in and give it a rip and see what we can do as a country.”

In addition to chasing rainbows, Glaetzer remains focussed on continual improvements ahead of the Worlds, and ultimately the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games which looms in eighteen months.

“I want to race well, race smart, minimise mistakes,” Glaetzer said. “If you can nail that, the results will flow.

“Also continuing to improve on a few weaknesses of mine. It is a project with myself and the staff, just to keep developing, keep getting better, because everyone else is as well.  

“I have to keep the edge on the competition.”

The Australian Team is scheduled to arrive 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. 

Glaetzer will be in action in the keirin on day two (Thursday), while the sprint begins on day three (Friday) and concludes on Saturday. 

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​​

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    

Follow

Australian Cycling Team #AusCyclingTeam 

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

2019 UCI Track World Championships

• www.pruszkow2019.pl
• facebook.com/PZKol
• twitter.com/pzkolarski

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

Day 3 Recap - UCI Track World Cup 6 - Hong Kong

The penultimate day of the final World Cup of the season saw Australian Cycling Team's Cameron Meyer claim an emphatic omnium gold, while Podium Potential Academy member Caitlin Ward netted her best World Cup performance in the women's sprint.

Meyer, 31, began his campaign with seventh in the opening scratch race, before a commanding display in the tempo race saw him took maximum points after winning the event.

A calculated fourth in a crash-marred elimination race, which was neutralised mid-way through the race after a crash brought down a handful of riders, left Meyer perfectly poised in second place behind New Zealand's Campbell Stewart (104pts) heading into the final event, the points race.

In his pet event, a classical Meyer performance saw him claim two sprint wins and a lap on the field within the first thirty laps of the 100-lap race, and with them, the race ascendancy.

From there, Meyer was able to control the race and any attacks on his lead, sealing gold on 134 points ahead of France's Benjamin Thomas (120pts) and Stewart (116pts).

"A little bit shocked and surprised, but I knew I had good condition coming off the road racing in Australia with the Tour Down Under, but I didn't know what to expect in my first omnium at a World Cup," said the nine-time world champion in the points race, team pursuit and Madison. "I was pretty nervous for some of the events, but when I knew I was up there for the points race which is my speciality, I was a chance of a getting a result and coming away with a gold medal.

"My goals were to find out what the omnium was about really. It is an Olympic event, something that I can target, so I wanted to see where the level was at, where my level compared to the other competitors."

Meyer will now return to the Australian Cycling Team's Adelaide headquarters for final preparations for Februarys World Championships in Poland.

"Now it is a full focus towards Worlds and I am really looking forward to it. It is always exciting to be back on the track, I have good condition and am looking forward to the World Championships."

In the women's sprint, Caitlin Ward netted her best World Cup performance finishing eighth.

In her first race at the World Cup level since 2016 after suffering a broken foot and chronic back injuries, Ward opened her account with a competition personal best 11.022seconds in the flying 200m, the eighth fastest on the day. 

Ward then took care of Amelia Walsh (CAN) and Jessica Lee (HKG) to move to the quarterfinals where her campaign ended at the hands of hometown hero and Olympic medalist Wai Sze Lee (HKG). 

"It was unfortunate to get eighth and come across the top qualifier, but racing Lee is an experience and a half. You're not going to learn unless you race the best, and she is up there," said Ward, 24.  "I am thrilled with how I performed. It is my best performance ever. I haven't done close to that time for a long time, I have had injuries coming out of my ears. 

A member of the Podium Potential Academy, Ward recognised coach Lynne Munro and the support from the new Cycling Australia program. 

"(I am) over the moon with how the Academy has come through, getting to work with Lynne.  I think we make a really good team, the people involved are great, I have a great team around me."

Holly Takos clocked 11.582seconds in qualifying but did not progress through to sprint rounds. 

Twenty-four hours after claiming team sprint gold while on his World Cup debut, Matthew Richardson, 19 was back at it on Saturday in the men's keirin, with the Podium Potential Academy sprinter finished seventh overall after winning the 7-12 final.  

After winning team pursuit bronze on the opening night of competition Godfrey Slattery, 19, went solo on Saturday, finishing thirteenth in the scratch race. 

