 Credit Casey Gisbon Chasing a third rainbow jersey of the week following his sensational victories in the team pursuit and scratch races on Thursday, Perth’s Sam Welsford’s shot at triple glory in Poland came unstuck at the hands- and feet- of a fallen opponent.
Opening his account with a second place in the scratch race, Welsford’s campaign literally hit a speed bump when he crashed into a falling Dutch rider midway through the second event, the tempo race. The tough as nails Welsford, rejoined the race sporting scrapes, bruises and a ripped skinsuit, and would eventually finish a gallant eleventh which moved him to fifth overall. Feeling the effects of the crash, Welsford took an earlier than expected exit from the elimination race, with fifteenth place dropping him to ninth overall and thirty points from the lead heading into the final event, the points race. Despite his best efforts, Welsford was unable to move up the rankings in a punishing 120-lap race that was won by New Zealand’s Ethan Hayter.
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 Credit Casey Gisbon Two days after claiming the team sprint world title, Sydney’s Kaarle McCulloch broke through her for maiden individual World Championship medal with bronze in the 500m time trial.
McCulloch, 31, bolted from the gates to set a personal best time of 33.556secs (averaging 54.54km/h) and the second fastest ride of the afternoon qualifying session. The 2018 Commonwealth champion then bettered her time in the final by a further tenth of a second (33.419) which secured her first podium appearance in an individual event. “I couldn’t have done anything more execution-wise tonight. I knew the rest of the girls would be even faster in the final, and they were, as was I. So to get that bronze medal is just an amazing feeling,” said McCulloch, who completed the set of medals for the women’s sprint team in Poland, with her bronze adding to the team sprint rainbow jersey and Morton’s sprint silver. McCulloch, who won her first of four career world titles on this very Polish Velodrome in 2009, is in vintage form with World Championship, World Cup and Commonwealth gold, plus personal and Australian record times in all timed events within the past twelve months. “That old saying that age is just a number I think is really true. I feel for me I have grown a lot over the last ten years. I was that athlete who was a little bit anxious and nervous and it has taken me a little time to understand how I work, and myself a little more. “Things are starting to come together. I still feel like I have some improvement left in me which is the most important thing. And I am still enjoying it, which is the main reason I ride my bike. You have to love what you do and I absolutely love it.“ McCulloch’s 2019 World Championships campaign continues on the final day of competition with the keirin where she will be joined by Stephanie Morton. “Keirin tomorrow, it is the Olympic format which is a few more races than usual which suits me. I will see what I can do, the sprint and team sprint is more my focus, but you never know what can happen in the keirin so we will see."  Credit Casey Gisbon Team pursuit world champions Amy Cure and Georgia Baker teamed to win the silver medal in a thrilling women’s Madison final.
“It was a pretty full on race, right from the get-go it was on. There were many crashes out there, but Amy stayed safe, riding the front of the race as much as we could,” said Baker. The Tasmanian duo took maximum points in the opening sprint of the 120-lap race (which featured twelve sprints), before the powerhouse Netherlands pairing of Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters put claim to multiple sprint wins and a 13 point lead at the halfway mark. After winning the seventh sprint, the Australians moved back into second place, before the race was stopped by officials to enable a rider from New Zealand to receive medical attention after crashing. “After the crash, Jason just got us together for a chat, and we were really positive,” said Baker. “When the race restarted, we knew we had to retake control of it, we knew we had the legs we just needed to hold the front position and set up the sprints for each other.” The pair did just that, taking maximum points in both the ninth and the tenth sprints to move closer to top of the standings. Despite Cure throwing everything at the final sprint, the Australians would finish just two points shy of the Dutch who took the rainbow jersey. “It was great out there, quite hectic, definitely had our heart rates up,” said Cure, who claimed bronze in 2017 with Alexandra Manly in the first women’s Madison held at a World Championships. “We made a few mistakes out there, and it is great to see how well we went with the mistakes we did make, it is a promising sign moving forward towards Tokyo. “It has been a great week, we came here with a goal to ride a certain (team pursuit) time and to achieve that and pull on the rainbow stripes was pretty special. "We would have loved to get double gold, but we have to look at what we have achieved and not be disappointed. We have come so far and to get gold and silver... we are both so proud.” 
