Meyer Set for Oceania Road Championship Return
Reigning WAIS Athlete of the Year Cameron Meyer will make his long awaited return to racing, when he lines up for this weekend’s road race at the Oceania Road Championships in Canberra.
The Orica-GreenEDGE professional cyclist will contest his first major event following recovery from surgery to remove a saddle sore in February, with the West Australian one of the chief threats in Sunday’s road race.
Former national road champions Will Walker and Darren Lapthorne will battle Meyer in the road race, along with 2012 Subaru National Road Series (NRS) champion Luke Davison.
For Meyer, it marks the beginning of a new journey, after drawing a line under a highly successful track career that yielded six world championship titles and an appearance at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Almost 400 riders from Australia and New Zealand will call the national capital home as they contest time trial and road races in the under 19 through to elite categories from Thursday 14 to Sunday 17 March.
Reigning Oceania Road champion Paul Odlin and reigning Oceania time trial champion Sam Horgan will represent New Zealand.
London Olympian Chloe Hosking will contest the road race is one of the many headline riders who will line up in the women’s events, with the Canberra native squeezing the Championships in whilst back in Australia for a family wedding.
“Yes, I would usually be in Europe at this time of year racing with my professional team Hitec-Products,” said Hosking who has just landed in Australia.
“But with the Championships in my home town, it was an easy decision. I’m not so sure ill have home ground advantage however as from what I’ve heard the course is really tough.
“Hopefully my jet lag has subsided by Saturday,” Hosking added.
2012 NRS champion and former national road champion Ruth Corset, 2011 NRS champion Grace Sulzberger, 2009 national road and time trial champion Carla Ryan, plus Taryn Heather and Carlee Taylor will also feature.
The Championships will also be the final home-soil hit out for 2013 Jayco-AIS World Tour Academy riders, announced in Canberra on Tuesday, before they embark on the European road season.
The entire team of exciting youngsters will contest the event including London Olympian and 2013 world champion Alex Edmondson, fellow 2013 world champion Alex Morgan, 2013 under 23 time trial national champion Damian Howson and pocket rocket Caleb Ewan.
Tuesday’s time trial courses will be held along an undulating course in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, with the road races to feature a challenging course around the picturesque area, with the final laps of a 9.2km loop set to create an interesting finish to each event.
The terrain will ensure all riders are tested throughout, and mixed with the expected warm temperatures and quality field taking part, a true Oceania Champion will certainly be found in all categories.
The 2013 Oceania Road Championships will be run by Cycling ACT in conjunction with Cycling Australia.
– Cycling Australia