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Selection troubles continue in Australian CyclingThe other day we reported that our best pursuiter Bradley McGee who is riding as a professional with La Francaise des Jeux was unlikely to ride in any representative teams for Australia because he had missed a special selection trial in January. Last week National Track Coach Charlie Walsh and Cycling Australia President Ray Godkin both indicated in the public arena that they were not in favour of selecting McGee because he had chosen not to travel to Adelaide in January for the qualifying meeting.A report by Peter Krupka in the national daily, The Australian (15/3/98) said: "McGee has pleaded with Godkin to be selected in the teams, to be named after this week's national track titles in Adelaide, but national coach Charlie Walsh made it clear he was not impressed with McGee's failure to turn up for a special trial in Adelaide in January." Godkin wass reported by Krupka as saying: "It's very difficult for Bradley at this present stage but what we're going to do with it we are not quite sure. Because of the amount of riders that have qualified it has made it difficult for Brad. He was supposed to come here and ride a trial like everyone else but he chose not to." So it seemed to be simple enough. The selection scandals in the past demanded some coherent rules. The selection trial in January was required, a rider didn't choose to go, and so the rider should miss out irrespective of whether he is the best or not. Rules are rules and if applied consistently provide everybody with certainty. Nobody will therefore be surprise to learn that Bradley McGee has been selected despite missing both the required trial in January and also the National Championships. How this can be is anyone's guess. Back to normal. Why does all this matter? Well you also would have reasonably thought that the current Australian Madison Champion (won in February this year) who performed well in the National Titles over the past week (coming second on the last night in the 40 kms points race behind AIS rider Brett Aitken) - would expect to represent Australia in the World Championships in Bordeaux in August. He would also expect to ride for Australia in the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia in September. Think again. Wrong. Stephen Pate was not selected in either track squad in what has been described on the radio tonight as a "shock omission". Aah, the selections disputes in Australian cycling. What would we do without them? Pate, not unreasonably it would seem, is livid. He has launched a broadside at the the National Coach Charlie Walsh and has accused him of conducting a vendetta against him. He was quoted in a radio news report a few minutes ago as saying that it is "criminal" that he has not been selected. AAP journalist, Roger Vaughan reports that Pate has alleged that Walsh instructed the Australian Institute of Sport track riders to "work against him" during the National Championships this week. Pate is reported as saying: "It's not fair one man can be able to ruin someone's cycling career, and that's what has happened." It is not the first time that riders from outside of the AIS squad have alleged that the selectors have been biased in favour of riders in the AIS squad. So now they have to explain how Bradley McGee (an AIS rider until he went to France) gets around the selection trial and doesn't ride at the Nationals and gets a jersey, and the National Madison Champion (definitely not an AIS rider) does not. Stay tuned. If I receive an explanation I will have it up. But don't wait around for it. Selection Scandals continue in Australian Cycling |