Brandon Loupos claimed the rainbow jersey, Logan Martin took silver, while Natalya Diehm moved Australia a step closer to Olympic qualification, in a dominant display by Australia in the BMX Freestyle finals at the 2019 Urban Cycling World Championships in China on Sunday. 

"It (rainbow jersey) has been my phone background for 365 days, now it is on my chest, I can't believe it. I am absolutely speechless," said Loupos, the 2018 World Championship bronze medallist. 

"It just shows you dreams can come true if you put your mind and heart to it and you just go for it."

Loupos, 26, began Sunday's final in unfortunate circumstances, crashing on a backflip attempt in his first run. However, in a stunning second run, Loupos shot to the top of the leaderboard with a double backflip, flair whip, a 1080, a 720 into a double whip transfer and cash roll, before ending with a five flair scoring 93.20 points. 

"I can't believe what is going on right now, especially after crashing in my first run. I was thinking about whether I should change my run or stay consistent for my second run," Loupos said. "But I said stick to the plan, went out there and just charged. 

"I put everything into God's hands, I asked the Lord to give me the strength to get through the second run. Thank you to the man above watching over me, not for giving me the world title, but for allowing me to finish my run fit and healthy and be able to ride again tomorrow."

'sSydney's Loupos opened the 2019 season in stunning style by recording the highest score ever recorded at a World Cup at the first round in Japan in April. In September, he claimed gold at the inaugural Urban Games in Hungary. 

"I couldn't be happier. So stoked to be standing here right now, stoked to be Australian and representing Australia," said Loupos, who is targeting a spot on the Australian team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where the discipline will make its Olympic debut.
 
"My goal is to represent my country, I feel just being there (Tokyo) would be winning, but I want to go there and not just get a medal, but win a gold medal for my country."

2017 world champion Logan Martin scored 92.90 in a clean first run to sit just behind his teammate in second. But Queensland's Martin was felled by a flat tyre in his second run, the final run of the day, which sealed the world title for Loupos. 

"I was feeling good all weekend, and during practice today I also got a flat so I had to regain my composure, get my wheel fixed and back into the zone and do the run I had planned,"said Martin, 25, the dual 2019 X Games gold medallist who also finished the 2019 FISE World Series in second overall. "I did that and it got me into second place, but in my second run, I, unfortunately, got another flat.  

"But congratulations to Brandon, it was a great result for Australia."

Queensland's Natalya Diehm, 22, launched Australia into contention for the women's competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after a stunning World Championship debut for Australia.

Diehm, finished sixth in the BMX Park Final to move Australia closer to securing a position at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

"My first run didn't go as planned, but I did my best in my second run, even though I was trying to play it safe," Diehm, who took out the 2019 Vans BMX Pro-Skate Park Series in her first international season.

Only nine women will get to contest the Freestyle competition in Tokyo, which will be comprised of two riders from the top-ranked nation, one rider from each nation ranked second to fifth, and one rider from host nation Japan. The final two spots will go to the next two best countries outside the top five at the end of qualifying in May.

"I am super happy for myself, and everyone here, and I hope this means we get a spot at the Tokyo Olympics," added Diehm. 

Martin, Loupos and Diehm will head back to Australia where they will contest the Oceania Championships in Melbourne followed by the 2019 Cycling Australia National Championships in Brisbane this December.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brisbane's Natalya Diehm will sport the Australian Team green and gold for the first time this weekend as she embarks on her maiden World Championships campaign.

The 2019 UCI Urban World Championships in Chengdu, China, will also double as a key qualifying opportunity for Diehm the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where the sport will make its debut.

Diehm, 22, who started in the sport at the age of eight years at a local skatepark on her ride home from school, only launched her international career twelve months ago.

She enters the 2019 World Championships off the back of victory in the 2019 Vans BMX Pro Cup which featured events in the USA, Australia, Germany and Mexico.

"I've had some massive highs this year like winning Vans, but coming into Worlds there's a different kind of pressure," Diehm said. "I'm just wanting to perform at my best and hope it all goes well."

Only nine women will get to contest the Tokyo 2020 Games Freestyle competition comprised of two riders from the top ranked nation, one rider from each nation ranked second to fifth, with one rider automatically qualifying from host nation Japan.

With Australia currently ranked tenth, and the World Championships one of the last key events before the qualifying ends in May, Diehm is hoping to secure as many qualifying points this weekend to Australia is one of the top two nations outside the top five.

"My goal is try and qualify for a spot in the 2020 Olympics. All I can do is my best and hopefully that gets me a spot."

As Australia's lone female competitor at the Worlds, and just one of a handful women who compete in the sport domestically, Diehm understands the challenges for women competing in the fledgling discipline.

"It has been a struggle, but when you love something so much you find a way to be able to continue. I would love to see more women in Australia get into the sport!"

Diehm will take part in qualifying on Saturday, with finals on Sunday.

2019 World Championships

The 2019 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships will take place in Chengdu, China, from 6-10 November 2019. 

Team Australia Hub australiancyclingteam.com/urbanworlds19
Championship Website www.urbanworlds.cn 
Results uci.org/uci-urban-cycling-world-championships 

ELITE MEN

• Logan Martin - Gold Coast: 2017 World Champion; Current leader - 2019 FISE World Cup Standings; Dual gold - 2019 Summer X Games; 2nd - 2019 Urban World Games
• Brandon Loupos - Sydney: Gold - 2019 Urban Games winner; Bronze - 2018 World Championships; Gold - 2019 World Cup Round 1,  2018 National Champion
• Jake Wallwork - Melbourne: Gold -2018 World Cup Round 3; 4th - 2018 World Championships: 3rd - 2018 National Championships 
• Jason Watts - Melbourne:  2019 Vans BMX Pro-Skate Park Series: 2nd - 2018 National Championships. 