Credit Casey Gisbon
Forty-eight hours after soaring to the team pursuit world title, Sydney’s Ashlee Ankudinoff produced a stirring victory in the individual pursuit.
“It is pretty surreal, normally I have been up on the top step with some teammates- that was a very special moment” said Ankudinoff, who shared the podium with Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Georgia Baker (TAS) after winning the team pursuit event on Wednesday. “I have wanted this individual pursuit world title for a very long time, and I am speechless at the moment. “I am sure it will sink in the next couple of days, for the moment I am just soaking it all up because it is a moment I never want to forget.” A two-time World Championship medallist in the three-kilometre individual race against the clock, Ankudinoff scorched the track with a new Australian record of 3:25.921 in her Saturday afternoon qualifying ride. In the evening’s final against Lisa Brennauer (GER), Ankudinoff lead at every time check of the 12-lap race to produce a near carbon copy of her qualifying ride with a time of 3:25.971, averaging 51.67km/h “Jason just put me on a schedule, and I went out and did my thing,” Ankudinoff said. “I just really broke the ride down, made sure I executed all my skills, and I knew if I did that correctly, I knew I could do something special.” The win is a crowning achievement for the veteran Ankudinoff who claimed the 2008 junior world title in the event before making her elite national team debut one year later at the same Pruszkow Velodrome in Poland. Earlier this week she became the only Australian to have won three team pursuit world titles before finally grabbing individual glory. “It is a long time- ten years- some people will ask what keeps me going because I have been in the sport for quite a long time at the top level,” the 2016 Olympian said. “But I am in a great environment, I have a great group of girls, and I work with great people, and that motivates me to reach my goals. “This is very special, but I haven’t reached all my goals yet, and the ultimate is gold in Tokyo 2020 and that is what I am aiming for.” While happy to celebrate her individual glory, Ankudinoff was quick to praise the Australian Cycling Team staff. “I knew we would do something special this week; I think all the results here stems from behind the scenes hard work. I think we have the easy job as riders going out there on the track just doing our thing. “A lot of behind the scenes work happens and credit to all the support staff here and back at home. It is a privilege to work with them.  Cam Scott powering through the time trial. Image: Casey Gisbon Just 24 hours after stunning the track cycling world by obliterating the team pursuit world record, Alex Porter, Kelland O’Brien and Cameron Scott shelved their rainbow jerseys to contest Friday’s schedule.
Debutant Scott clocked a personal best of 1mins 0.790secs for the four-lap time trial, the fifth fastest of the afternoon’s qualifying session. Scott emphasised his claim to be among the best in the world in the final with his 1min 1.048secs placing him fifth overall. After teaming with O’Brien, Leigh Howard and Sam Welsford to post the new world mark of 3mins 48.012secs in the four-kilometre team pursuit, Porter took on the individual event over the same distance, finishing fourteenth (4:25.562). In a punishing 160-lap points race, O’Brien pounced to take a solo lap and with it twenty points to move into third overall after forty laps. A sate of attacks ensued over the next eighty laps, and with half the field lapping the field at some point. O’Brien took another solo lap inside the final fifty laps to move into the bronze medal position, however, his opponents responded and his advantage quickly absorbed over the final twenty laps, before he finished a gallant seventh overall.  image via Casey Gibson In just her fifth international competition in the new four-race format, Annette Edmondson finished fifth in the women’s omnium.
