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Australian National Track Cycling Championships - CN
Sydney, Australia, April 27 - May 2, 2004
Main Page Results Previous Day Next Day
Day 3 - April 29: Men's sprint qualification, Women's 3000m IP, Women's scratch, U19 men's sprint, U19 men's 3000m IP, Women's Multi Disability 3000m Tandem Pursuit, Men's Multi Disability 4000m Tandem Pursuit
Evening Session
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Mactier en route to Olympic pursuit
By Karen Forman in Sydney
Gutsy Victorian Katie Mactier clinched her second national 3km pursuit championship and showed Australian selectors she was right on track for the upcoming world championships and Olympics after a day she described as being "just like a long training ride" at Sydney's Dunc Gray velodrome today.
After blasting her way through the first two rounds during the afternoon with a 3.32.453 - less than a second outside her personal best and faster than last year's gold medal ride at the Stuttgart World's - the 29 year old from Melbourne hit out strongly early in tonight's final against New Zealander Dale Tye, making a lot of ground to have her opponent within striking distance after just 54 seconds.
She completed the first kilometre in 1'12, leaving observers debating whether she might be setting up for a record. The current Australian record of 3.30.816 was set by Dutch rider Leontien Zijlaard in Sydney in 2000.
Another lap crossed off and she was 15 bike lengths off her quarry, whom she then caught and passed at 2.11. Tye pulled up the track and Mactier powered on, the small crowd encouraging her with applause and cheers. But the Victorian was obviously tiring after her third pursuit in less than seven hours and crossed the finish line in 3.36.489.
The bronze medal went to South Australian Alexis Rhodes from Amy Safe, also of South Australia.
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Mactier and coach John Beasley were both delighted with her gold medal, which they told Cyclingnews proved to officials that she was an Athens hopeful.
After her win here last year, she found herself selected for the Australian World's team in Stuttgart - and then, in the gold medal ride-off with Van Moorsel Zijlaard (who won). Now Mactier is hoping to repeat the experience, only with a different result. She said tonight that she wasn't really aiming for a record-breaking effort, but rather trying to show selectors she was on track for a ride in Athens and have "a good hit-out because it's my first since Stuttgart".
"We're on target," she announced at the finish, wiping a single trail of perspiration from her forehead and smiling her trademark grin. "After this morning, obviously the thought came into my head that I could go better, and some world records had been broken, so I knew it was possible. But really it was more about doing what I did. The training has been going well. Even though I was tired I feel that I backed up well from the other two rides today. I found it a big day, mentally, but after this afternoon I went home, had a shower, stretched and I was just excited about the final tonight."
She said months of training appeared to be paying off. "I have been doing 6-700km weeks and a lot behind the motor bike, plus racing, but I think the training is harder than the racing - like today I treated it like a big training day."
Mactier believes Australia will do well in Melbourne. "I think we are confident that we will do well (at the World's), if you look at the way the Australians are performing. Really, the coaches tell us what to do and I just obey."
Mactier said she would not be starting the Sydney World Cup, but going into a training camp at home in the lead-up to the World's in her home state. "Obviously my dream is to win a world championship, irrespective of it falling in an Olympic year," she said. "It's a huge year. The pressure does seem overwhelming at times but I have had tremendous support from my family and from my coach John Beasley. He is an exceptional man, I am indebted to him."
Beasley, meanwhile, described her ride as "sensational". "Good on you, that was huge," he told her. "That would have been hurting, eh."
He reiterated her comments that the ride had indicated she was on track for the World's. "All her training has been outdoors and you can't time anything outdoors, time is irrelevant," he said. "She'll go quick at the World's and the Olympics. I don't think she needs the World Cup. I want to back her off a bit. We don't need a lot of competition now."
Beasley believes it's only a matter of time before Mactier breaks a world record, but concedes "other people probably think that about others, too."
"You have to remember that it's probably only about her fourth pursuit competition; it's all experience," he said. "But it's all adding up, she will have it when it counts. Also, you need good conditions to beat world records. She didn't feel the conditions were right tonight. She was riding a 94 gear but has been riding a 96 and been on top of it."
Will she change gears next time? "When the day comes it will be there."