ELITE WOMEN

• Natalya Diehm - Gladstone: Winner - 2019 Vans BMX Pro-Skate Park Series; 9th/13th 2019 World Cups

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

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

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

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

Read the full story here >>> ​brisbanetrackworldcup.com

Australia's Logan Martin has finished second overall in the 2019 BMX Freestyle Park World Cup Series. 

The third and final round of the International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE) World Series in Chengdu, China was cancelled due to heavy rain prior to the men's final.

With no final being held, Nakumara topped the final podium due to his semi-final score of 93.20 points, with Martin taking fourth. 

Nakumara also took the victory in the overall standings with 26.200 points, followed by 2017 world champion Martin on 24.100 and reigning world champion Justin Dowell (USA) on 23.400.

"Not a bad results with Worlds next week, I will go there and do my best there as well." said Martin. 

Martin will now switch his focus to the 2019 BMX Freestyle World Championships also to be held in Chengdu, China from November 6-10. 

The Australian Team is headlined by 2017 world champion Martin and 2018 World Championship bronze medallist Brandon Loupos.

Jake Wallwork, who finished just off the podium at the 2018 World Championships, will also line up.

Jason Watts and Natalya Diehm will make their Australian Team debuts off the back of winning the 2019 Vans BMX Pro-Skate Park Series. 

2019 World Championships

The 2019 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships will take place in Chengdu, China, from 6-10 November 2019. 

Website → www.urbanworlds.cn 
Results → https://www.uci.org/bmx-freestyle/events/uci-urban-cycling-world-championships 

ELITE MEN

• Logan Martin - Gold Coast: 2017 World Champion; Current leader - 2019 FISE World Cup Standings; Dual gold - 2019 Summer X Games; 2nd - 2019 Urban World Games
• Brandon Loupos - Sydney: Gold - 2019 Urban Games winner; Bronze - 2018 World Championships; Gold - 2019 World Cup Round 1,  2018 National Champion
• Jake Wallwork - Melbourne: Gold -2018 World Cup Round 3; 4th - 2018 World Championships: 3rd - 2018 National Championships 
• Jason Watts - Melbourne:  2019 Vans BMX Pro-Skate Park Series: 2nd - 2018 National Championships. 

ELITE WOMEN

• Natalya Diehm - Gladstone: Winner - 2019 Vans BMX Pro-Skate Park Series; 9th/13th 2019 World Cups

Follow the Australian Cycling Team - Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

A mix of world champions and rising stars make up the Australian Team set to contest round two of the 2019-20 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Glasgow from 8-10 November.

Reigning team pursuit world champion Sam Welsford will leave the pursuit bars back in Australia as he targets the bunch races in Scotland. Welsford will race the omnium and the Madison with three-time Madison world champion Leigh Howard at the Glasgow World Cup, his first trip back to the track since racing as part of the Australian Junior Team in 2013.

“Really keen to go back to Glasgow and give it a big crack, I have a busy schedule, and a bunch race focus,” said Welsford, who is looking forward to racing with Howard in the Madison. “Leigh has won countless World Championship and World Cup Madison events so to be able to draw on experience from him, I am really looking forward to that.

Howard will sport his rainbow jersey when he leads a youthful team pursuit quartet which includes Podium Potential Academy duo Conor Leahy and Godfrey Slattery, plus guest rider Joshua Duffy.

“I’m super excited, the knowledge you gain from these World Cup experiences can’t be compared to anything else,” offered Slattery, who with, Leahy, Duffy and Lucas Plapp teamed to win Oceania Championships team pursuit gold in October. “I’m really excited to be lining up alongside world champion Leah Howard in the team pursuit and I feel like we’ll learn quite a bit from his experience.”

Kristina Clonan and Macey Stewart will join Podium Potential Academy members Alexandra Martin-Wallace and Sophie Edwards in the team pursuit.

One year ago, Clonan and Stewart teamed with veterans Ashlee Ankudinoff and Georgia Baker to win team pursuit gold in the 2018-19 World Cup's opening round in France. At what will be Team Australia's opening World Cup for season 2019-20, Clonan is excited to offer her knowledge to two of Australia’s rising stars.

“It is amazing to think last year I was racing with Ash and Georgia at the World Cup in France and I was the young one. Now, Macey (Stewart) and I have Alexandra Martin-Wallace and Sophie Edwards,” said Clonan, now 21, who lauded the depth of the team’s program. “It is super exciting ahead of Glasgow, as we have been training really hard and super excited to see what we can do.

"But, with the inclusion of the Podium Potential Academy, we have huge prospects for 2020, 2024, 2028. We have plenty of cycles ahead, that’s for sure."

Martin-Wallace is eager to contest her second-career World Cup after racing the final round of last season in January.

“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s been a really big year building up to it, we’re coming together so well as a team, so I’m really excited,” said Martin-Wallace.

In the other women’s endurance events, 2015 omnium world champion Annette Edmondson will tackle the four-event omnium in addition to teaming with Georgia Baker in the Madison.

It will be an all Podium Potential Academy line up in the sprint competition with Matthew Richardson, Tom Cornish, Tom Clarke and Caitlin Ward set to race.

The Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy (PPA) Endurance riders will race in support of the Sport Australia #findyour30 campaign.