The South Australian opened her campaign with a controlled second place in the scratch race before a tenth place in the tempo race placed fourth overall at the halfway mark of the competition. Edmondson’s run at the podium took a dent after finishing fourteenth in the elimination race which dropped her down to sixth overall, twenty-eight points reigning world champion Kirsten Wild (NED) heading into the final event, the points race. Early in the 80-lap race, Edmondson dropped to seventh however she launched herself midway through the race into medal contention after taking a solo lap and with it twenty bonus points. Despite her best efforts in the final thirty laps, Edmondson could not gain an advantage on the four riders ahead of her and finished fifth overall, just five points off the bronze medal. “I would have liked to have had a different result today, but I made a big mistake, and there was nothing I could do about it,” said Edmondson, referring to her elimination race result. “But you just have to put your head back on and think about the last race to come and how to change the result. “I had to do something in the points race, I managed to take a lap, but in the end, it took it out of me. I gave it everything I could and fifth was the best I could manage on the day.” The 2012 Olympic medallist and 2015 world champion in the now-defunct six-race format, Edmondson is still finding her feet in the four-race program. “I like that it is in one day, but I am still getting used to it and there is still a lot to learn of the new format,” said Edmondson, who took gold at the World Cup in New Zealand in January. “I need to get better at the tempo race, so it wasn’t like I had a perfect race other than the elimination race today. “But practice makes perfect and I will have a lot more opportunities out there before the big one in Tokyo. “Yes, it is disappointing today, but it makes you hungrier.” 
Photo © Casey Gibson
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.”  Photo © Casey Gibson 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.  Photo © Casey Gibson Moments after cheering their male counterparts to team pursuit glory, Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Georgia Baker (TAS) completed the prestigious double by claiming the women’s crown.
Fastest qualifiers on Wednesday (4:14.915), the quartet subbed in Alexandra Manly - who celebrated her twenty-third birthday on Thursday - in place of Edmondson for their first-round clash with Italy. A malfunction in the Australian starting gate, followed by a false start by the Italians, failed to rattle the Australians as they soared into the final with a stunning win in 4mins 13.913secs. Edmondson returned for the final and the Australian quartet pounced on the British outfit from the gate, establishing a lead of half a second after one kilometre. In a tight tussle, the margin remained under one second for the entirety of the 16-lap race, with the Australians holding off a late fightback to win in a time of 4mins 14.333secs (averaging 56.619km/h), two-tenths of a second ahead of Great Britain (4:14.537). “It still hasn’t sunk in, we always believed we could do it,” said Edmondson, who shared in the 2015 world title with Cure and Ankudinoff. “We’ve got a great team vibe at the moment, everyone is really positive and really relaxed coming in and in a good mental space, so when you see your teammates doing well you do the same! “We did all we could out there and we’rereally happy to be world champions!” Georgia Baker was ecstatic to claim her maiden elite world crown. “We put three really strong rides together, we’re so happy to be world champions,” Baker said. “At the moment I am struggling for words I am so proud and happy be in the rainbows. We have worked super hard, not just us but also Macey and Kristina back at home. They deserve every bit of this too.” Fellow Tasmanian Amy Cure was overcome with emotion following the win, her second after winning in 2015. “It is so great to be able to share this moment with these girls, it has been a bit of a roller coaster year, so it’s great to be able to pull on the rainbows now and do it with this group.” For Ankudinoff, she becomes the first Australian woman to win three career team pursuit world crown after claiming the 2010 (with Tomic and Kent) and 2015 crowns (with Edmondson, Cure and Hoskins). “It has been a couple of years since we have been on the top step. This is definitely special to share it with the four other girls plus two at home, it is a very special moment and I will never forget this,” Ankudinoff said. Celebrating her twenty-third birthday on Thursday, Alex Manly received the best present from her teammates as she cheered trackside during the final. “Super special to share it with these girls, it is awesome. They gave me chocolates this morning but I think this present is a lot better,” Manly said. After recording his first World Championship victory at the helm of the women’s track endurance program, a visibly emotional Jason Bartram lauded praise on the Australian Cycling Team. “It means a lot, it really means a lot,” Bartram said. “I’m proud of the girls and we put everything into this. “To see it come across and see those girls get what they work for every day means everything. “The staff support we have is unreal, everyone chips in their little bit and plays their role and contributes to great performances. I could try and say names, but I hope everyone who has been a part of this along the way knows they are important and matter.” 
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
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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
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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.” 