In the women's Madison, Maeve Plouffe and Alexandra Martin-Wallace took on the might of the world's best in their World Cup debut.  A frenetic pace was set early by 2018 world championship silver medallists the Netherlands and 2017 world champions Belgium, with the two teams unrelenting over the 80-lap race.   

The UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong is the sixth and final for the 2018/19 season. Racing concludes on Sunday. 

Results www.tissottiming.com 

The Australian Cycling Team’s rising stars stole the show on Friday night at the UCI Track World Cup with Podium Potential Academy riders James Brister, Matthew Richardson and Thomas Clarke storming to team sprint gold, while Jarrad Drizners, Godfrey Slattery, Conor Leahy, and Luke Plapp clinched team pursuit bronze.

TEAM SPRINT

Teenagers James Brister, 19, and Matthew Richardson, 19, bolted from the gates on their World Cup debut, teaming with Thomas Clarke, 23, to win gold in the men’s team sprint.

The Podium Potential Academy trio posted the fastest qualifying ride (44.343) in Friday's afternoon’s qualifying round before progressing to the final with a first round win (43.774) over Belarus.

In the final, Richardson got the team off to a hot start, with Clarke and Brister bringing it home in 43.815 seconds to record a resounding win over Japan (44.148) to claim the gold.  

“I have been really excited for weeks to ride this event with these boys, we targeted this event and trained really hard,” said Clarke, who won silver with Jacob Schmid and Nathan Hart last weekend at the penultimate round of the World Cup in Cambridge.

“It was only the second time we have ridden together, and with a new order, and it paid off with this great result,” said Richardson.

“First World Cup, first medal, first gold medal, it is pretty exciting, I wasn’t expecting this at all, can't thank my teammates, coach and staff enough,” said Brister, who recognised the Academy for his result. “The support we are getting phenomenal now, I wouldn’t be here now without the support of Cycling Australia setting up the Academy.”

TEAM PURSUIT

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 team posted the eighth fastest time (4:01.562) in Thursday evening’s qualifying round to just make it through to Friday’s first round.

There, world record holder Sam Welsford, 23, subbed in for Slattery with the quartet scorching the Hong Kong Velodrome with a stunning ride of 3mins 53.889secs, the fastest time ever ridden by the teenage trio.  

“It is crazy to ride a three-fifty three, particularly in these cool conditions,” said Welsford. “I only came in to ride the first round to give a little direction in the middle, to set the pace. But hats off to the boys, they were holding the pace as good as, if not better than me.”

In the bronze medal final, Drizners, Slattery, Leahy and Plapp (3:57.423) proved too good for France (3:58.738) to take their first podium at a World Cup level.

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

The quartet posted squad-best time of 4mins 25.554secs in Thursday’s qualifying, with the team overcoming a late minute change which waw Sophie Edwards come in for Sam De Riter just minutes before the race after De Riter fell ill.

In Friday’s first round against fastest qualifiers Italy, the Aussie quartet bettered their time by more than a second (4:24.250).  However, the time was less than a second shy of France’s fourth-best time, therefore missing a place in the bronze medal final.

“Yesterday was a really good day, pretty stoked to post the fourth best time and a personal best,” said Martin-Wallace. “We have been working so hard on it at training, getting better and better, so it was nice to deliver here.

“Even though we didn’t make it into the finals, we went even faster so I am really happy.

“The experience has been awesome, I have been trying to learn as much as I can, and having so much fun, to be in this environment, it is great.”

In the women’s team sprint, Caitlin Ward and Holly Takos clocked 35.060seconds in the women’s event which placed them sixteenth overall.

The UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong is the sixth and final for the 2018/19 season. Racing continues on Saturday and Sunday.

The Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy riders are eager ahead of their first taste of elite international cycling at the final round of the UCI Track World Cup season in Hong Kong. 

Launched by Cycling Australia in November 2018, the Academy is focussed on long term athlete development with the current cohort aiming for success at the 2024 Olympic Games and beyond, in both sprint and endurance disciplines. Based at Adelaide’s Australian Cycling Team headquarters, the program is working to bridge the gap between the country’s regional high-performance network and the podium program.

Academy riders form the majority of the sixteen-rider team including the men’s endurance team features Jarrad Drizners, Godfrey Slattery, Conor Leahy and Luke Plapp.  Alexandra Martin-Wallace, Sophie Edwards, Sam De Riter and Maeve Plouffe comprise the women's quartet.

