AusCycling is pleased to confirm the athlete selections for the 2021 UCI MTB DHI (Elite) World Championships in Italy and the 2021 UCI E-MTB World Championships.
 
Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic and the recently updated AusCycling Position Statement on International Activities, only riders on UCI registered teams or those currently based overseas will be eligible to compete at the 2021 UCI MTB World Championships.
 
An alternate AusCycling High-Performance activity for Australian based riders will be held in either Australia or New Zealand later in 2021.
 
AusCycling explored various options to facilitate the travel and participation of selected athletes not on UCI registered teams or currently based in Australia. However, the arduous COVID-19 protocols, high cost of travel and insurance, and the recent 50% reduction in the international arrival and quarantine hotel quotas on return to Australia are unacceptable risks on individual riders in any activity where AusCycling assumes a duty of care. 
 
All riders selected to the team who do not travel to Italy, along with additionally selected development riders to be announced in the coming months, will be invited to an AusCycling MTB high-performance camp scheduled for later in 2021. Several exciting trans-Tasman options for the camp are currently being explored and details will be confirmed in due course.
 
AusCycling MTB Sport Manager, Evan James
 
“Australia is once again sending a formidable elite Downhill team to the UCI MTB World Championships.
 
“With some exceptionally high-level performances in recent months in both Downhill World Cups and Enduro World Series races, it is clear our riders are in form and ready.
 
“It’s also very exciting to have our first representative in the emerging E-MTB discipline.

“As was the case in 2020, it’s incredibly disappointing that a number of riders will not be eligible to participate, but we are confident the alternative camp will keep riders engaged and prepared for when travel is expected to become viable again in 2022.”

Athlete Selections
 
2021 UCI MTB DHI (Elite) World Championships

• Sian A’Hern, ACT *
• Harriet Burbridge-Smith, ACT
• Cassie Voysey, NSW*
• Kye A’Hern, ACT
• Troy Brosnan, SA
• Connor Fearon, SA
• Michael Hannah, QLD
• Dean Lucas, VIC
• Luke Meier-Smith, NSW
• Jack Moir, NSW

2021 UCI E-MTB World Championships

• Joshua Carlson, NSW

*Not eligible for participation

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 ​

AusCycling is pleased to confirm the athlete selections for Cross Country and Junior Downhill for the 2021 UCI MTB World Championships to be held from 25-29 August in Italy, in addition to an AusCycling MTB High-Performance Camp to be held in Australia later in 2021.  
 
Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic and AusCycling’s Position Statement on International Activities, only riders on UCI registered teams will be eligible to compete at the 2021 MTB World Championships in Italy. 
 
AusCycling explored various options to facilitate the travel and competition of athletes not on UCI registered teams. However, the arduous COVID-19 protocols, high cost of travel and insurance, and the requirement of a 14-day hotel quarantine on return to Australia are unacceptable impositions on individual riders, particularly juniors, in any activity where AusCycling assumes a duty of care. 
 
AusCycling can confirm the selection of four eligible athletes who will compete in the World Championships in Italy, with a further fourteen athletes recognised with selection after meeting the performance and selection criteria. 


All riders selected to the team who do not travel to Italy, along with additionally selected development riders to be announced in the coming months, will be invited to an AusCycling MTB high-performance camp scheduled for later in 2021. Several exciting trans-Tasman options for the camp are currently being explored and details will be confirmed in due course. 

Note the selections to the Elite Downhill team will be announced in early July. 

AusCycling continues to monitor the COVID-19 Pandemic situation and will provide updates to the Position Statement on International Activities when required.  

AusCycling MTB Sport Manager, Evan James  

"AusCycling recognises that 2021 has been a challenging year for athletes with exceptionally limited racing opportunities to meet performance standards and selection criteria. Australia is also facing limited athlete quotas at World Championships this year in some men’s categories."

"AusCycling believes it is important we recognise athletes that have achieved selection, even if they are unable to compete."  

"I’m excited by the opportunities that will come for the athletes at the high-performance camp later in the year, in addition to other significant development projects in 2022."

