News

Queen of Cycling to compete in World Cup round 1

Four time road cycling world champion and triple Olympic Games gold medallist, Leontien Van Moorsel-Zijlaard, will arrive in Canberra tomorrow to prepare for the upcoming opening round of the 2002 UCI Women's Road World Cup and Tour de Snowy.

Event organiser, Phill Bates says the field for this year's events is one of the strongest ever to come to Australia. "We've had interest from around the world and cycling's top performers from 13 countries will be on the start line in Cooma," said Mr Bates.

It's the fifth time a round of the World Cup has been raced in Australia which was the host of the debut event in Sydney in 1998. For the past three years the race has been held in Canberra, but this year the field will travel 103.1km from Cooma to the Snowy Mountain resort village of Thredbo.

"This course is very different from past years as it ends with about 30 kilometres of uphill racing from Jindabyne to Thredbo," he said. "This should really test the field."

It's the first time Van Moorsel-Zijlaard, 31, has competed in the Australian round. The last time she raced in Australia was at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney where she won gold in the road race, individual road time trial and on the track in the 3000m individual pursuit for which she set a world record.

The Dutch cyclist has nominated the nine round World Cup Series as a priority for her 2002 season but she'll face tough opposition in the first round which boasts an impressive international line up.

Her team mate, Mirjam Melchers, is ranked number three in the world and finished second overall in the 2001 World Cup series behind current world number one, Anna Millward of Australia. Millward, who has won the Australian round for the past three years, will not be racing in either event due to injury.

Also lining up for both events will be world number two Judith Arndt, 25, of Germany, the 1997 Individual Pursuit world champion, and winner of last year's final round of the World Cup in Rotterdam.

24 times German champion, Petra Rossner, 35, is also on the start list. She has five World Cup round victories to her credit over the past four years and was the Olympic gold medallist in the individual pursuit in Barcelona in 1992.

Despite the absence of Millward Australia is well represented with recently crowned Australian road champion, Margaret Hemsley, 31, time trial champion, Sara Carrigan, 21, and criterium champion, Hayley Rutherford, 21, all showing impressive early year form.

The USA will field current national and defending Tour de Snowy champion, Kimberly Bruckner, 31, who will head the Saturn professional team while two time world and six time US champion, Mari Holden, 30, is also expected to be a danger.