U19 IP record breaker wins gold
By Karen Forman in Sydney
Michael Ford came, he saw and he smashed a world record in the qualifying round. And then, when he was done with that (the junior world 3km individual pursuit record of elite Australian Brad McGee this morning) the little known teenager with the blond striped hair continued his golden run - with a scintillating win hours later in the men's under 19 3km individual pursuit final.
In what has been described as "the ride" - so far - of these Australian national track championships, Ford beat junior world champion Miles Olman in a very close, neck-to-neck (or rim-to-rim) final that saw him break McGee's record for the second time in a day.
While he went round in 3.17.775, taking 2.103 seconds off McGee's 3.19.878 set in April 1994 this morning, Ford went completed his task tonight in 3.19.726. And, to add to the punishment of his peers, he still looked fresh at the finish. Fresh enough to remark to Cyclingnews, a tad modestly, that "hopefully this will open a couple of doors for me; maybe a contract overseas or something."
But then, he's not a young man to mince his words. He said he had warned McGee on first meeting the FdJeux.com star earlier in the year to "watch his computer".
He then spoke to McGee on the phone after today's record breaker. "He congratulated me first and then he said, 'it's a bit of a shock'," he said. "I am stoked. I don't think it's sunk in yet."
He appears, however, to have his feet firmly on the ground. "I work full time as a cabinet maker and I am still keen to finish my apprenticeship, which has two years to go," he said. "Then I'd like to go pro overseas. Track endurance, mostly."
Trained by cycling stalwart Hilton Clarke Snr, Ford took up cycling six years ago after a knee injury forced him out of football. "I sort of got into it through my mum's boss's son," he said. "I hurt my knee and they suggested I try cycling."
His star rose quickly. "I got second at the Junior World Championships last year in the pursuit and bronze in the teams pursuit. Plus I have won a few (he thinks eight or nine) national titles."
Ford, who hails from Dandenong near Melbourne, lines up for the team pursuit Friday and the Madison on Sunday.
Women's scratch title to jetlagged Gilmore
By Karen Forman in Sydney
Rochelle Gilmore didn't think she had won the women's 10km scratch race at the Australian national track championships tonight - because NSW rider Rebecca Ellis zoomed past her on the line and looked to be a sure winner. But a photo finish declared Gilmore, also from NSW, the gold medallist and she couldn't have been happier. It was a nice "welcome home" for her.
"I didn't think I won it," she said on the rollers at the finish. "She definitely came past me with more speed. I think I had the biggest gear on of all the other girls and I left it a bit late to make my run. The other girls came up and I was boxed in, but I was fortunate to push through at the last minute. Luck was definitely on my side today."
Gilmore was surprised, particularly given the fact she hadn't trained for a few days due to illness. "I took the easy option because I haven't been feeling well," she said. "I think, jetlag. Basically I have been in five countries doing five World Cups before I returned to Australia and when I got back I was in bed for four days."
She now plans to base herself at the Australian Institute of Sport in Adelaide to prepare for the Sydney World Cup and Melbourne world championships. "I have been racing well overseas, so with any luck I will be going well again once I have had a bit of a rest." she said.
South Australian Renee Braithwaite took the bronze medal.
Record breakers take gold in MD 3km women's tandem pursuit
By Karen Forman in Sydney
West Australian Jane Shaw and pilot Kelly McCombie took the gold medal tonight after earlier smashing the world record for the women's tandem 3km pursuit in the qualifying round at the Australian track cycling championships in Sydney.
The 37 year-old former social worker and author and her 25 year-old financial services officer pilot applied pressure early in the final to beat NSW rider Lindy Hou and her pilot Toireasa Ryan. However, they weren't able to better their record smashing time of 3.38.564, coming home in 3.41.177.
It was the perfect present for Shaw who today launched her first book, Beyond the Red Door, a biography. In fact, she is going to be so busy promoting it for the next five days in Sydney and Melbourne, that she probably won't have much time to enjoy the fruits of her stunning efforts today. "The gold medal feels absolutely fantastic," she told Cyclingnews. "We wanted to win it, we knew we could win it and we did win it. But then breaking the world record was even better. We knew we could, but we thought we would do a 3.40 not a 3.38!"