2021 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Selections^
  
* Denotes riders on UCI teams and eligible to compete. 
​
Junior Men Downhill 

• Remy Meier-Smith (NSW) 
• Ollie Davis (NSW)* 

Junior Women Downhill 

• Elise Empey (VIC) 
• Lia Ladbrook
• Ashleigh Weinert (NSW) 

Junior Men Cross Country 

• Joel Dodds (QLD) 
• Isaac Fletcher (VIC) 
• Riley Corke (VIC) 

Junior Women Cross Country 

• Hayley Oakes (NSW) 

U23 Men Cross Country 

• Sam Fox (TAS)  
• Matt Dinham (NSW) 
• Cameron Wright (QLD)* 

U23 Women Cross Country 

• Zoe Cuthbert (ACT)  
• Katherine Hosking (NSW) 
• Isabelle Flint (TAS) 

Elite Women Cross Country 

• Rebecca McConnell (ACT)* 

Elite Men Cross Country 

• Daniel McConnell (ACT)* 
• Cameron Ivory (SA) 

​
^Selections to the Elite Downhill team will be announced in early July. ​

All four members of Team Australia have made it through to the final of the 2021 UCI BMX Freestyle World Championships in France.

The top 24 riders progressed through Saturday's qualification round to Sunday's semi finals and it was an entertaining affair in Montpellier, with riders pulling out elaborate tricks early.

2017 world champion Logan Martin (Gold Coast, QLD) was the pick of the Aussies, finishing third after an impressive second run which attracted a score of 91.94pts.

The USA duo of Daniel Sandoval (94.06pts) and Nicholas Bruce (92.64pts) taking the top two spots into Sunday's final.

Logan Martin

"Semi Finals today went pretty good, I ended up sort of messing up my first one a little bit but the score was enough to get me into the final. So my second run, I just wanted to play around with a couple of things that I had planned to do tomorrow, just to get them done in the run and in my second run I did a better run, qualifying third, so went really well."

"If the final is going to be anything like the semi finals, it's going to be crazy. Everyone was out there sending it, everyone was being super consistent and pulling all their bigger tricks as well, the final is only going to get bigger and better."

Australia will take a third of the final placings after all four Aussies progressed through the semi finals. 
 
Jaie Toohey (Gold Coast, QLD) finished seventh with 86.90pts, Joshua Matthews (Gold Coast, QLD) eighth (86.52pts).  

Reigning world champion Brandon Loupos (Gold Coast, QLD) was eleventh after crashing in his first run and scoring 83.70pts in his second. 

Live Timing and Results

AUS v USA as nations target Tokyo

It all comes down to the final day with eyes also on the battle of Australia vs USA.  

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.

Watch Live online

The men's final will take place from midnight Australian EST on Tuesday 8 June, you can stream the final live via facebook.com/UCIBMXFreestyle

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​​

The next generation of Australia’s track cyclists recently completed an intense week of training at the AusCycling Under 19 Track National Training Camp in Adelaide.
 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current international travel restrictions, the AusCycling determined early in the year that no National Australian Cycling Team would compete at the 2021 UCI U19 Junior Track World Championships scheduled for Egypt in April.
 
To ensure the ongoing development of Australia's best junior athletes, the Australian Cycling Team recently conducted alternative activities for twenty endurance and sprint athletes in place of the Championships.
 
Under the watchful eyes of coaches from the Australian Cycling Team and the High-Performance Network, athletes were immersed in a week-long camp at the Adelaide Super-drome featuring elite on-track training and racing simulations sessions.
 
The education continued off the bike through strength and conditioning programs and several workshops on the topics of race strategy, nutrition, mental health and wellness, sport psychology and more.
 
Director of Performance Pathway for the Australian Cycling Team, Jesse Korf, was pleased with the camp's success and is excited about the future of the athletes and the sport.
 
"The Junior World Championships is an important milestone for athletes in all cycling sports, and with the inability to compete in the 2021 edition due to the COVID Pandemic, the Australian Cycling Team is proud to have provided this program as a replacement," Korf said. 
 