The sprint selections for round six Hong Kong include debutants James Brister and Matthew Richardson, in addition to Thomas Clarke and Caitlin Ward who will both return to the World Cup level for the first time in more than two seasons.

Australian Cycling Team Podium members Holly Takos, Cameron Meyer, Samuel Welsford and Alexandra Manly will also contest the final round.

Follow 

• World Cup Round VI:  Results  Website  Facebook
  
• Australian Cycling Team:  Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  

Australian Cycling Team - UCI Track World Cup Round 6

Sprint

• James Brister
• Thomas Clarke
• Matthew Richardson
• Holly Takos
• Caitlin Ward

Endurance

• Jarrad Drizners
• Godfrey Slattery
• Conor Leahy
• Luke Plapp
• Cameron Meyer
• Samuel Welsford
• Alexandra Martin-Wallace
• Sophie Edwards
• Sam De Riter
• Maeve Plouffe
• Alexandra Manly​

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. ​

Cycling Australia is pleased to announce a 17-rider team for the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships to be held in the Netherlands from 14-17 March.

The Championships offers valuable qualification points towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, with the Australian team to vie against 200 of the world’s best from 30 countries.

The selections feature a host of reigning and former world champions including David Nicholas (QLD), Amanda Reid (NSW), Simone Kennedy (NSW), Alistair Donohoe (VIC) and Kyle Bridgwood (QLD),plus the Tandem pairing of Jessica Gallagher (VIC) and Pilot Madison Janssen (VIC).

Emily Petricola (VIC) returns to the team following her outstanding debut at the 2018 World Championships which saw her bring home dual medals and the individual pursuit world record.

“The world record, it’s a lovely sort of thing that I'll be proud of when I look back on my career, but at this moment for me it’s just about trying to be better than what I’ve been before, to try to make sure that there’s no one better than me on that day,” said Petricola, who unofficially bettered her existing world mark on the way to the National crown last December.

2018 World Championship silver medalist in the scratch race Darren Hicks (SA) will look to continue his strong form with a focus towards the timed events.

“It’s just exciting to go into 2019 with a lot ahead rather than just the time trial so I’m excited,” said Hicks, who went within two seconds of the 3-kilometre individual pursuit world record (set at altitude) at December’s Nationals. “The individual pursuit has never really been a focus, but I’d like to run a three 41 or a 42 just to reassure myself that it’s something I can do every time we get to any track in the world.”

Newcomer Paige Greco (SA), who shone at December’s Track Nationals in Melbourne, will make her national team debut, as will Michael Shippley (QLD) and Daniel Van der Laan (NSW).

“It’s (Australian team selection) has been a goal since I moved to Adelaide, so I am thrilled and excited,” said Greco, who announced herself on the para-cycling scene with dual national records and gold at the 2018 Track Nationals. “My goal at worlds is a PB (personal best time), but I’ve got some things I need to work on.  

“I’m also really looking forward to the team environment as it will be excellent to get some advice from the more experienced riders and see how they handle the pressure.”

In the men's Tandem events Brad Henderson (SA) is confirmed, with his Pilot to be named at a later date.

The Australian Cycling Team will head to Brisbane in late January for a team training camp and UCI Category 2 event before heading to the Netherlands in late March.

The Team celebrated ten medals at the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio, the fourth most by any nation behind Great Britain, Netherlands and China.

ATHLETE (STATE) CLASSIFICATION

• Emily Petricola (VIC) C4
• Paige Greco (SA) C3
• Meg Lemon (SA) C4
• Amanda Reid (NSW) C2
• Simone Kennedy (NSW) C3
• Jessica Gallagher (VIC) + Madison Janssen (Pilot) WB Tandem
• David Nicholas (QLD) C3
• Darren Hicks (SA) C2
• Alistair Donohoe (VIC) C5
• Kyle Bridgwood (QLD) C4
• Gordon Allan (NSW) C2
• Michael Shippley (QLD) C4
• Daniel Van der Laan (NSW) C5
• Darcy Thompson C1 (SA)
• Brad Henderson* + (Pilot TBC) 

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!”

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!”

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.”