Photo - Guy Swarbrick
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
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Photo Guy Swarbrick
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
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2019 UCI Track World Championships - Poland 
Photo - Guy Swarbrick
In ominous words for her rivals, dual 2015 world champion Annette Edmondson has revealed she has rediscovered her love for track cycling as she embarks on her 2019 UCI Track World championships campaign.
“I found that spark again, a spark I haven't had for a long time and I'm really excited to be back,” said Edmondson, who last represented Australia at a UCI Track World Championships in 2016 after taking time away from the track post the Rio Olympic Games and hitting the road scene. “It’s awesome (to be back), there aren’t many opportunities to represent your country at the World Championships. “It’s been three years since I’ve been there, I decided I wanted to come back after I was a little bit jealous while my teammates were racing at the World Championships.” Australia’s women’s endurance squad for Poland’s World Championships is comprised of Edmondson and fellow 2018 Commonwealth Games team pursuit gold medallists in Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS) and Alexandra Manly (SA). Georgia Baker (TAS) rounds out the quintet.
Edmondson will line up in two events in Poland, the team pursuit and the omnium, the two events in which she boasts rainbow jerseys from 2015. At the World Cup in New Zealand last month, and in what was just her second competition in the new four-race omnium format, Edmondson won gold.
“It’s my third omnium in the new format so it’s an awesome opportunity to race against some of the best in the world,” said Edmondson who took her world title and Olympic medal in the now-defunct six-race format. “While it was great to get a win in New Zealand I definitely didn't get to race against everybody that I wanted to so I’m really excited to see where I’m at when against all of the strong hitters at Worlds.” Like all events, however, the focus will be on the team pursuit event which gets underway on the opening day of competition, with Edmondson’s excited about the team’s prospects following a number of changes at the Australian Cycling Team Headquarters in Adelaide. “We’ve changed a few things in the last couple of months at training and we’re joining in with the boys, we’ve got a lot more staff on board and we’re noticing a big difference because there’s a lot more attention to detail,” explained Edmondson. “It’s a good shift and a positive move forward and we’re looking forward to seeing the changes. “We’ve got seven super strong girls at the moment, it’s awesome to see strength coming through as well so we are all in a very good place leading into the next year going into Tokyo.” 
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.
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2019 UCI Track World Championships - Poland 
Photo - Guy Swarbrick
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
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2019 UCI Track World Championships - Poland 
With the Olympic debut of BMX Freestyle Park now less than 18 months away, Australia’s Logan Martin and Brandon Loupos have ramped up their preparations with a visit to the Australian Cycling Team Headquarters in Adelaide.
Having delivered the BMX High-Performance Program within Australia over the last twelve years as recognised by the Australian Olympic Committee and the UCI, Cycling Australia recently introduced a number of changes within its 2020-24 High-Performance Strategy. In addition to solidifying the BMX Supercross program, a select number of BMX Freestyle Park athletes were identified as medal potentials and subsequently are now supported by individual scholarships. BMX Freestyle Park, which makes its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, is an adrenaline-fuelled mix of tricks and jumps taking place over a series of ramps and large obstacles within a 30mx50m park. Athletes complete two one-minute runs each, with judges scoring on difficulty, originality, style, flow, risk, height and execution of tricks. Australia’s athletes have excelled in the format in recent years with Logan Martin, claiming the inaugural World Championships in 2017, while Brandon Loupos won World Championships bronze in 2018. The pair has medalled at numerous World Cup events over the past few seasons, while also standout performers on the lucrative X-Games circuit.
Along with Australian Cycling Team BMX Technical Director Wade Bootes, Martin and Loupos visited the Australian Cycling Team training base in Adelaide to meet performance coaching, support and operational staff.
The visit included one on one meetings with Strength And Power Coach Scott Baker, Nutritionist Jill Leckey, and Team Doctor Mark Fisher. Martin and Loupos also swapped their BMX bikes for Argon track bikes for a track session with sprint world champion Matthew Glaetzer, while also working out in the gym with the men’s track endurance squad. For Martin, the visit was a realisation of the high-quality resources and support network available to all Australian Cycling Team athletes. “It is super cool to catch up on knowledge and experience this place has to offer, we've certainly got all the resources we need to be at the top of our games,” said Martin. “We have an exciting journey ahead over the next 16 months, and we will be keeping in contact to ensure I can stay at my peak performance.” 