"We were able to acknowledge the athletes, celebrate their selection and provide them with a meaningful development opportunity both on and off the track.
 
"We have some fantastic talent across genders in both sprint and endurance, and we are very excited to find out what the future holds for these riders.
 
"Moving forward, we are keen to increase the opportunities within our pathways and support promising cyclists on their journey towards becoming the world's best.
 
"This camp was a great step in that direction."
 
Athletes - AusCycling U19 Track National Training Opportunity 
 
Women:

• Alessia McCaig (Sprint, NSW)
• Kalinda Robinson (Sprint, NSW)
• Tyler Puzicha (Sprint, NSW)
• Ella Sibley (Sprint, SA)
• Alyssa Polites (Endurance, VIC)
• Lucinda Stewart (Endurance, VIC)
• Isabelle Carnes (Endurance, QLD)
• Sophie Marr (Endurance, VIC)
• Meg Marker (Endurance, SA)
• Haylee Fuller (Endurance, NSW)

Men:

• Danny Barber (Sprint, NSW)
• Danny Barber (Sprint, NSW)
• Maxwell Lieberknecht (Sprint, SA)
• Dylan Stanton (Sprint, SA)
• Ryan Elliott (Sprint, QLD)
• Dylan Eather (Endurance, NSW)
• Zac Marriage (Endurance, SA)
• Leo Zimmermann (Endurance, SA)
• Cameron Rogers (Endurance, ACT)
• Hamish McKenzie (Endurance, TAS)
• Dalton Stretton (Endurance, TAS)

Cycling Australia is pleased to announce ten athletes have been selected to the Australian National Team to contest the 2020 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships.

The Esports Championships will take place on Zwift, the global online training and racing platform, from 8-9 December 2020 and will see athletes race virtually from their home or training centre. The two categories – Men Elite and Women Elite – will compete over the same route and distance on the Watopia course.

The inaugural winners will win the prestigious rainbow jersey which they will be able to wear during any sanctioned cycling esports events in 2021.

The ten athletes were selected in alignment with the CA selection criteria and the UCI event criteria requirements: performance in UCI Road events, performance in ESport events, riders registered or eligible to be registered in the Domestic or Registered Testing Pool.

The Australian Team includes UCI WorldTour riders Cameron Wurf (TAS/INEOS Grenadiers), Jessica Pratt (QLD/Canyon-SRAM), and reigning road time trial National champion Sarah Gigante (VIC/Team TIBCO - SVB).

“It’s an honour to be representing Australia at my first elite World Championship, and I am especially excited to see what the very first virtual championship will be like,” said Gigante, 19, who represented Australia as a junior in 2018. “2020 has been a rollercoaster, and while I know there are much bigger problems in the world right now, I’ve missed racing my bike. 

“I’ve been riding on Zwift almost every day over the past few months, and I’ve also taken part in a few events with my team, Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank. 

“So hopefully, with my Level 50 Zwift experience, I will be able to play a solid part in the Aussie team’s race plan come December!”

Other selections include 2020 Cycling Australia National Racing Series champion Jay Vine (Nero Continental) and wife Bre Vine (StepFWD Suzuki), who finished second overall in the women’s series.

Israel Cycling Academy’s Freddy Ovett (VIC), Team BridgeLane’s Benjamin Hill (ACT) and Nero Continental’s Cooper Sayers (SA) complete the men’s selections. 

Making a return to the national team for the first time since 2011 is four-time World Championship representative Vicki Whitelaw (ACT/Sydney Uni Staminade). 2020 Road National Championship silver medallist Justine Barrow (VIC/Roxsolt Attaquer) rounds out the women’s selections. 

“In a challenging year, Esports has provided riders with an opportunity to continue to train and compete at all levels, resulting in a virtual cycling participation and racing boom,” said Steve Drake, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Cycling Australia.

“The Esports World Championships will provide another opportunity for Australian athletes to test themselves against the best in the world and compete for a rainbow jersey.”

For more information on the 2020 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, visit the UCI website. 