The pair have been riding together since last November and their efforts today revealed how much work they have put into riding as a smoothly oiled machine. "We got together through our coaches, Andrew Budge and Darrell Benson," McCombie said.
Shaw has been riding for three years, since taking up the sport as a replacement for horse riding after finally losing her sight...the result of childhood cancer. Her pilot has been riding a while, but had stopped after an Achilles tendon injury.
Together, they are dynamite and Shaw says she trusts McCombie implicitly. "Before I did horse riding and I have always loved speed and being up high," she said. "Cycling seemed to be the next best option." She says not being able to see has its advantages. "I think if I could see the track I wouldn't do it. I would be too scared! I walked on the track once and that was scary enough."
Tonight's result followed a win in the kilo on Tuesday night and the pair hopes, preceded good results in the sprint on Friday - which they are doing "for a bit of fun". "We're more endurance," says McCombie, "but the kilo is a bit of that as well."
While they're now on the hunt for gold at the world championships and Olympics, the two riders will have two weeks off before getting stuck into the training again. Shaw has some heavy PR work to do for her book while McCombie is heading to Byron Bay for a break.
The silver medal riders also deserve a break after these championships, putting in a sterling effort. They applied the pressure early and looked strong, proving their fitness when they finished their silver medal run in 3.45.774 - the same time as they rode this afternoon.
The bronze went to another West Australian Lyn Lepore and her Victorian pilot Jenny MacPherson in 3.52.439, beating out Kellie Hards and pilot Felicity Johnson, both of South Australia, in 4.07.943.
Meanwhile the MD 4km Men's Tandem was a shoo-in for the South Australian team of Kieran Modra and pilot Matt Miller, picking up the gold medal in 4.39.563, from Warren McKennarley and pilot Sean Hennessy, also of South Australia, in 4.48.765
"It hurt, it really hurt," said 32 year-old Modra. "I was sort of going on what we did in the heats, it felt really good, going harder at the start. I think with finals, you are pumped up full of adrenalin, pumped to go. We got out of the blocks reasonably hard and then it was just a matter of holding it, keeping on top of the speed. We caught them fairly quickly and then had to go around them."
He said he had continued to keep the pressure on, because he is trying hard to qualify for the world championships, an honour which has so far this year escaped him.
"Matt is a good pilot but we need more speed, more power," he said. "I have been riding with different pilots trying to qualify.
Modra started riding seven years ago. With just 15 per cent sight, the father of two was a swimmer before taking up cycling. In 1998 he rode with his wife as pilot to break two world records, win the individual pursuit, kilo and sprint at the world championships.
Afternoon Session
McGee's world record falls to Victorian teenager
Victorian teenager, Michael Ford, 18, has broken the junior world record of cycling hero Brad McGee, a record which had stood for ten years.
Ford, from Dandenong in Melbourne, stamped his name in the record books for the U19 3km Individual Pursuit with a time of 3min17.775 taking 2.103sec off the time of 3min19.878 set by McGee in Adelaide in April 1994.
"I set this as my ambition two years ago but I didn't think I'd do it today and it really hasn't hit me yet," said an elated Ford whose previous best time was 3min20.9 which he rode at last year's junior World Championships in Moscow. "I'm just rapt."
"I was the fastest qualifier in Moscow but ended up with the silver medal," said Ford who in a six year racing career has collected around ten Australian Titles. "This year at the junior worlds in Los Angeles I want the gold medal."
He is certainly on track to achieve that goal and was able to celebrate today's rider with his parents Ken, a sheet metal worker, and Wendy, a chef, who were in the crowd to witness his historic performance.
Ford is one of the more colourful characters of the Victorian camp sporting several body piercings and a died blonde strip of hair from forehead to nape.
"My girlfriend's an apprentice hairdresser so she needs to practice on someone," he joked.
McGee's brother Rod, a coach with the New South Wales team quickly fired off an SMS with the news to Brad who is currently wearing the leader's jersey in the Tour of Romandie as a member of the French based professional road team FDJeux.com. So far there has not been a response from the past world champion, Olympic medallist and reigning Commonwealth Games pursuit champion who last year claimed the leader's jersey in the Tour de France and is a firm favourite for Olympic gold on the track in Athens.
