Second Edition News for August 30, 2002Edited by John Stevenson Australian Track World's squad announced"Cyclones" ready to blow into Copenhagen
Cycling Australia today announced the 20-rider team that Australia will field for the track world championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 25-30. The squad – dubbed the "Cyclones" – is headlined by the same team pursuit line-up that set a world record at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester last month: Graeme Brown, Peter Dawson, Mark Renshaw and Luke Roberts. Announcing the line-up at Brisbane's Chandler velodrome, where the sprint squad has been in pre-selection training, Cycling Australia president Mike Victor described the team as "an incredibly talented team with a good mix of experience and enthusiastic young talent." The endurance line up will also include 2000 Olympic madison champion, Scott McGrory, 2001 world points race silver medallist and 2002 Commonwealth Games champion, Kate Bates and two of Australia's top ranked road riders. One of those will be three time Olympic bronze medallist and 2002 Tour de France stage winner, Brad McGee, who in Manchester secured his third straight individual pursuit gold medal. Rochelle Gilmore, currently 20th in the world road rankings, will also line up on the track in Copenhagen. In the sprint group defending keirin world champion, Ryan Bayley is hoping his recent form in Manchester, where he won gold in the sprint and team sprint events, will continue. His fellow team sprint gold medal winners, Sean Eadie and Jobie Dajka have also made the team as has Olympic medallist and four time world champion, Shane Kelly, who missed selection for the Commonwealth Games due to injury. "Australia really has a wealth of talent which is competitive at world level with a base of proven performers," explained Mr Victor. "But we also have younger riders in the team with junior world titles to their name who have really begun to make their mark at a senior level." Former junior world kilometre champion, Ben Kersten, is hoping to again lower his personal best time as he continues to develop into a worthy successor to Shane Kelly. Reigning Australian kilometre and keirin champion Danny Day will also race. Queensland's Meares sisters, Kerrie and Anna, who won the junior world 500m time trial crown in 2000 and 2001 respectively will race in the sprint distance events as will Sydney World Cup keirin winner Rosealee Hubbard. Ashley Hutchinson, former junior world team pursuit champion, Brett Lancaster and Steve Wooldridge, who helped secure a finals berth for Australia in the Commonwealth Games teams pursuit, complete the team. The sprint group will fly to Germany on Sunday September 1 with the endurance riders, most of whom are already overseas, joining them on September 9 for a pre world titles training camp in Buttgen. The team will fly to Denmark from Germany on September 22nd. "Cyclones" Australian Cycling Team 2002 Track World's Line-upEndurance Kate Bates (NSW) Sprint Rosealee Hubbard (SA) Coaching Staff Shayne Bannan: Cycling Australia & AIS Head Cycling Coach USCF National Track Championships - Day 3 wrap up and Day 4 previewBy Gwen Hoover Day 3: The rain subsides and the action continuesTaking advantage of a break in the rainy weather that has fallen on Trexlertown for two days, competition resumed Thursday at the 2002 USCF National Track Cycling Championships. Seven national champions were crowned Thursday, as competition schedules were shuffled after events Wednesday were postponed due to heavy rain. In the women's sprint, it was a battle between hometown favorites Tanya Lindenmuth (Macungie, PA) and Sarah Uhl (Perkasie, PA). Lindenmuth, a 2000 Olympian and the defending women's national sprint champion, won the title, beating Uhl in the first and second heats of the sprint finals. Uhl, the 2001 World Junior Champion in the women's sprint, won the women's espoir (under 23) sprint title, in addition to her second finish in the elite women's sprint. "I'm fighting a cold, so it's not fun breathing," said Lindenmuth. "I led it [the final heat] out, to make sure I wouldn't have the pressure to pass someone. I'm glad I raced Sarah in the finals, because you want someone to push you in the finals. She did well.I'm really excited about the younger riders coming up like that who aren't afraid to really give it their all against the defending [national] champ." Michael Beers (Breinigsville, PA) continued the string of hometown victories by winning the elite men's kilo with a time of 1.07.453 over Adam Duvendeck (Colorado Springs, Colo.) This is Beers first individual national title; he has won two tandem national championships ('00, '01). Duvendeck won the espoir title in the men's kilo for his efforts. "I knew I had a chance at the title when I saw the time that Adam rolled; then I thought I could make it," said Beers, who spends his time coaching track and instructing kids on helmut safety when he isn't training. "I've been riding well, so I thought I could roll that time - I've been rolling under it consistently in training and I thought I could do it tonight." Multi-national champion and two-time Olympian Jame Carney (Durango, Colo.) won the men's points race by lapping the field twice in the 120-lap finals. Thursday's victory assures Carney of a berth on the World Track Cycling Championships team. The 2002 World Track Cycling Championships will be contested next month in Copenhagen, Denmark. "The points race always hurts," said Carney. The semi-finals (60 laps) were originally scheduled for Thursday morning to give the riders a break before the evening finals. However, due to rainy weather in the morning, both the semi-finals and finals (120 laps) of the men's points race were contested Thursday evening, presenting an endurance challenge for the riders. "I was on the start line, thinking, 'okay, here we go.this is not going to be any fun," continued Carney. "But if I can hurt more than anyone else, then hopefully I can be on top of the podium." Ronne Irvine (Herndon, Va.) was the sole Paralympic rider competing in the LC1 (below the knee amputee) division Thursday. He won Thursday's kilometer race, in addition to the 4000m pursuit on Wednesday. Day 4 preview: In the homestraight with two days to goWe're in the homestraight with two days of racing to go at the 2002 USCF National Track Cycling Championships and no rain in the forecast for Friday. The morning session will kick off with the women's 500 meter time trial final. Look for the top three in tonight's sprint finalists (Lindenmuth, Uhl and Reed) to fair well. The women's time trial will be followd by the men's sprint 1/4 final with the following match-ups:
The evening session will host the conclusion of the men's sprint tournament and gold medal awards ceremony, with the first ever women's keirin national championship. The winner of the keirin will automatically go to the World Championships in September, so this will be hotly contested. Sarah Uhl, Jennie Reed and Becky Quinn are favorites for this very physical and strategic event. The men's madison will go off later Friday evening, with Jame Carney and Colby Pearce as favorites, but don't count out Marty Nothstein and Ryan Oelkers. After two silver medals in these games, this will be Marty's next attempt for the gold.
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