Following the Scottish round, members of the Australian Team will contest the World Cup's second round in New Zealand from December 6-8.
​
Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome will host round five the 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup from 13-15 December. ​

Team Australia for 2019-20 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Glasgow from 8-10 November

Sprint

• Matthew Richardson
• Tom Cornish
• Tom Clarke
• Caitlin Ward

Endurance

• Annette Edmondson
• Georgia Baker
• Kristina Clonan
• Macey Stewart
• Sophie Edwards
• Alexandra Martin-Wallace
• Sam Welsford
• Leigh Howard
• Conor Leahy
• Godfrey Slattery
• Joshua Duffy​​

Follow

• trackworldcup.co.uk
• facebook.com/trackworldcup
• twitter.com/trackworldcup
• instagram.com/trackworldcup
• tissottiming.com/Results

A rainbow jersey on her shoulders and a home crowd on her side has reigning world champion Kaarle McCulloch feeling like a superwoman ahead of the 2019-2020 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup to be held at Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome from 13-15 December.

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

Read more at https://brisbanetrackworldcup.com/kaarle-mcculloch/ 

Australia’s summer of track cycling begins on Friday 1 November when Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome hosts the 2020 Para-cycling Track National Championships.

Australia’s para-cycling stars will be on show including reigning world champions Alistair Donohoe (VIC), Amanda Reid (NSW), Darren Hicks (SA), David Nicholas (QLD), Emily Petricola (VIC) and Paige Greco (SA).

Victoria’s reigning C4 individual pursuit world champion and world record holder Emily Petricola is eager to get back on the track to begin the build towards Tokyo 2020. 

“I really I want to go out and have a solid performance in the pursuit and I’m keen to see how my starts go, as generally, that is my weak spot due to my impairment,” said Petricola, who will line up in the rainbow on Saturday in the individual pursuit, while also contesting three other Championship events. 

“I would really like to do a good 500 (metre time trial). I love the 500 find it really fun, and I am having a crack at the team sprint with Paige (Greco) and Amanda (Reid) which will be fun.”

Cycling Australia and Sport Australia are pleased to announce that riders from the Australian Cycling Team Podium Potential Academy (PPA) Endurance squad will race in support of the #findyour30 campaign at the 2019-20 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Glasgow from 8-10 November. 

Launched in November 2018 with an inaugural class of thirteen athletes across both endurance and sprint disciplines, the PPA programme, which is supported and part funded by Commonwealth Games Australia, focuses on the long term development of athletes orientated around success at the 2024 Olympic Games and beyond. 

The PPA Endurance riders set to contest the World Cup in Glasgow are Alexandra Martin-Wallace, Sophie Edwards, Conor Leahy and Godfrey Slattery. 

Sport Australia’s national “Find Your 30” campaign is all about encouraging every Australian to get 30 minutes of heart rate raising sport or physical activity a day to live healthier, happier and more active lives. 

Sport Australia CEO Kate Palmer said: “It’s fantastic that Cycling Australia and our incredible track cyclists are joining us to encourage all Australians to be more active.”
“We take immense pride and joy in supporting our elite athletes to win medals and become world champions, but our ultimate goal at Sport Australia is to be the world’s most active sporting nation.

“You don’t have to win a race or even compete in a race, but 30 minutes of physical activity a day can help anyone unlock more of their own potential. Collectively, that can be a game-changer for our nation’s health, economy and productivity."

Australians can get tips on how to ‘Find Your 30’ at the Sport Australia website, sportaus.gov.au. 

Cycling Australia’s Performance Director Simon Jones: “We are really excited to be in a position to promote such an inspirational campaign through the performances of these athletes. 

“Whether it be an international track competition or a walk around the block, we can all relate to and support each other in making positive decisions around our health and wellbeing.”

Riders from Australian Cycling Team Podium group in Sam Welsford, Leigh Howard, Annette Edmondson, Georgia Baker, Kristina Clonan and Macey Stewart will also contest the Glasgow round. 

Following the Scottish round, members of the Australian Team will contest the World Cup's second round in New Zealand from December 6-8.
​
Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome will host round five the 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup from 13-15 December. ​

The Australian Team opened the 2020 track season last weekend at the 2020 Oceania Track Championships in Invercargill in New Zealand. 

The Oceania Championships opened the busy 2019-20 summer of international track cycling which continues in November and December with the six-round Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup. 

Members of the Australian Team will contest the World Cup's second round in Scotland, round four in New Zealand, before a blockbuster round five on home soil at Brisbane's Anna Meares Velodrome from 13-15 December. 

"Overall these performances were good for the riders and coaches to assess how the preparation has been progressing," said Simon Jones, Performance Director, High Performance, Cycling Australia. "It is also pleasing from my perspective to see the progress from both the Podium and the Academy athletes with the World Cup season just about to start." 

Oceania Recap

Reigning scratch and team pursuit world champion Sam Welsford claimed dual gold the omnium and the Madison with Kelland O'Brien. Welsford dominated all four events in the omnium, before sealing Madison gold with victory on the double points final lap.

"The Australia and New Zealand showdown is always really intimate and personal, they throw it all at us, so they were really tough races," said Welsford. "Coming into Oceania, I had a bunch focus, targeting a couple of events like the Omnium and Madison, so to execute and nail some good results, is important for me."

Welsford will now turn his focus to a busy 2019-2020 UCI Track World Cup season in which he will contest three rounds - Scotland (November), New Zealand (December), Brisbane (December).  