Shaw and McCombie smash world record to book berth to Athens
West Australians Janet Shaw, 37, and pilot Kelly McCombie, 25, today smashed the world record for the women's Tandem 3km Pursuit in the qualifying round at the Track Cycling Australian Championships at Sydney's Dunc Gray Velodrome to book a berth in the team for the Athens Paralympics.
Shaw, who is visually impaired, and her sighted pilot McCombie rode a time of 3min38.564sec to take 3.48seconds of the previous mark of 3min41.612sec set by an American pair in Ausburg, Germany in 2002.
"I felt we could beat the world record because we've been training really hard," said McCombie. "But our previous best was 3.42 and we were hoping to do 3.40."
"I'm extremely happy with the time," said Shaw who, with previous pilot Leeanne Manderson, also holds the current world record for the women's tandem flying 200m.
The pair hope to secure three gold medals in Athens in the sprint, kilometre time trial and pursuit events.
Meantime in qualifying for the women's 3km individual pursuit Victorian Katie Mactier posted a blistering time of 3min32.453, less than a second outside her personal best and faster than the time ridden by world record holder Leontien Zijlaard Van Moorsel of the Netherlands to defeat Mactier in the gold medal ride at last year's World Championships in Stuttgart.
Mactier, in only her second year of track competition, is focused on taking the crown of the Dutch four time world champion at the Melbourne World Championships in May ahead of a gold medal assault in Athens.
Sydney's Sean 'Big Man' Eadie, 35, qualified fastest for the men's sprint competition in a time of 10.572sec for the flying 200m, only two hundredths of a second outside the Olympic Shadow Team mark of 10.550sec. Wollongong's Ben Kersten rode 10.653sec to claim the second seeding.
Results
Afternoon session
Women 3000m Individual Pursuit qualification 1 Katie Mactier (VIC) 3.32.453 2 Alexis Rhodes (SA) 3.42.867 3 Amy Safe (SA) 3.47.145 4 Dale Tye (NZL) 3.47.409 5 Liz Young (QLD) 3.50.102 6 Leonie Aisbett (NSW) 3.51.581 7 Anna Jones-Perrin (QLD) 3.53.482 8 Jessie Maclean (ACT) 3.59.903 Under 19 Men's Sprint Quarter Final Heat 1 1 Daniel Thorsen (VIC) 11.900 11.525 2 Steven Phelan (ACT) Heat 2 1 Shane Perkins (VIC) 11.800 11.734 2 Adam Coker (NZL) Heat 3 1 Ben Rix (VIC) 11.511 11.664 2 Anthony Bennett (NSW) Heat 4 1 Benjamin Simonelli (QLD) 11.893 11.988 2 Corey Heath (NT) Men's Sprint Qualification 1 Sean Eadie (NSW) 10.572 (68.10km/h) 2 Ben Kersten (NSW) 10.653 (67.59km/h) 3 Anthony Peden (NZL) 10.680 (67.42km/h) 4 Jason Niblett (VIC) 10.794 (66.70km/h) 5 Greg McFarlane (NSW) 10.801 (66.66km/h) 6 Damien Keirl (VIC) 10.844 (66.40km/h) 7 Jonno Hamlin (NZL) 10.953 (65.74km/h) 8 Carlo Barendilla (WA) 11.028 (65.29km/h) 9 Joel Leonard (VIC) 11.084 (64.96km/h) 10 Clint Johnson (QLD) 11.150 (64.57km/h) 11 Daniel Rynne (QLD) 11.270 (63.89km/h) 12 Daniel Beatson (NZL) 11.324 (63.58km/h) 13 Mario Mazza (SA) 11.569 (62.24km/h) 14 Dean Santoro (WA) 11.899 (60.51km/h) 15 Les Podlog (WA) 11.981 (60.10km/h) Under-19 Women's 2000m Individual Pursuit Qualification 1 Bianca Rogers (SA) 2.30.126 2 Amanda Spratt (NSW) 2.31.844 3 Paddy Walker (NZL) 2.34.933 4 Hannah Banks (QLD) 2.35.873 5 Victoria Freeland (VIC) 2.36.819 6 Jessica Tanner (VIC) 2.38.044 7 Skye-Lee Armstrong (NSW) 2.38.838 8 Elizabeth Wishart (SA) 2.39.171 9 Eve Hood (NSW) 2.40.185 10 Genna Crean (SA) 2.40.329 11 Natasha Mapley (TAS) 2.40.737 12 Jessica McCallum (WA) 2.44.863 13 Hannah Bush (VIC) 2.46.380 14 Amy Phillips (VIC) 2.47.570 Women's Multi Disability 3000m Tandem Pursuit Qualification 1 Janet Shaw/Kelly McCombie (WA) 3.38.564 2 Lindy Hou/Toireasa Ryan (NSW) 3.45.380 3 Lyn Lepore (WA)/Jenny Macpherson (VIC) 3.49.605 4 Kellie Hards/Felicity Johnson (SA) 4.06.494 Men's Multi Disability 4000m Tandem Pursuit Qualification 1 Kieran Modra/Matt Miller (SA) 4.37.770 2 Warren McKennarley/Sean Hennessy (SA) 4.51.310 Under 19 men 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualification 1 Michael Ford (VIC) 3.17.775 2 Miles Olman (QLD) 3.22.867 3 Mitchell Docker (VIC) 3.26.949 4 Matthew Goss (TAS) 3.27.994 5 Matthew Haydock (NZL) 3.28.350 6 Zakkari Dempster (VIC) 3.30.880 7 Patrick Shaw (VIC) 3.31.135 8 Jackson-Leigh Rathbone (NSW) 3.34.505 9 Dean Windsor (NSW) 3.35.256 10 Joshua Wall (NSW) 3.36.118 11 Adam O'Connor (WA) 3.39.140 12 Robert Cater (NSW) 3.39.226 13 Mark Bergamin (SA) 3.41.094 14 Nathan Silleto (ACT) 3.42.573 15 Russell Gill (SA) 3.46.302 16 Joseph Depasquale (SA) 3.54.599 Women 3000m Individual Pursuit First Round Heat 1 1 Dale Tye (NZL) 3.47.112 (47.55km/h) 2 Liz Young (QLD) 3.49.532 (47.10km/h) Heat 2 1 Amy Safe (SA) 3.51.438 (46.68km/h) 2 Leonie Aisbett (NSW) 3.53.160 (46.23km/h) Heat 3 1 Alexis Rhodes (SA) 3.47.413 (47.55km/h) 2 Anna Jones-Perrin (QLD) 3.51.428 (46.70km/h) Heat 4 1 Katie Mactier (VIC) 3.33.655 (50.57km/h) 2 Jessie Maclean (ACT) Caught at 7 to go Under 19 men Sprint 5-8th Final 5 Corey Heath (NT) 11.732 6 Anthony Bennett (NSW) 7 Adam Coker (NZL) 8 Steven Phelan (ACT)
Evening session
Men's Sprint Round 1 Heat 1 1 Sean Eadie (NSW) 11.170 2 Daniel Beatson (NZl) Heat 2 1 Ben Kersten (NSW) 12.429 2 Daniel Rynne (Qld) Heat 3 1 Anthony Peden (NZl) 11.380 2 Clint Johnson (Qld) Heat 4 1 Jason Niblett (Vic) 11.468 2 Joel Leonard (Vic) Heat 5 1 Greg Mcfarlane (NSW) 11.443 2 Carlo Barendilla (WA) Heat 6 1 Damien Keirl (Vic) 11.238 2 Jonno Hamlin (NZl) Round 1 Repechage Heat 1 1 Jonno Hamlin (NZl) 11.430 2 Joel Leonard (Vic) 3 Daniel Beatson (NZl) Heat 2 1 Carlo Barendilla (WA) 12.320 2 Clint Johnson (Qld) 3 Daniel Rynne (Qld) Quarter Finals