Welsford and Wundersitz Selected for Mexico World Cup

Western Australian Institute of Sport cyclists Sam Welsford and Elissa Wundersitz will represent Australia at the first UCI Track World Cup event of the 2014/15 season, when they compete in Mexico next month.

Welsford – who claimed the WAIS Junior Athlete of the Year Award at last weekend’s WAIS Annual Dinner – will make his senior world cup debut, whilst Wundersitz – who received a Wally Foreman Foundation scholarship, will look to consolidate on a breakthrough 2014 campaign as she looks to establish herself in the women’s endurance squad.

The talented duo will form as members of the respective men’s and women’s team pursuit squads.

The UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico will see the Australians continue their push towards the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, with the squad featuring a very deliberate cross ection of emerging and experienced athletes.

The 16-rider team will contest the event from 7-9 November, which forms the first of a three-round series that carries crucial qualification points for the World Championships, and 2016 Games.

Five of Australia’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games gold medallists will line up including Anna Meares, Matthew Glaetzer, Annette Edmondson, Glenn O’Shea and Steph Morton.

Olympians Daniel Ellis and Kaarle McCulloch continue their comebacks, while 2014 junior track world champions Daniel Fitter and Sam Welsford will make their debut in the senior ranks.

It has been an early start to the 2014/15 track season for Australia’s cyclists with UCI events in New Zealand and the Oceania Championships in Adelaide kick starting the summer.

“We have started the season very strongly with a number of strong performances and encouraging results,” said Kevin Tabotta, National Performance Director of Cycling Australia.

“The Track World Cup Series is the next, very important, step towards next year’s World Championships in France, and for Rio 2016.

“The team for the opening round of the Series has a great blend of experience through some of our world and Commonwealth champions in Meares and Glaetzer.

“What is also exciting is the number of junior world champions who have progressed to the elite ranks this year who will have the opportunity to experience world class track cycling during this Series,” Tabotta added.

The team will depart Australia on November 1.

The Mexico Track World Cup features a three-day program of Olympic events beginning with team sprint and pursuit qualifying on Friday afternoon, with the finals to be held on Saturday alongside the men’s keirin and women’s sprint.

Sunday will feature the men’s and women’s omnium, men’s sprint and women’s keirin.

-CyclingAus