Loupos was equally taken back by the welcome into the program and the wider cycling Australian Cycling Team family.
“This place speaks for itself, the gym and athletes are great, a great positive vibe,” echoed Loupos. “I was welcomed by all the great staff, meeting all the track guys was a cool experience. “As we move towards Tokyo, it is only going to get better and more positive and breed success.” 
Australian Cycling Team BMX Technical Director Wade Bootes is excited about the difference the support network will have on the athletes as they fine-tune their Olympic preparations.
“It is a great opportunity to have the freestyle guys here at the Australian Cycling Team training facility in Adelaide, to see the support network and different aspects that will make a difference to them in competition,” Bootes said. “We look forward to exploring different things, going deeper and focussing what each athlete needs going into Tokyo.” 
 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
Sprint
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2019 UCI Track World Championships 
Photo - Guy Swarbrick
The Australian Cycling Team has been crowned overall 2018/19 UCI World Cup winners following an emphatic final World Cup round held at the Hong Kong Velodrome.
Australia claimed three gold, three silver and two bronze across the three days, highlighted by dual gold to Thomas Clarke, 23, in the sprint and team sprint with teenagers James Brister, 19, and Matthew Richardson, 19, plus omnium gold to Cameron Meyer. Overall across the six-round World Cup series, Australia won 34 medals including 13 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze. “It is a great team effort, a mixture of committed athletes, committed staff, everyone working together, I think it is a great thing to celebrate,” said Jon Norfolk, Head of Performance Pathways and People, Cycling Australia. “Across this season we witnessed great results and performances from athletes within the Podium program and the Podium Potential Academy. It is so great to have two separate tiers of our program able to perform on this kind of stage, to be able to refine and improve. “It is also great to see both programs supporting each other as well, we have podium athletes supporting our younger athletes, and in turn, they are being inspired by racing and training with their heroes. “It is a really infectious environment.”
RECAPS:
Sunday Forty-eight hours after teaming winning gold in the team sprint, Podium Potential Academy members Thomas Clarke, 23, and James Brister, 19, battled each other for gold in the individual sprint with Clarke taking the top step of the podium. In a heartbreaking end to the men’s 30km Madison, Sam Welsford, 23, and Kelland O’Brien, 20, were edged into the silver medal position by New Zealand in the final sprint of the 120-lap race. Alexandra Manly staged an epic comeback inside the final twenty laps of the points race to win bronze in women’s omnium. Teenage debutant Alexandra Martin-Wallace shone in the scratch race, coming over the top of a fast finishing bunch to win silver. Read full Sunday report Saturday A calculated performance from Cameron Meyer, saw the 31-year-old claim an emphatic gold in his first international omnium competition. In her first race at the World Cup level since 2016 after suffering a broken foot and chronic back injuries, Caitlin Ward, 24, netted her best World Cup performance finishing eighth with a competition personal best 11.022seconds in the flying 200m. Read full Omnium & Women's Sprint report Friday The Australian Cycling Team’s Podium Potential Academy riders stole the show on the opening day of competition with teenagers James Brister, 19, and Matthew Richardson, 19, bolting from the gates on their World Cup debut, with Thomas Clarke, 23, to win gold in the men’s team sprint. In the team pursuit, the teenage quartet of Jarrad Drizners, 19, Godfrey Slattery, 18 Conor Leahy, 19, and Luke Plapp, 18, won bronze in just their second World Cup event. The women’s endurance quartet of Maeve Plouffe, 19, Alexandra Manly, 22, and World Cup debutantsAlexandra Martin-Wallace and Sophie Edwards, both 18, finished fifth overall. Read full Team Pursuit & Team Sprint reports  Photos - Guy Swarbrick The Australian Cycling Team claimed three gold, three silver and two bronze at the final 2018/19 UCI World Cup round held at the Hong Kong Velodrome 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. Forty-eight hours after teaming winning gold in the team sprint, Podium Potential Academy members Thomas Clarke, 23, and James Brister, 19, faced off for gold in the