Heat 1 1 Sean Eadie (NSW) 11.379 11.774 2 Carlo Barendilla (WA) Heat 2 1 Ben Kersten (NSW) 11.378 11.209 2 Jonno Hamlin (NZl) Heat 3 1 Damien Keirl (Vic) 11.380 11.528 2 Anthony Peden (NZl) 11.473 Heat 4 1 Greg Mcfarlane (NSW) 11.238 11.251 2 Jason Niblett (Vic) 11.329 U19 Men's Sprint Semi-finals Heat 1 1 Daniel Thorsen (Vic) 12.460 11.762 2 Benjamin Simonelli (Qld) Heat 2 1 Shane Perkins (Vic) 11.589 11.831 2 Ben Rix (Vic) Finals Bronze Medal Race 3 Ben Rix (Vic) 11.644 11.777 4 Benjamin Simonelli (Qld) Gold Medal Race 1 Shane Perkins (Vic) 11.258 11.769 2 Daniel Thorsen (Vic) U19 Men's 3000m Individual Pursuit Round 1 Heat 1 1 Matthew Goss (Tas) 3.27.11 (52.15 km/h) 2 Matthew Haydock (NZl) 3.28.34 Heat 2 1 Mitchell Docker (Vic) 3.27.77 (51.98 km/h) 2 Zakkari Dempster (Vic) 3.31.77 Heat 3 1 Miles Olman (Qld) 3.21.25 (53.66 km/h) 2 Patrick Shaw (Vic) 3.33.40 Heat 4 1 Michael Ford (Vic) 3.23.67 (53.03 km/h) 2 Jackson-Leigh Rathbone (NSW) 3.37.21 Finals Bronze Medal 3 Mitchell Docker (Vic) 3.28.15 (51.89 km/h) 4 Matthew Goss (Tas) 3.43.30 Gold & Silver Medal 1 Michael Ford (Vic) 3.19.726 (54.20 km/h) 2 Miles Olman (Qld) 3.19.885 U19 Women's 2000m Individual Pursuit Round 1 Heat 1 1 Victoria Freeland (Vic) 2.35.645 (46.32 km/h) 2 Hannah Banks (Qld) 2.35.854 Heat 2 1 Paddy Walker (NZl) 2.35.599 (46.16 km/h) 2 Jessica Tanner (Vic) 2.38.000 Heat 3 1 Amanda Spratt (NSW) 2.34.355 (46.59 km/h) 2 Skye-Lee Armstrong (NSW) 2.39.910 Heat 4 1 Bianca Rogers (SA) 2.31.914 (47.64 km/h) 2 Elizabeth Wishart (SA) 2.39.734 Finals Bronze Medal 3 Paddy Walker (NZl) 2.35.100 (46.45 km/h) 4 Victoria Freeland (Vic) 2.37.060 Gold & Silver Medal 1 Bianca Rogers (SA) 2.31.390 (47.40 km/h) 2 Amanda Spratt (NSW) 2.34.208 Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit Finals Bronze Medal 3 Alexis Rhodes (SA) 3.47.777 (47.42 km/h) 4 Amy Safe (SA) 3.52.346 Gold & Silver Medal 1 Katie Mactier (Vic) 3.36.489 (49.79 km/h) 2 Dale Tye (NZl) Caught Women 10km Scratch Race 1 Rochelle Gilmore (NSW) 13.16.02 2 Rebecca Ellis (NSW) 3 Renee Braithwaite (SA) 4 Anna Jones-Perrin (Qld) 5 Jessica Berry (Vic) 6 Liz Young (Qld) 7 Jenny Macpherson (Vic) 8 Kerry Cohen (WA) 9 Dale Tye (NZl) 10 Alexis Rhodes (SA) 11 Amy Safe (SA) 12 Leeanne Manderson (WA) 13 Leonie Aisbett (NSW) DNF Jessie Maclean (ACT) DNF Tara Fryc (NT) DNF Alexandra Bright (Qld) DNF Apryl Eppinger (Vic) DNS Kristine Bayley (WA)
Women's Multi Disability 3000m Tandem Pursuit Final Bronze Medal 3 Lyn Lepore (WA)/Jenny Macpherson (VIC) 3.52.439 4 Kellie Hards/Felicity Johnson (SA) 4.07.943 Gold & Silver Medal 1 Janet Shaw/Kelly McCombie (WA) 3.41.177 2 Lindy Hou/Toireasa Ryan (NSW) 3.45.774 Men's Multi Disability 4000m Tandem Pursuit Final Gold & Silver Medal 1 Kieran Modra/Matt Miller (SA) 4.39.563 2 Warren McKennarley/Sean Hennessy (SA) 4.48.765