"To get back on the track and set up a good season ahead is pretty vital for me," Welsford added. "I have a big World Cup season ahead, there will be a lot of racing, but I am looking forward to getting more and more accustomed to racing the World Cup races in the Madison and the omnium." 

O'Brien took silver in the 15km scratch race. 

In a dominant performance across the bunch races, Amy Cure claimed three gold at the Championships in the omnium, points race and Madison with Alexandra Manly. The three-time world champion Cure was all class on the way to winning all four events in the omnium, while in the Madison, Cure and Manly dominated the 30km final.

"I wasn't sure how I was going to go here as I've been a bit up and down lately, but I set myself up early by getting some wins, and I had a good buffer going into that points race," said Cure. "I don't mind a points race, it's always tough, but I just went in there and treated it like any other points race."

Reigning team sprint world champions Stephanie Morton and Kaarle McCulloch broke their Oceania Championship record (32.591secs) en route to gold. 
Morton then powered to gold in the sprint while Kaarle McCulloch, who posted a personal best to top sprint qualifying (10.759secs), won bronze. 

“I exceeded my expectations of where I was going to be at. I am not firing on all cylinders yet, but am ahead of where I thought I was going to be," said Morton after the Championships, her first competition since February's Track Worlds and since undergoing off-season knee surgery.  

“I haven’t raced the team sprint in a while and off the back of the surgery, I knew I didn’t have the strength and fitness traditionally I would have at Oceanias. Kaarle was great in giving me confidence in our ability as a team and it just showed that being able to work together and rely on your teammate, you will get the job done even when you’re not in the best form.”

Morton will now head back to Adelaide for six weeks of training before contesting the New Zealand (December) and Brisbane (December) rounds of the World Cup. 
“I am going to be training pretty hard leading into the World Cups as my offseason was pretty interrupted, but as per this week, I will be confident I will be able to go out there and still be competitive.

“But it is a great time to rehearse everything now, there are so many things behind the scenes that you have to get right to be a champion, whether it is nutrition or recovery, it is not just race day.” 

Nathan Hart, and Podium Potential Academy duo Matthew Richardson and Thomas Clarke, took silver in the team sprint (43.360secs) with New Zealand breaking the Oceania record (42.508) on the way to the gold medal. 
 
The Australian Cycling Team's Podium Potential Academy enjoyed strong results at the Championships with gold in the team pursuit, scratch race and individual pursuit.  
Conor Leahy, Godfrey Slattery, Lucas Plapp teamed with guest rider Joshua Duffy, to produce a dominant display to take gold in the team pursuit, catching a young New Zealand team in the final. 

"It was awesome, we had a pretty hefty goal in the way we were going to do our turns, and we stuck to it 100 percent, we couldn't have asked for a better outcome," Leahy said. "We took it conservatively in qualifying and then let it all out in the final. Once we got a sniff of them (New Zealand), it was a matter of hunting them down and catching them. 

In the women's team pursuit, Maeve Plouffe, Sam De Riter, Sophie Edwards and Alexandra Martin-Wallace (4:22.057) claimed silver. 

Plouffe's comeback following wrist surgery in July saw her grab four medals at the Championships including silver in the individual pursuit, bronze in the points race, plus a superb effort in the scratch race which saw her lap the field twice to win gold. 

"I was not expecting that at all. I had a pretty big ride with my teammates in the team pursuit earlier, and I have a pretty full schedule," said Plouffe. "Once I lapped the field, it was all about protecting myself and making sure the final sprint was perfect, and the end couldn't have gone any more perfectly."

Top qualifier Leahy took out the 4000m individual pursuit, with the Western Australian fending off New Zealand's former world champion Jordan Kerby in the final.
​
"I always tend to back up pretty hard, so I had good confidence that I could put it to Kerbs - he's a renowned IP, so I knew I had a good challenge ahead of me, but I just went out hard and tried to stick to as good a time as possible."

In the sprint, Matthew Richardson (9.797) clocked a personal best in qualifying, while Thomas Clarke (9.896) finished just off the podium in fourth.

The Australian Team wrapped up the Oceania Champs in Invercargill on the weekend with five gold medals highlighting the team's results:

• Madison - Amy Cure & Alexandra Manly - Gold
• Madison - Sam Welsford & Kell O'Brien - Gold
• Points Race - Amy Cure - Gold
• Sprint - Steph Morton - Gold
• Sprint - Kaarle McCulloch - Bronze
• Individual Pursuit - Conor Leahy - Gold
• Individual Pursuit - Maeve Plouffe - Silver
• Points Race - Maeve Plouffe - Bronze

Stephanie Morton powered to gold in the women's sprint over hometown favourite Olivia Podmore. 

"Off the back of knee surgery backing up is pretty tough so I just wanted to go out there and get the set up right and then whatever happened at the end happened, so to get the win. I'm really happy."

Kaarle McCulloch, who rode a personal best to top qualifying in 10.759secs, won bronze.

In the Madisons, Amy Cure and Alexandra Manly dominated the elite women's 30km final ahead of the New Zealand combination of Michaela Drummond and Jessie Hodges.

Kelland O'Brien and Sam Welsford won gold in the men's 40km event, sealing the win after Welsford took victory in the double points final lap.

Amy Cure made it three gold for the Championships after claiming points race gold to add to her scratch race victory earlier in the week.

Top qualifier Conor Leahy took out the elite men's 4000m individual pursuit, with the Western Australian fending off New Zealand's former world champion Jordan Kerby in the final.