individual sprint. Fifth fastest qualifier Brister (9.925) and seventh fastest Clarke (9.979) made their way unscathed through the rounds, with teenage Brister accounting for three-time sprint world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Theo Bos (NED) in the quarterfinals in straight heats. Clarke took care of Nicholas Paul (TTO) also in two rides. Brister and Clarke then set up the all Aussie final with two strong straight-heat semifinal victories over Chao Xu (CHN) and Quentin Caleyron (FRA) respectively. In the final, Clarke proved too good on the day for his younger opponent in straight heats. The win made it five gold from six events in the men’s sprint across the World Cup season after Matthew Glaetzer won the first three rounds and Nathan Hart collected gold in round five. “Honestly I don’t think it has sunk in, I still can’t believe it. I woke up this morning with no expectations apart form coming here qualifying the best I can and having a race,” said Clarke, who also won team sprint silver last week in New Zealand in round five of the World Cup. “I took it one race at a time, had a few close calls to make it through and then couldn’t believe it when James and I both made the gold medal ride off. “At that point, either way, however it finished I was just proud of our team and what we have achieved this week.”  Photos - Guy Swarbrick In a heartbreaking end the men’s 30km Madison, Sam Welsford and Kelland O’Brien were edged into the silver medal position by New Zealand in the final sprint of the 120-lap race. The Aussie pair set the pace early, claiming the race lead after the second sprint. However, France and New Zealand surged to take the lead over the Australians at the halfway mark. With dual Madison world champion Cameron Meyer calling the shots from the sidelines, the Australians pounced inside the final forty laps to take a lap on the field, and with the twenty bonus points, they regained the race lead. A litany of attacks ensued in an animated final thirty laps, with New Zealand stealing the win on the final sprint, leapfrogging the Australians onto the top step of the podium. “It was pretty hard out there, we knew we had to be on our game,” said Welsford. “We knew we had to score early and take a late lap if we needed and we did that. But we just got caught behind a few riders and missed out on that final sprint.”  Photos - Guy Swarbrick Alexandra Manly staged an epic comeback inside the final twenty laps of the points race to win bronze in women’s omnium.
It wasn’t an ideal start to the four-event omnium for Manly after finishing fifteenth in the scratch race. However second in the tempo and fifth in the elimination placed her in sight of the podium heading into her favourite event, the 80-lap points race. Trailing third place by nineteen points, Manly took a solo lap inside the final twenty laps which launched her into third and onto the podium. “I had a bad scratch race, so I knew I had to have a good points race and use my strengths,” said Manly. “With twenty laps to go I knew it was my last opportunity, so I went as deep as I could because I knew if I did I was guaranteed to win a medal. It was a major fight, but I got there.” The result continues Manly’s return to competition after breaking her shoulder late in 2018. “For me, it was important for my confidence as it has been two months of solid training, so it was nice to get used to the bunch again and it was pretty nice to come away with the medal.” Teenage debutant Alexandra Martin-Wallace shone in the scratch race, coming over the top of a fast finishing bunch to win silver. “I am really happy, certainly wasn’t expecting a medal going into the event,” said Martin-Wallace after her third event of her maiden World Cup. Martin-Wallace finished fifth in the team pursuit on day one and with Maeve Plouffe, was stoic in an intense Madison contest on day two. “I was so nervous, my goal was to just get as much experience as I could, got some wise words before the race from my coach Rohan Wight, and I am just over the moon with the result.” Podium Potential Academy member Caitlin Ward continued her strong weekend form with seventh overall in the women’s keirin. In her first World Cup event in three years, Ward also collected a competition personal best 11.022seconds in the flying 200m and eighth in the women’s sprint. The UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong was the sixth and final for the 2018/19 season. The 2019 UCI Track World Championships will be held in Poland from February 27. 
Photos Guy Swarbrick
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." 