Australian National Team

Women’s 

• Justine Barrow (VIC/Roxsolt Attaquer) 
• Sarah Gigante (VIC/Team TIBCO - SVB) 
• Jessica Pratt (QLD/Canyon-SRAM) 
• Bre Vine (ACT/StepFWD Suzuki) 
• Vicki Whitelaw (ACT/Sydney Uni Staminade) 

​Men’s

• Benjamin Hill (ACT/Team BridgeLane) 
• Freddy Ovett (VIC/Israel Cycling Academy) 
• Cooper Sayers (SA/Nero Continental) 
• Jay Vine (ACT/Nero Continental) 
• Cameron Wurf (TAS/INEOS Grenadiers)

Women’s Madison 120 laps / 30km 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men’s Omnium

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s 3km Individual pursuit    

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chloe Dygert claimed her third world title in the event in four years, breaking the world record twice on the day (3:16.937).

Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson and Thomas Cornish surged to bronze in the team sprint in what was Australia’s highest finish at a World Championships in eight years. 

With Matthew Glaetzer withdrawing on the eve of the Championships due to a leg injury, Podium Potential Academy member Cornish, 20, received a call up for his maiden elite World Championships. 

The addition of Cornish meant a reshuffle of positions within the team for the three-lap event, with the youngster moving into the first-wheel position and Richardson to third. Despite the changes, the Australian trio opened their 2020 campaign with the fourth-fastest qualifying time and a combination-best time (42.996), before powering into the bronze medal final by defeating Poland in the first round (43.044). 

The trio then scorched France to take the bronze medal with another combination-best time of 42.829secs to put Australia on the podium for the first time since 2012. The group averaged 63km per hour over the three laps. ​

Tom Cornish - “I didn’t think this would be the outcome, to be honest. I just took it race by race today and it came together. I’m just really happy how I rode and the team rode.” 

Nathan Hart - “It was unfortunate with Matt Glaetzer getting injured quite recently, but we backed Tom Cornish here and he delivered exceptionally today. It was really great to string three solid rides together. I have never podiumed since my first champs in 2014, so this is definitely a highlight of my career so far.” 

Matthew Richardson - “We just took it ride by ride, being the starter, {then] going to third wheel was a challenge, but I just dug deep and took it home for the boys.”

The Netherlands took an emphatic gold medal, setting world records in both qualifying and the final.

Reigning world champions Stephanie Morton and Kaarle McCulloch shook off recent injury setbacks with a stunning silver medal performance in the team sprint. 

Since winning their maiden world title as a pairing last February, knee surgery for Morton and a back complaint for McCulloch saw them race internationally just once over the last twelve months, a gold medal performance at the Oceania Championships last October. 

On Wednesday in Berlin, the team picked up where they left off by clocking the third-fastest time of qualifying (32.696). They progressed to the final by defeating Mexico with the second-fastest time of the first round (32.353) averaging 55.6kmh, just outside of their national record set one year ago en route to the world title. 

Coming up against the hometown favourites, Germany, in the final, the pair once again nudged their national record (32.384) but the strong German team rode the parochial crowd wave to gold in a time of 32.163secs. 

Stephanie Morton - “I think we are the happiest silver medallists you have ever met. We had to go through some pretty dark clouds to even look at the rainbows here, so to come away with the silver I think I am even more stoked than last year. 


“We knew we had to focus on the things we could control. We kept it simple, we had our jobs and usually when you do that, the times will follow. So to be just a smidgen off our best, we are more than happy about that. 

Kaarle McCulloch - “I am just so proud that despite everything that has happened this last year, we kept training and we kept believing and we walked away with silver.” 

“Even this morning we had a little bit of a shake-up, so just to be out there in the final is next level, it really makes us believe we can do this in five months time [In Tokyo}. The world hasn’t seen the best of us yet, so that is really exciting.

After nearly two years of collaborative research and development, Argon 18, in partnership with Cycling Australia, Zipp, Monash University and the University of Adelaide, is thrilled to unveil the result of the new 2020 Electron Pro.

With cutting-edge aero optimisation and stiffness to match the massive outputs of the world’s most powerful riders, the new Electron Pro is ready to make its mark on the world stage in 2020.