"I always tend to back up pretty hard, so I had good confidence that I could put it to Kerbs - he's a renowned IP, so I knew I had a good challenge ahead of me, but I just went out hard and tried to stick to as good a time as possible."

Maeve Plouffe's comeback following wrist surgery continued with silver in the elite women's 3000m individual pursuit and bronze in the points race.

MORE

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

Dianne Manson.

Amy Cure and Sam Welsford’s omnium victories highlighted day two action at the Oceania Track Cycling Championships at Invercargill’s SIT Zero Fees Velodrome.

Three-time world champion Cure was all class on the way to winning the elite women’s omnium won the scratch race, tempo and elimination rides before comfortably accounting for the field in the points race.

“I wasn’t sure how I was going to go here as I’ve been a bit up and down lately, but I set myself up early by getting some wins and I had a good buffer going into that points race,” said Cure, the reigning team pursuit world champion and a former points race world champion. 

“I don’t mind a points race, it’s always tough but I just went in there and just treated it like any other points race.”

Like Cure, reigning scratch and team pursuit world champion Welsford dominated the elite men’s omnium, winning the first three events and then taking out the final sprint in the points race ahead of Stewart to secure victory.

Welsford was made to work by the New Zealand trio of Campbell Stewart, Regan Gough and Corbin Strong, with only nine points separating the top three riders heading into the final ten laps of the points race.

“I enjoy racing against the New Zealanders. It is always good and fair racing between us and it is really enjoyable. I was happy with my form so early in the season,” said Welsford.

In the men’s sprint, Nathan Hart (9.755) topped qualifying with Matthew Glaetzer (9.782​), Matthew Richardson (9.797) and Thomas Clarke (9.896) ensuring four Australians finished inside the top six. 

The quartet progressed to the quarterfinals where Clarke edged Glaetzer in three heats, Sam Webster (NZL) defeated Richardson and Hart’s run was ended by Jordan Castle (NZL). 

In the semi finals, Eddie Dawkins (NZL) pushed Clarke into the bronze medal ride off against Castle which the kiwi took in straight heats.

MORE

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

Aussie sprinter Matthew Glaetzer is ready to rip up the boards at Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome when it hosts the 2019-2020 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup from 13-15 December.

“This season for us is Oceanias and then the World Cups and that finalises with the Brisbane World Cup so that will be exciting for us to host a world cup and we’re excited to really rip for that one,” said 2018 sprint world champion Glaetzer.

Glaetzer will be joined by a host of the Australian Cycling Team’s best as they battle for gold and valuable qualifying points for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“Racing is the best preparation for a big event like the Olympics and the World Cup in Brisbane is exactly that,” said Glaetzer, who claimed two gold on the Anna Meares’ Velodrome at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. 

At December’s World Cup, Glaetzer is anticipated to line up in the team sprint, sprint and keirin, giving fans the opportunity to catch the world’s fastest in action each of the three days of racing. 

“It is us preparing and trying to dial in on things we need to focus on and that’s different for each person. So it’s a great dress rehearsal for us to really get in some good form and perform with the pressure of the crowd and everything going on around that.”

The World Cup

The 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup will host the world’s best track cyclists as they battle for gold and valuable qualifying points for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The 2019-2020 UCI Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup was secured by the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland in partnership with Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Marketing and Cycling Australia.

Tickets

Ticket prices start at $10 for morning sessions, while fans can get along to the evening’s finals action for as little as $30. Family and Series passes are also available so you can catch the action with your friends. 

>>> Ticket options 

Schedule

• FRI 13 DEC: Team Pursuit and Team Sprint
• SAT 14 DEC: Men’s Omnium, Women’s Madison, Men’s Keirin, Women’s Sprint
• SUN 15 DEC: Women’s Omnium, Men’s Madison, Women’s Keirin, Men’s Sprint

Follow

• brisbanetrackworldcup.com
• Facebook.com/UciWorldCupAus
• Twitter.com/UCIWorldCupAus
• Instagram.com/UCIWorldCupAus

The Australian Cycling Team has opened the 2020 Oceania Track Championships with three gold medals. 
 
​Reigning world champions Kaarle McCulloch and Stephanie Morton broke their Oceania Championship record on the way to taking out the elite women's team sprint. The pair clocked 32.591secs to fend off the challenge from the young New Zealand pairing of Olivia Podmore and Ellesse Andrew (33.540). 
 
"It definitely did go to plan tonight. I think we were both surprised by the time as we are in pretty deep training.  So to come out and do a 32.6, only four-tenths of a second off our Worlds time, it shows we are in good shape," said McCulloch. 

"Not the ideal offseason for me with knee surgery, so I had to rely on Kaarle a lot tonight to get me through. But as a team, we executed what we wanted to and put a great time on the board," said Morton. 
 
Podium Potential Academy members Conor Leahy, Godfrey Slattery, Lucas Plapp teamed with guest rider Joshua Duffy, to produce a dominant display to take gold in the elite men's team pursuit, catching a young New Zealand team in the final. 
 
"It was awesome, we had a pretty hefty goal in the way we were going to do our turns, and we stuck to it 100 percent, we couldn't have asked for a better outcome," Leahy said. "We took it conservatively in qualifying and then let it all out in the final. Once we got a sniff of them (New Zealand), it was a matter of hunting them down and catching them."
 
In the elite women's team pursuit, the Podium Potential Academy quartet of Maeve Plouffe, Sam De Riter, Sophie Edwards and Alex Martin-Wallace (4:22.057) claimed silver as New Zealand (4:19.040) won gold. 
 
