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Day 5: Goss wins scratch event and takes her third national gold

By Karen Forman

Goss stuns the field
Photo: © Tom Balks

APRIL 21, 2002: SHE's just 18 years old and already has 11 Australian titles under her belt. This afternoon, Tasmanian Belinda Goss further made her mark on the women's cycling scene by collecting the 2002 national women's' under 19 10km championship - and her third gold medal of this week's national championships.

It was a stunning race. With South Australian Alexis Rhodes and Renee Braithwaite, she broke away with 22 laps to go and the three managed to lap the field of 15, resulting in a perfect demonstration of new UCI rules which require all lapped riders to leave the track.

Then, in the sprint to the line, she came from behind Rhodes, who was leading and keeping a careful eye on the two riders behind her, to take the gold medal easily and smoothly.

With a performance like that in the senior ranks, she would be off to the Commonwealth Games. But by virtue of her age, Goss, who lives in Davenport on the "Apple Isle", instead has the world junior track championships to look forward to in Melbourne in August. Commonwealth and Olympic Games, if her coach, Kevin Tabotta, is right, will be certainties when she hits the senior ranks.

Tabotta, who took on the youngster in 1999 after she won the under 17 national championship in Perth, believes she has a big future ahead. But, like his Queensland counterpart Peter Day when it comes to his great find from the junior ranks - Kerrie Meares - Tabotta wants to nurture Goss along gently.

"From the minute I first saw her throw her leg over the bike, I knew she had a big future," he said. "She is just a natural. She is an all-rounder, rides both road and track, although now we will be looking to start specialising her; make some decisions about her future."

At this stage, he thinks point races and the one-day road races might be her forte. "She's only very young yet. She is a scholarship holder with the Tasmanian Institute of Sport and we're looking at the long term - four years to the Commonwealth Games and six years to Olympics.

"We'll just take it a step at a time. I want her to get her life and studies sorted out. Obviously she is a talent but we don't want to rush things." Tabotta likens Goss to Rochelle Gilmore. "They are very similar in the way they ride," he said.

"I think if she becomes three quarters of the champion Rochelle is, she will be well on the way to making it." She not only as the ability on the bike, but the temperament to make it as well. Tabotta describes her as a "terrific kid; a pleasure to coach."

Goss was happy with her win and exhibits an amazingly casual attitude to it. "Cycling has become a way of life, training every day means there isn't much time for anything else," she said. "But I love it."

She finished Year 12 last year and deferred an education degree at university to have a break from study and to concentrate on her training. A former level seven gymnast, she started cycling four years ago after receiving some encouragement from friend Nathan Clarke's father. Although she rides everything happily, she says her favourite event is the pointscore. "It is a fairly tactical race," she said. "I like that."

Next year she'll hit the senior ranks and come face to face with the rider she admires the most - the aforementioned Gilmore. A daunting thought? "A little," she says. "A lot of people say it will be a big stepping stone, but I will just wait and see. It will be good, I think."

Event organiser Phill Bates was most impressed with today's race. "The girls made full use of the new UCI rules," he said.

"It was a political decision, but that said, I think that race was a great demonstration of how they can work. The riders have done it to their best ability. I think it works, a fantastic result."

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