2019 Omnium, Madison, Team Sprint and Team Pursuit National Championships
 
The Australian Cycling Team and Podium Potential Academy members will headline the start lists when four National Championships are decided this weekend in Melbourne.
 
With Tokyo 2020 less than 600 days away, Olympic events will take centre stage in Melbourne beginning with the Omnium Championships at DISC Velodrome on Friday 14, with the Madison, Team Sprint and Team Pursuit to feature in an action-packed night of racing at Melbourne Arena on Saturday 15 December.

SCHEDULE
 

• Omnium - Friday at DISC Velodrome from 10am
• Team Pursuit - Qualifying Friday at DISC Velodrome from 12pm; Finals Saturday at Melbourne Arena from 630pm
• Madison - Saturday at Melbourne Arena from 630pm
• Team Sprint - Saturday at Melbourne Arena from 8pm

EVENT GUIDES

Omnium / Team Pursuit / Madison
 
Australia’s team pursuit world record holders Samuel Welsford (WA), Alexander Porter (SA), plus Leigh Howard and Kelland O’Brien (VIC) will swap their green and gold Australian jerseys as they chase national glory in their respective state team colours.
 
The quartet will split for the team pursuit event, with Howard and O’Brien to lead defending champions Victoria against strong outfits from South Australia and Western Australia. In the women’s event, it will a close battle between NSW, Queensland and South Australia.
 
In the Madison, defending champion Porter will team with fellow South Australian Josh Harrison, dual world champion Howard will form an all-Victorian pairing with O’Brien, and 2017 champion Welsford will line up with Cameron Scott (NSW).
 
“The Madison will be fast, the night is incredible and the racing is always full gas. There are plenty of good combinations of teams, Porter and Harrison, and especially the locals in Kell (O’Brien) and Leigh (Howard) will be one of the teams to beat,” said Welsford, who will contest the Madison, omnium and team pursuit across the weekend. Welsford will be a favourite in Friday’s Omnium following his World Cup gold in Germany two weeks ago.
 
“The team pursuit and omnium have been a big focus of mine over the last few years now, and after winning omnium gold in Berlin last week, I am keen to bring back what I learned at the World Cup and take it into Nationals.”
 
Exciting Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy pairings aiming to upset their more fancied opponents include Conor Leahy (WA) and Godfrey Slattery (VIC), plus dual junior world champion Luke Plapp (VIC) who will pair with Jarrad Drizners (SA).
 
In the women’s Madison, defending champions Macey Stewart (TAS) and Kristina Clonan (QLD) will take to opposite teams in 2018 when they pair with Academy members Josie Talbot (NSW) and Alex Martin-Wallace (QLD) respectively.  Fellow Academy members Maeve Plouffe (SA) and Sam De Riter (VIC) will team up.
 
“It has been a tough few months, I have been training harder than ever before, have moved to Adelaide, so I am excited to see how I go this weekend after putting in so much hard work,” said Stewart, who joined the Australian Cycling Team in 2018. “Madison is my favourite event, one I am targetting over the next few years, and as defending champion I would like to back it up in 2019.  
 
“I have a new partner for the Madison in Josie Talbot, Kristina and I are split for these Nationals, which I think will be a strong team and I am excited to see what we can do.”
 
Stewart and Clonan, plus Alexandra Manly (SA), will be three to watch in the women’s omnium.
 
Team Sprint
 
The Team Sprint National Championships will be decided on Saturday night, with three-time world champion Kaarle McCulloch (NSW) and Holly Takos (SA) headlining the women’s field.  In the men’s, 2018 Commonwealth Games medallist Patrick Constable (SA), Nathan Hart (ACT) and Jacob Schmid (VIC) will headline their respective state teams.
 
Academy riders in action include Caitlin Ward (SA), James Brister (SA), Tom Clarke (SA), Tom Cornish (NSW) and Matt Richardson (WA).

Other events
 
Victoria’s prestigious 121st Austral Wheelrace (for both juniors and seniors) will also showcase the Australian Cycling Team during the evening.
 
TEAMS/RIDERS
 

• Madison Teams  
• Omnium/Team event start lists  Liveresults.cycling.org.au

 
WATCH LIVE
 

• CA Facebook page live stream 
• Foxtel Go app 

 
GET TRACKSIDE
 
Tickets are still available online or at the door.
 
MORE INFO
 
tracknationals.org.au