Later in the session, a daring moving from Plouffe paid off when she lapped the field to win the elite women's 10km scratch race.
 
"I was not expecting that at all. I had a pretty big ride with my teammates in the team pursuit earlier, and I have a pretty full schedule," said Plouffe. "Once I lapped the field, it was all about protecting myself and making sure the final sprint was absolutely perfect, and the end couldn't have gone any more perfectly."

Nathan Hart and Podium Potential Academy duo Matthew Richardson and Thomas Clarke took silver in the men's team sprint (43.360) with New Zealand breaking the Oceania record (42.508) on the way to the gold medal. 
 
Kell O'Brien took silver in the men's 15km scratch race.

MORE

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

Australia’s Saya Sakakibara has won the ‘Ready Steady Tokyo’, the official Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games test event being staged on the BMX racing circuit.

The Japanese-born Sakakibara narrowly edged reigning world champions Alise Post on the line in front of an adoring Tokyo crowd.
​
The looming typhoon forced the consolidation of the three-day event into one day with riders running all motos, semi finals and finals on one afternoon.

“This meant extra laps for us on this very very long track,” said Sakakibara, 20. “I didn’t know how my legs would make it through the day but I think we got through. was trying to save my energy, like rolling the last straight.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Australian Team

Sprint 

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

Endurance

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

* Podium Potential Academy

Details

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

n atrocious conditions that felled the greatest cyclists in the world, Australia's Michael Matthews finished a gallant 24th in the 2019 UCI Road World Championships men's road race in Yorkshire.

‪"It was horrendous, not too many words can describe the day," said Matthews, the 2015 silver and 2017 World Championship bronze medallist who was just one of 45 finishers from 196 starters.

"It was one of those ones that winds you down. I tried to accelerate at the end, but I had nothing.

"In terms of conditions, that was the hardest race I've ever done."

The north of England saved the worst for last with the men's elite race set to live on in history as the definitive example of a “race of attrition".

Heavy rain during the night across the region forced Yorkshire 2019 organisers and the UCI to divert the 280km race away from the flooded northern section of the course.

With the diversion eliminating two key climbs in Buttertubs and Grinton Moor, while seeing an increase in the laps of the technical 14 kilometre Harrogate finishing circuit from seven to nine, pre-race team plans were changed in an instant.

An early breakaway of eleven riders was established inside the first twenty kilometres of the revised 261km battle, with the Australians controlling the pace of the peloton through dual reigning time trial world champion Rohan Dennis.

With team captain Rory Sutherland (UAE-Team Emirates) calling the shots while the entire team surrounded Matthews in an attempt to protect him from the atrocious weather, Dennis drove the pace of the peloton through horizontal rain for the next 120 kilometres.

Dennis' superb efforts reduced the breakaway's margin from two and half minutes down to ninety seconds as the race approached the Harrogate circuit. As they hit the first lap of the circuit, Dennis and Sutherland hung up their bikes for the day after a perfectly delivered team performance.

The race was quickly brought back together on the first lap and the urgent pace setting during the early Harrogate circuit laps saw riders shed from the peloton seemingly at every kilometre.. Riders who ended their race in this phase included Australians Mitchell Docker (EF Education First), Nathan Haas (Team Katusha Alpecin) and Luke Durbridge (Mitchelton-Scott).

Simon Clarke's (EF Education First) efforts came to an end on the third last lap, with Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott) the team's only remaining support rider for Matthews until he lost contact on the penultimate lap.

One of the many race favourites Mathieu van der Poel (NED) attacked with two laps to go alongside Matteo Trentin (ITA), Gianni Moscon (Italy), Mads Pedersen (NED), and Stefan Kung (SUI) and while this group appeared cohesive and capable, the main bunch began to fade.

Teams that needed to chase were fast running out of bullets, while mechanicals, exhaustion, hunger flats, hypothermia and old fashioned "getting dropped" had relentlessly whittled the riders from nearly 200 to well below 50.

Despite the lead group being just a tantalising 50 seconds up the road, the bunch struggled to get themselves coordinated, and with Trentin unable to muster a winning sprint, it was the 23-year-old Danish rider Pedersen who held his nerve and watts to take the win from Trentin and Kung.

‪"I knew it was always going to be difficult, a bit of a gamble of a race," Matthews added. "With four laps to go, when a group of five went, we didn't have any guys to go with it.

"I was trying to wait for the last two laps until I moved, but they didn't come back.

"I was wound down too much, the guys were gone, I think there was a sprint for fourth of fifth, but the race was over.

Team Director Brad McGee was proud of the team's overall campaign for the World Championships and in particular their performance on what was the most testing of days.

"One of the toughest! You saw some of the mightiest bike riders on the planet today just stopping suddenly; going from a potential performer to zero," McGee said. "Michael, gallant to the end, but just legless in the last half lap. It happened to Clarkey too; all the boys finished as if it was the hardest race they have ever done.

"I don't know how you prepare for a day like today, physically you can't do anything, mentally you have your strategy, and you are confident with that. At the end of the day, there is an element of being born and made for the mud.

"We didn't have that today. But we gave it everything we could, we stuck to the strategy, stuck together, fought until the end.

"They made the perfect adjustments according to how the race unfolded. In the end, we just didn't have the firepower to make an impact," McGee added.

PHOTOS 

By Casey Gibson

Australia's Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) claimed the bronze medal in a stunning women's road race at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire on Saturday. 

In one of the most incredible individual rides ever seen World Championship history, Dutch powerhouse Annemiek van Vleuten soloed the final 105 kilometres to claim the world champion's rainbow jersey. 

