Preview: O'Brien, Glaetzer and Roy in for Australia at Milton Track Nations Cup
NATAustralia returns to the Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup this week in Milton, Canada for the third and final stop of the season from April 20-23.
The four days of racing at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, just outside of Toronto, is the conclusion of a busy two months of racing for Australia’s best domestically-based track cyclists off the back of the 2023 Track Nationals and Oceania Championships in Brisbane.
Team sprint world champion Matthew Glaetzer will wear rainbows for the first time internationally this year, after missing the squad’s winning start to 2023 at the opening round in Jakarta due to his January wedding.
The Australian Cycling Team star is one of seven members of the team in Canada who will be making their first appearance of the Track Nations Cup season.
UCI WorldTour riders Kelland O’Brien, Alyssa Polites (both Team Jayco AlUla) and Sarah Roy (Canyon//SRAM) are among the ins, as are Josh Duffy and Chloe Moran, with the latter in hot form after winning seven titles in Brisbane.
Young talent Sophie Marr has been handed an opportunity to impress on the international stage and will be in line for her Track Nations Cup debut should she race in Milton. The 18-year-old was a steady performer in Brisbane and won bronze in the Oceania Madison with Moran.
Completing the squad is sprint star Matthew Richardson, Leigh Hoffman, Conor Leahy, Oliver Bleddyn, Blake Agnoletto, Kristina Clonan and Sophie Edwards, who will all make their second appearance of the season.
Leahy is quickly becoming a senior member of the team pursuit squad and said it was exciting to slot O’Brien back into the line.
“You can really tap into his experience and knowledge from his background of the last Olympic cycle,” Leahy said.
“It has been good to see that commitment from him and the other boys from Tokyo and it’s starting to feel like it's coming together within the team.
“I think the biggest boost from having guys like Kell come back into the squad is the extra confidence and excitement they bring. You always know they will be strong and dialled and that every effort will be an opportunity to learn.”
That excitement is welcome to aid in shaking off the jetlag from a lengthy commute to Canada, with the team landing last weekend to provide enough time to adjust.
“We’ve had a nice few days to settle in, spin out the massive travel and get familiarised with the track shape,” Leahy said.
“It was good to blow the cobwebs out yesterday and find a bit of rhythm and confidence going into Day 1.
“There is a sense of really feeling how the team has built through the year, and how confidence and trust within the team is getting stronger and stronger.
“These next few days are super important for us as it’s the last chance before the pre-worlds camp that we can all race together.
“It’s also the last chance to see what other teams are up to and if we can stamp out a result here it will be mint for the confidence and momentum going into Glasgow.”
Momentum is a buzzword in Milton for the green-and-gold, with the Canadian boards serving as a happy hunting ground last year, winning four gold medals and nine podiums in total.
Clonan was one of the four gold medal rides last May, a win she remembers fondly for good reason.
“I’ve got some really good memories from Milton last year when I got up for my first Nations Cup win in the 500m time trial,” Clonan said.
“It’s a bit of a tricky track to ride, so just looking to use the learnings from last year and put that into play this week.”
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist won’t have the opportunity to win again in the 500m TT due to this season’s events mirroring the Olympics but knows she can match it with the best after finishing fifth in the keirin in Jakarta and overcoming Olympic silver medallist Ellesse Andrews to win the Oceania keirin title.
“Brisbane was a great opportunity to see where we were at form-wise. It was a great confidence booster and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do here,” Clonan said.
“Not targeting the sprint or keirin above the other but looking to perform well in both.
“We’re continuing to build with the target being Glasgow in August and there are a few incentives flying around in terms of points so I’m up for the challenge of it all.”
Team pursuit qualifying gets the Milton Track Nations Cup underway tomorrow at 8am AEST.
Australian Cycling Team in Milton:
- Kristina Clonan
- Sophie Edwards
- Sophie Marr
- Chloe Moran
- Alyssa Polites
- Sarah Roy
- Matthew Richardson
- Matthew Glaetzer
- Leigh Hoffman
- Kelland O'Brien
- Conor Leahy
- Josh Duffy
- Oliver Bleddyn
- Blake Agnoletto
What is the UCI Track Nations Cup?
The 2023 Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup will play a decisive role in the qualification of nations for the 2023 UCI Track World Championships (August 3-9), which will take place as part of the UCI Cycling World Championships, the first edition of which will be held in Glasgow and across Scotland from August 3-13.
The three rounds of the series will also count towards the UCI Track Olympic Ranking, allowing nations to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Read our breakdown of the qualification process here.
How to watch:
Characteristics of Mattamy National Cycling Centre:
- Length: 250 metres
- Width: 7 metres
- Surface: Untreated Siberian Spruce
- Bend: Maximum 42 degrees
- Straight: Maximum 17 degrees
Follow @AusCyclingTeam
Follow @AusCycling
Feature image: Guy Swarbrick
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