Top athletes know that it takes a team to reach the podium of the world’s most prestigious sporting events – and it took a team to create the machine to get them there.

“This project brought together a team committed to innovation, optimisation, and performance,” says Martin Faubert, VP Product, Argon 18. “By combining resources to develop the best possible equipment, we now have a bike that pushes the boundaries in every way, giving riders every possible advantage in the quest for gold.”

“We are really proud of this bike, and it’s through real teamwork and collaboration that Argon 18 and Zipp have developed this bike for us,” says Simon Jones, Performance Director at Cycling Australia. “To have the bike on time is excellent, as it gives all the riders time to get used to the feeling, which they all have done very quickly. I want to thank everyone at Argon 18, Zipp and CA who worked together - across many time zones - to deliver our new bike.”

The most immediately noticeable features on the new Electron Pro are the radically slender pursuit fork coupled with the custom-designed Zipp Super-9 Tubular Track Disc AUS wheelset, as well as the custom-moulded sprint handlebars and pursuit extensions. The bike also features an integrated timing chip, for a fully loaded velodrome winner.

The new Electron Pro:

• Over 4500 hours of engineering: design, modelling and testing.
• For both sprint and pursuit configuration, drag has been decreased and stiffness increased to provide a higher-performing frameset, as benchmarked against the previous-generation Electron Pro.
• Extensive work was done developing the narrow fork, reducing the fork drag by up to 30% compared to the previous-generation Electron Pro.
• The biggest aero gains were made by working closely with athletes, coaches and Cycling Australia’s aerodynamicist to achieve precise rider position, optimising both the lowest drag and highest power output. To achieve that we have developed an integrated drop bar for bunch races, and sprint and custom extension bars for the team pursuit.  
• The strongest athletes need the strongest equipment. We, therefore, raised the maximum resistance up to 350kgf - more than 3x the load recommended for the BB by ISO test standards. We did the same thing for the cockpit, where we doubled the load compared to ISO standards for fatigue and ultimate strength testing.

Baker has excelled over the last twelve months in the Madison, claiming World Championship silver (with Cure) and triple World Cup gold during the recent 2019-20 season (twice with Edmondson twice and once with Manly). 
 
As the Australian team continues to determine the best possible options and combinations for all three endurance events at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Cure and Edmondson have been slated to race the Madison in Berlin. 
 
Baker has been provided with an individual opportunity in the third Olympic event, the four-event omnium, which she will contest on Friday. 

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

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

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

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

AUSTRALIAN SCHEDULE

DATE (IN AUS)    TIME (AEDT)

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

FOLLOW

​WATCH 

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

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ENDURANCE 

• Ashlee Ankudinoff - St George CC, NSW - 2019 individual & team pursuit world champion
• Georgia Baker - Northern Districts CC, TAS - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Amy Cure - Mersey Valley Devonport CC, TAS - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Annette Edmondson - Norwood CC, SA - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Alexandra Manly - Central Districts CC, SA - 2019 points race & team pursuit world champion
• Maeve Plouffe - Port Adelaide CC, SA - World Championship debut
• Leigh Howard - Geelong CC, VIC - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Cameron Meyer - Midland CC, WA - 9-time career world champion 
• Alexander Porter - Scotch College CC, SA - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Cameron Scott - St George CC, NSW - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Samuel Welsford - Northern Beaches CC, WA - 2019 scratch & team pursuit world champion
• Luke Plapp - Brunswick CC, VIC - World Championship debut

​
Australia heads into the Championships as the defending champions in five events - men's and women's team pursuit; men's scratch, women's points race and women's individual pursuit. 

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

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

Nine-time career world champion Cameron Meyer will take on the omnium, and the Madison with Sam Welsford, while Welsford will take to the track in defence of his scratch race world title. 