Following an epic battle in the chasing group across a punishing course, Spratt took the bronze behind 2018 world champion Anna Van der Breggen (NED). 

"That was epic. It was the hardest race I have ever done. Every part of my body was cramping, my thumb cramping in the end," said Spratt, who became the first Australian woman to claim two World Championships road race medals after winning silver in 2018. 

"I am really proud. I really feel like I have won this bronze medal."

Spratt's team of Brodie Chapman (Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank), Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon–SRAM), Lucy Kennedy (Mitchelton-Scott), Lauren Kitchen (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Chloe Hosking (Ale-Cipollini) and Jessica Allen (Mitchelton-Scott) joined 152 starters from 49 nations for the 149km race from Bradford to Harrogate.

With the early pace set by the strong eight-rider Dutch outfit, debutant  Allen and Kitchen sheltered Spratt over the first 40 kilometres as the peloton approached the first major climb of the race, 'Lofthouse'. 

It was here Van Vleuten attacked as the climb further decimated the already dwindling peloton. Spratt took up the chase in a world-class nine-rider breakaway which included 2015 world champion Lizzie Deignan (GBR), reigning Olympic and world champion van der Breggen (NED), recently crowned 2019 time trial world champion Chloé Dygert Owen (USA) and Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA). 

With little cohesion in the chasing group, the powerful Dutchwoman established a lead of two minutes as she entered Harrogate for three laps of the challenging 14-kilometre town circuit. 

"Suffer suffer suffer. It was about who could suffer the most. I predicted it would be before the race and it was," said Spratt. "The race really opened after only 45 kilometres, and it was full gas racing which doesn't really happen very often.  

"I tried to play it smart, I chose to not participate in all the attacks but conserve and save my energy for the circuits, which was the smarter move. You only had some many bullets you could fire on this circuit and be careful how to use them, so I chose to wait to use them until later."

With the chasing group exploding as it approached Harrogate, Dygert launched a solo attack on Van Vleuten's lead. Spratt and Van Der Breggen shook the rest of the peloton including Deignan and Borghini, before absorbing a fading Dygert on the penultimate lap.  
With Van Vleuten's spectacular victory nearly complete some two minutes ahead, Van der Breggen attacked Spratt inside the final six kilometres and rode to the silver just seconds ahead of Spratt. 

"Once we got to the final circuit, everyone was dropping like flies," Spratt explained. "It was attack, after attack, after attack. One rider was dropped, then the next rider, then the next. It was survival of the fittest. 

"When Chloe (Dygert) was away, we weren't sure we could get her back, but once we did, we knew we were racing for a medal. In the end, Anna (van der Breggen) was just a little too strong in those last five kilometres."

Following her second straight World Championship medal, Spratt was content with what she considered an exhaustive performance.  
​
"It was a brutal, brutal race and everyone finished with the tank completely empty," said Spratt. "There is not a lot I could have changed. Yes, you come here, and you want to win, but honestly, no one coming here today was going to beat her. 

"Sometimes you have to realise when someone is having an exceptional performance as Annemiek did today. Congratulations to her, she is a worthy world champion. She was on another level today." 

Moments after crossing the line, Spratt paid tribute to her teammates for delivering her to the crucial part of the race in position. 

"Anyone watching the race saw how amazing the team were. We knew that Lofthouse climb would be supercritical and they did a great job of looking after me and protecting to that climb where it all exploded, so I am really grateful to the team," said Spratt. 

"I am so proud of this medal, but also of the work the girls, also the staff, put in this week. It has been a really incredible feeling within the group and the whole team, all the staff and the riders, boosted all of us up this week." 

Following her second medal at the past two World Championships, Spratt reflected on her performances. 

"I have to pinch myself sometimes because I don't think of myself as of one of those riders," Spratt admitted. "But it has happened twice now.  

"I have hit my stride last two to three years, and it shows that all the hard work is really paying off. I did put a lot of pressure on myself, but I had excellent preparation. 

"I will take a lot of confidence out of this heading towards Tokyo 2020." ​

The Australian women's team is preparing for a sufferfest in Yorkshire when they tackle the 150km women's road race at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships on Saturday 28 September.  

Beginning in Bradford, riders will take in the Yorkshire Dales for 108km of testing terrain before hitting the tricky, technical Harrogate finishing circuit for three laps. Race & Course details.

The third longest race on the women's calendar for the season with almost 2,500m of climbing including an uphill run to the finish line, the women's peloton believes there will be nowhere to hide in Saturday's race. 

“I think it still just as hard as I remember, we died a thousand deaths up the the Lofthouse Climb on Wednesday in training," Spratt joked. "But that climb will be really critical  I comes early so it will be interesting to see how that affects the race as a whole.

“I think it will be on, just be a sufferfest, it’s going to be how much can you suffer on Saturday."

Spratt, the 2018 silver medallist, enters the race in stellar form and will be supported by a strong green and gold outfit of Brodie Chapman (Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank), Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon–SRAM), Lucy Kennedy (Mitchelton-Scott), Lauren Kitchen (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Chloe Hosking (Ale-Cipollini) and Jessica Allen (Mitchelton-Scott). 

“The preparation has gone really well, I am fit, I am strong, targeting this again," Spratt said. "I am excited, I think we have a great Australian team, a lot of depth and experience.

"I think everyone on the team will contribute to a great result and I am really looking forward to it."

Kennedy who was a standout while on her debut at the 2018 World Championships, is nervously excited for the unknown.