Photos Guy Swarbrick
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 
Photo Guy Swarbrick
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.” 
Photo Guy Swarbrick
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.
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Video - PPA chat ahead of Hong Kong Nathan Hart wins sprint gold - Photo Guy Swarbrick Gold to Nathan Hart and Annette Edmondson headlined the Australia Cycling Team’s campaign at the penultimate round of the UCI Tissot Track World Cup season in New Zealand at the weekend. A stalwart as first-wheel in Australia's team sprint outfit for the best part of the decade, Nathan Hartcelebrated alone atop the podium with a memorable sprint victory. Qualifying second fastest, Hart moved through the rounds with wins over Poland’s Maciej Bielecki, Japan’s Tomohiro Fukaya and France’s Sebastien Vigier. In the final, Hart was too good for Poland’s Mateusz Rudyk, taking his first Tissot Track World Cup individual gold in straight heats. “It feels great to have raced to my first World Cup gold medal, it has been a while since my last win, so it's that little bit sweeter,” said Canberra’s Hart, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games representative in the team format. “My Mum and Dad made the trip over to Cambridge and were watching from the stands, so it was special for them to be there to watch, after all the support they have provided over the many years. “To also win the Silver in the Team Sprint with Jacob and Tom, it has been a successful World Cup round.” On day one, Hart teamed with Jacob Schmid and Thomas Clarke to win silver in the team sprint, Australia’s first medal of the round. The trio qualified third fastest (43.853) before defeating Japan in the first round in a time of 43.263secs which sent them into the gold medal final against three-time world champion New Zealand. There, the home team was too strong (43.121) for the Aussie trio (43.734). “This is really special as it is my first World Cup medal, and to make it even better being able to share it with Nathan and Jacob made it really a night I won't forget for a while,” said Podium Potential Academy member Clarke who was a late replacement for Pat Constable who was unable to race due to injuries sustained at the Track Down Under in Adelaide on January 11. “I felt for Pat missing out due to injury. It is not how you want to be selected for any team. I knew that stepping in for Pat was always going to be a difficult job as they have been smashing training back home and as a team have created some great chemistry in executing their team sprints.”  Nettie Edmondson wins omnium gold - Photo Guy Swarbrick 2015 world champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Annette Edmondson returned to the top step of the omnium podium with a controlled victory in the women’s event. Edmondson opened her account in the four-race omnium with a win in the scratch race, before taking fourth in the tempo. Victory in the elimination race provided an eight-point lead heading into the final event, the points race. A controlled race from Edmondson saw her maintain her advantage over Canada’s Allison Beveridge (123pts) and Japan’s Yumi Kajihara (113pts) to take the win on 131 points. “[I’m] Delighted to get the win here, we came here to get some experience because this would only be my third omnium in the new format,” said Edmondson, who took her world title and Olympic medal in the now-defunct six-race format. “Happy to tick some boxes, test out some new plans. “The race might have been missing some of the bigger names in omnium, but the great opportunity of racing, to practice race strategies was not lost. Also, to learn to ride the final points race in the lead, that experience is hard to get at that level, so it was great to have this opportunity. “It was a nice battle at the end there, but I did feel in control and happy to take the win.” Kaarle McCulloch claimed her first individual sprint medal at a World Cup level when she claimed bronze in the women’s event. On the eve of her thirty-first birthday, McCulloch surged to a personal best time of 10.677secs in sprint qualifying, second fastest and just three-hundredths behind Hong Kong’s Wai Sze Lee. McCulloch defeated Ukraine’s Liubov Basova and the USA’s Madalyn Godby to move to the semi-finals where her run was ended by Olena Starikova (UKR). In the bronze medal final, McCulloch came back from 0-1 down against hometown hero Natasha Hansen to win the bronze. “Very very happy, to win my first ever individual sprint medal at a World Cup,” said McCulloch, who celebrated her birthday with fifth in the keirin. “I was thrilled when I got into the semis, a little disappointed how I rode it, but happy with how I bounced back in the bronze ride off to beat Natasha on her home turf.” A host of Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy riders got their first taste of international cycling when they made their World Cup debut. The all-teenage quartet of Jarrad Drizners, Godfrey Slattery, Conor Leahy and Luke Plapp qualified seventh fastest (4:02.293) in the team pursuit, before defeating Russia with a time of 3mins 56.379secs in the first round. However, the quartet just missed the medal rounds by three-tenths of a second and finished fifth overall. In other events, Drizners took a gallant fourth in the scratch race, Slattery was twelfth in the omnium, while Plapp and Drizners finished tenth in the Madison. The Academy riders now form the majority of the Australian sixteen-rider team that will line up in the final World Cup round in Hong Kong this weekend. 