SCHEDULE - DATE (IN AUS); TIME (AEDT)

Thurs 27/2 430am - 8am

• W - Scratch 10km    Alexandra Manly
• W - Team Sprint    Stephanie Morton/Kaarle McCulloch
• M - Team Sprint    Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson, Thomas Cornish
• M & W Team Pursuit    Qualifying 11pm AEDT

    
Fri 28/2  430am - 730am

• M - Team Pursuit   Leigh Howard, Sam Welsford, Cameron Scott, Alexander Porter
• M -  Scratch 15km    Sam Welsford 
• M - Keirin   NA
• W - Team Pursuit   Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Annette Edmondson, Maeve Plouffe
• W - Sprint   Qualifying 1230am 

    
Sat 29/2   430am - 815am

• M - Points race 40km   TBC
• M -  Kilometre Time Trial   Cameron Scott, Alexander Porter
• M - Individual Pursuit    Luke Plapp
• W - Omnium    Georgia Baker
• W - Sprint    Stephanie Morton; Kaarle McCulloch

    
Sun 1/3   230am - 6am

• W - 500m Time Trial    Kaarle McCulloch
• W -  Madison 30km    Annette Edmondson/Amy Cure
• W - Individual pursuit    Ashlee Ankudinoff; Maeve Plouffe
• M - Omnium    Cameron Meyer
• M - Sprint    Qualifying 9pm 

    
Mon 2/3   12am-3am

• W - Points Race 25km    Alexandra Manly
• M -  Madison 50km    Cameron Meyer/Sam Welsford 
• W - Keirin    Stephanie Morton
• M - Sprint    Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson

​​WATCH 

Live on FOXSPORTS Australia Channel 506

FOLLOW 

#AusCyclingTeam 

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#Berlin2020

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While she has established herself as one of the masters of women’s sprinting over the past four years, Morton taps into knowledge gained while racing as an apprentice under Anna Meares at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. 

“It is a different experience leading into these Games, ahead of Rio I was the new kid on the block with Anna (Meares) who had all that experience and four years later I am one of the more experienced ones,” said Morton, who awaits the Australian Olympic Team announcement scheduled for March 18. 

“But I think that is why I feel like I am in such a good place because there are no unknowns for me. 

“I can take comfort and confidence knowing I have done this before, I know what the emotions are, what my body does, and that experience is what I am banking on.” 

Morton and McCulloch will take on the team sprint on Wednesday’s opening day of competition. The women’s sprinters will be in action across all five days with Morton to also contest the individual sprint and keirin.  McCulloch will race the team sprint, individual sprint and 500m time trial. 

And they will do so on the team’s soon to be launched new Argon and Zipp bikes. 

“Argon and Zipp have produced a great new bike. The transition has been really straightforward as it can be quite daunting to change so close to Worlds and the Games,” said Morton. “But it is a great bike, a fast bike, and looking forward to christening it in Berlin.”

#Berlin2020

🌈 Track Cycling World Championships 2020 Berlin
🗓 February 26 - March 1
🇦🇺 Team Australia

The Australian Cycling Team has finished third on the medal tally at the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships held in Milton, Canada, January 30 to February 2. 

The Australian Team's eight athletes won a total of eight gold, one silver and one bronze, with powerhouse China the only nation to win more gold with nine. Only China (21), Great Britain (14) and the USA (12) won more total medals.

Triple rainbows for Emily Petricola (VIC), dual crowns for Amanda Reid (NSW), and gold to Paige Greco (SA), David Nicholas (QLD) and Alistair Donohoe (VIC) highlighted the Championships.

"I am very pleased from the solid performances from the targeted group of athletes we selected," said Warren McDonald, Para-cycling Technical Director, Cycling Australia. 

"To finish so high on the medal table, while competing against teams over twice our size, is a testament to the hard work and commitment from all of our athletes and staff. 

"While we recognise there is still work to be done, I am confident the athletes and the high-performance team behind them are on a trajectory for a successful campaign at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games."