“I am preparing for the hardest race I have ever done basically, there are no easy sections on this course whatsoever," said Kennedy who has enjoyed multiple wins in 2019 including Kennedy at Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria and the San Sabastian Classic. “Watching the junior boys on Thursday, they were all on their knees.

“I am less nervous because I have done it once before, but more nervous because the 2018 course suited me better.

"It is a tricky and technical course, and I like that aspect, but there is the unknown of this course."

"It is going to be brutal, super aggressive and hopefully great to watch," said Hosking, who heads into the Championships in hot form after claiming stage wins in Italy and Spain this month. 

Team captain Tiffany Cromwell is predicting the mental challenge will prove the decisive factor on Saturday.

"It is definitely tough, we all knew that, we all expected that," Cromwell said. "It is going to be a race of attrition, a real mental race.  The person who wins on Saturday will be the strongest mentally." 

​Sixteen-year-old debutant Patrick Eddy finished twenty-first in a typically frantic junior men’s road race at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate on Thursday. 

“That was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” said Bendigo’s Eddy, who finished 19th in the junior (under 19) men’s time trial on Monday. “It was on from the start, you had to be focused the entire time.”

The pace was frantic at the start of the 144.5km race, with wind and rain pelting the 120 riders from 41 countries as they wound through the Yorkshire Dales. 

The USA, UK and New Zealand outfits set the early tempo, with the race beginning to splinter as the peloton hit the first of three major climbs, with Eddy keeping a close eye on the moves from the main bunch.  

The American duo of Quinn Simmons and Magnus Sheffield lead a five-man breakaway to a lead of 35-seconds as the race hit Harrogate for three laps of the 14-kilometre finishing circuit, with Eddy tucked inside the main peloton which had whittled down to just 30 riders. 

The Victorian continued his strong ride as the main group kept the lead quintet to within a minute, but with the race exploding across the wet Yorkshire roads, Simmons launched a decisive attack on the penultimate lap of the circuit.

Italian Alessio Martinelli went solo in pursuit of the American on the final lap, with Eddy giving his all in attempt to go with the Italian. However, the punishing race had taken its toll, with Eddy finishing a gallant twenty-first. Martinelli and Sheffield rounded out the podium. 

“The first half I was pretty stressed, I am not going to lie, but being in the right spot at the right time was the most important thing,” said Eddy. “When I got over the first climb, I was just hating life, but after that, it was the funnest thing I’ve ever done. 
​
“I was really relaxed that second half. There was a point where I knew there was a major climb coming up and I had to move up. 
“And I got there and from there I just felt amazing.”

After the race, Eddy reflected on his World Championship debut.  “The guys back at the hotel have been awesome, just to meet all of them and to be around guys like Rohan and Luke after the time trial it was an incredible experience,” Eddy added. 
​
“The staff, the coaches, the mechanics, the soigneurs have all been behind me this week and it really helped out there today.” ​

Twenty-year-old Kaden Groves (Mitchelton-Scott) is looking forward to a 'brutal' under 23 road race at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire.  

Groves arrived in Yorkshire on Tuesday ahead of Friday's 173km under 23 road race where he will team with Samuel Jenner (Team Wiggins Le Col), Liam Magennis (Drapac-Cannondale Holistic Development Team), Harry Sweeny (EvoPro Racing) and Nicholas White (Team BridgeLane)​​. 

"We have such a strong line up with a bunch of guys who can all play a role to achieve the best possible result," he explained. "We are all mates and have a great relationship having raced together either at the Tour de L’Avenir or as teammates on the past seasons.

"I think the course suits me really well, just the right amount of climbs for me and a somewhat technical finishing circuit. Obviously it's going to be a hectic race, under 23 racing is not controlled and as the biggest race of the year.

"I am expecting it to be brutal."

A latecomer to cycling in 2014, the Sunshine Coast Cycling Club cyclist claimed an Australian junior road title in less than two years later, before putting himself on the radar of international teams with a stage win in China at the 2017 Tour of Fuzhou. 

Joining Mitchelton's development squad in 2018, Groves then switched to join SEG Racing for 2019. Riding under the Team Australia colours at the 2019 Tour de I'Avenir, Groves claimed a podium finish in one of the toughest stages.  

"This year's edition of the Tour de L’Avenir was always going to be a hard one, it consisted of many hilltop finishes and stages for the climbers but not so many for the sprinters,” said Groves, who admitted the second place has fuelled his hunger for the top step. 

"With breakaways staying away every stage, I needed to go up the road for opportunities, I finished second on stage six which was honestly a huge disappointment and I wanted to win so I’m not satisfied.”

For the latter half of 2019, Groves has joined Mitchelton-Scott’s WorldTour outfit as a stagiaire, and as one of the youngest in the field, he tested himself in three classics in Belgium. 

"Both Brussel and Antwerp were great opportunities to race in a new environment with my future teammates. These one-day races will also play an important role in the lead up to the World Championships," Groves added. 

2019 UCI Road World Championships - M23 Road Race

• Samuel Jenner (Team Wiggins Le Col), Liam Magennis (Drapac-Cannondale Holistic Development Team), Harry Sweeny (EvoPro Racing), Nicholas White (Team BridgeLane)​​, Kaden Groves (Mitchelton-Scott)
• Starts 2pm (11pm AEST), Estimated Finish 6.30pm (3.30am AEST)
• 173km, Doncaster to Harrogate 
• worlds.yorkshire.com/the-races/men-u23-road-race​
• Watch live in Australia - Streaming to SBS OnDemand and Cycling Central website