Cycling Australia Name World Cup Squad
Cycling Australia is pleased to confirm the riders selected to contest the second round of the UCI Track World Cup Series being staged in Cali, Colombia from 1 to 3 December.
The four women, five man team of endurance riders will contest the teams pursuit and omnium events.
WAIS-AIS athletes Sarah Kent, Josie Tomic, Melissa Hoskins and Luke Durbridge have all made selection for the South American trip.
Four of the five men heading to Colombia are reigning world champions with Rohan Dennis, Luke Durbridge and Michael Hepburn members of the victorious 2011 world championship pursuit team. Michael Freiberg is the reigning omnium world champion.
For the women Sarah Kent and Josephine Tomic were team pursuit world champions in 2010.
“Cali is an important World Cup for the continued exposure and development of our team heading towards the Olympic Games,” said Cycling Australia Track Endurance Head Coach, Ian McKenzie.
“We were very pleased with the results for the men in the team pursuit in Astana (silver medal) but in Cali we’re planning on winning,” said McKenzie.
Both coaches believe this week’s impressive performances by New Zealand’s top pursuit teams at the Oceania Championships in Invercargill will have a positive psychological impact on the Australians. The Kiwi men clocked the fourth fastest time in history with their winning time of 3:55.295 over 4000m while the women’s trio was only 19 hundredths of a second off world record pace with their 3000m time of 3:19.759.
“It sharpens the focus of our riders and I think that’s a good thing,” said McKenzie.
Women’s Track Endurance Coach, Gary Sutton, says he expects the women to finish in the top four in Colombia.
“What New Zealand’s women have done is throw down the challenge as they have now recorded the fastest time in the world this year,” said Sutton. “Cali is a chance for our women to put their hands up to make the short squad. The pressure is building on riders vying for places in London but if they can’t handle the pressure now they won’t handle it next year.”
Freiberg and Melissa Hoskins will contest the omniums in Cali.
The series began last month in Astana, Kazakhstan. Round three will be raced in China (20-22 January) before the fourth and final round is raced at the London Olympic Games velodrome from 17 to 19 February. The final round is also official London Prepares track cycling test event.
After the World Cup Series the world’s greatest will head to Melbourne to contest the 2012 UCI Track World Championships where the Australian Cyclones plan to capitalise on their hometown advantage.