Medals (8 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
​

• Emily Petricola (VIC) C4 - Gold individual pursuit, scratch race, omnium
• Amanda Reid (NSW) C2 - Gold time trial, omnium 
• David Nicholas (QLD) C3 - Gold individual pursuit 
• Alistair Donohoe (VIC) C5 - Gold scratch race 
• Paige Greco (SA) C3 - Gold individual pursuit 
• Meg Lemon (SA) C4 - Silver individual pursuit
• Gordon Allan (NSW) C2 - Bronze time trial

Event Summaries

Head to https://www.australiancyclingteam.com/2020paratrackworlds.html 

#Milton2020 🌈 Day 1 | Paige Greco and ‪David Nicholas defended their individual pursuit world titles on the opening day of the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships to be held from 30 January to 2 February. 

Paige Greco (SA) staged a sensational comeback inside the final few hundred metres of her C3 3000m final to defend her world title. 

The fastest qualifier in the morning session (4:02.474), Greco, 22, found herself down by nearly three seconds at the halfway mark in her final against Clara Brown (USA). The reigning world champion was not fazed by the deficit however as she controlled her to peg back Brown’s lead with five hundred metres remaining. 

Greco then powered over the final two laps to win by more than four seconds, with her stunning time of 4mins 0.243secs just two-tenths of a second outside of her own world record set one year ago at the World Championships in Apeldoorn. 

"I was happy with the overall result of the day," said Greco. "I worried myself a little in the final when I was down a few seconds but thankfully had it in my legs to bring it home in the last two laps. I’m very happy I was able to defend my title in the individual pursuit."

‪David Nicholas (QLD) claimed a fourth straight individual pursuit rainbow jersey and sixth career track world title after winning the C3 event. 

Nicholas (3:29.700) recorded the fastest time of qualifying, just two-tenths of a second ahead of Great Britain’s Jaco Van Gass which set up an exciting clash for gold. 

In the 3000m final, Van Gass rocketed to a lead of one second after the first two of twelve laps, before extending his lead to nearly two seconds at the halfway mark.

In a fitting finale to end the opening day’s schedule, Nicholas grabbed the lead on the final lap and showed his class by racing to the gold by half a second (3:28.764).

"I felt good coming into this World Championships. I had no expectations after a minor set back following a crash at the World Cup in Brisbane in December. I felt really relaxed heading to the start line and was happy I performed well," said Nicholas. "It was a tough final to back up against Jaco Van Gass, but I managed to squeeze everything out of myself and luckily get there in the last two laps."

Defending world champion Darren Hicks (SA) was edged off the podium in a scorching C2 3000m pursuit competition which saw the world record smashed in qualifying by eventual gold medallist Ewoud Vromant of Belgium. 

As he continues his comeback to racing following an injury which forced him out of the Road Nationals earlier this month, Hicks looked strong as he clocked the third-fastest time (3:39.276) in afternoon qualifying. 

In the final against Guihua Liang (CHN), Hicks held the lead at the 2000m mark before Liang took the lead inside the second last lap and the bronze which sent Hicks into fourth overall (3:42.718). 

In the time trials, Emily Petricola (VIC) (38.799) finished just two tenths off a second off the podium in fourth in the Women C4 500m Time Trial, while Meg Lemon (SA) was seventh (40.983). Canada’s Kate O’Brien won gold in world record time (35.223). 

Alistair Donohoe (VIC) was 15th (1:08.118) in the Men C5 Kilo Time Trial final. 

Follow #Milton2020 

• www.2020uciparatrack.com 
• Results https://tracktiming.live/eventpage.php?EventId=2003 
• Live Streaming via uci.org or https://www.flobikes.com/ 

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Australian Team for 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships 

Athlete (State) Classification

• Gordon Allan (NSW) C2 - 2019 World Championship medalist
• Alistair Donohoe (VIC) C5 - 2019 individual pursuit & scratch race world champion
• Paige Greco (SA) C3 - 2019 individual pursuit & time trial world champion (dual world record holder)
• Darren Hicks (SA) C2 - 2019 individual pursuit world champion
• Meg Lemon (SA) C4 - dual 2019 World Championship medalist
• David Nicholas (QLD) C3 - 2019 individual pursuit & scratch race world champion
• Emily Petricola (VIC) C4 - 2019 individual pursuit world champion (world record holder)
• Amanda Reid (NSW) C2 - 2019 time trial world champion (world record holder)