Siblings Saya and Kai Sakakibara celebrated victory at the 2019 Oceania BMX Championships in Te Awamutu, New Zealand.
"I hadn't raced for three months or so, I was a bit shaky at the start, so it was nice to bring it all together in the final," said Saya who took the lead on the first turn and held it to the finish line. "Last year I missed out on the Oceania Championships because I was away overseas competing, so compete against my all time idol [Sarah Walker] and all the other amazing competitors from Australia and New Zealand it was the icing on the cake to take the win today. In a closely fought men's final, Sakakibara chased down Brandon Te Hiko (Australia) in the closing metres to take the title. "I’m very happy to begin the year with a win at the Oceanias," said Kai. "I didn’t have huge expectations as the event fell right in the middle of my off season training block, so it was great to still come away with a solid win." The pair will now head back to their training base on the Gold Coast as they begin preparations for the World Cup season which begins in April. Results | Event Website
PHOTOS Cycling Australia has confirmed selections for the final two rounds of the UCI Track World Cup season to be held in New Zealand and Hong Kong respectively, with a host of the Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy riders set for their first taste of international cycling.
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 will form the majority of the ten-rider team for Round 5 in Cambridge, New Zealand, and, in what is one of the biggest Australian teams ever selected for a World Cup, the sixteen-rider team that will line up in Hong Kong’s final round. “These World Cups will provide our Academy riders with valuable exposure to a world-class, high-performance event environment,” said Cycling Australia Head of Performance Pathways and People, Jonathan Norfolk. ”While the podium athletes are there to perform, for the Academy riders it is about learning to win and maximising the opportunity to refine their performance processes and to develop the habits and behaviours to prepare the foundation for long term success.” The men’s endurance team of Jarrad Drizners, Godfrey Slattery, Conor Leahy and Luke Plapp is eager to make their World Cup debut. “I am pretty excited to hit the world stage with the team at the World Cup,” said Leahy, who will contest both rounds with the team. “It is going to be a huge step up for me and everyone in the Academy, and I am looking forward to soaking up the environment with the team.” The women’s endurance quartet of Alexandra Martin-Wallace, Sophie Edwards, Sam De Riter and Maeve Plouffe, who made her World Cup debut last October, will contest round six in Hong Kong. “I really just want to make the most of it, gain as much from the experience, we will be looking for a really good time in the team pursuit as it is the most important for us,” said Martin-Wallace. “I love the bunch races, and I will be hoping to see where I am at when up against a World Cup field.” 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. “Pretty excited to get over there, gain from the experience, and race really well,” said Richardson. “I expect the competition will be really tough, but we need to be prepared to compete at levels like this if we want to take the next step. I will be looking to see how I cope with the pressure, to see if I handle it well, and to learn from this experience so I am ready for the next event.” Australian Cycling Team Podium members Annette Edmondson, Kaarle McCulloch, Nathan Hart, Jacob Schmid and Holly Takos will contest the fifth round in Cambridge. Cameron Meyer, Samuel Welsford and Alexandra Manly will head to Hong Kong’s final round. Australia’s leading sprinters in Stephanie Morton, who collected eight medals including four gold, and reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer who won three gold and a silver in the sprint across the first four rounds, will remain in Australia to focus on preparations for February’s World Championships. Australian Cycling Team - UCI Track World Cup Round 5 & 6 Round 5 - Cambridge - New Zealand Sprint
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