'We’ve had nothing but positive feedback': Blackline Track League nears inaugural round

Blackline Track League becomes the new player in the Australian track calendar this weekend at Sydney’s Dunc Gray Velodrome – so here’s what it’s all about. 

The inaugural three-round series has steered away from reinventing the wheel for its racing and has taken inspiration from the six-day format and country carnival racing, which led to the idea of a team-oriented series. 

The key aspect of Blackline is the targeted demographic of under-19 and under-23 riders, an age group that co-founders Aaron ‘Bear’ Liang and Glenn Lake (Blackburn Cycling Club president) are excited to offer further racing opportunities to with the aim of retention in numbers on the boards and development. 

“We felt there was a bit of a void when it comes to racing after AJTS (Sharp EIT Junior Track Series) for everybody, particularly sprinters,” Liang said.

“Country carnivals tended to be what people used to be involved in for participation, but they've dropped off a bit and that age group after juniors, we lose them, because either they decide not to continue or they're not in that high-performance bracket. 

“We wanted to create something for that age group that was as accessible and cost-effective as possible and had meaningful racing for young people at university or just out of school and working who might otherwise have put the track bike away for good. 

“We wanted it to be an opportunity for people to ride with their mates if they weren't all in the same club and have fun and socialise, and the clubs have all got behind it, and we've got 13 fantastic sponsors that are funding the direct costs for the three rounds. 

“It's also in partnership with AusCycling regarding officiating and running race days, and all three rounds have events that meet the requirements for categorisation times for sprinters.” 

The 13 sponsors that have come on board, 10 of which are commercial companies, provided immediate life to the project after the league was unveiled. 

“From the moment that we put the idea up we’ve had nothing but positive feedback,” Liang said. 

“We've had no issue getting sponsors, and when we needed a couple more, we literally just put the call out again and those spots were immediately filled.  

“We realise it's a tough time financially for some, but people have been happy to contribute to see it happen.  

“There's a Blackline not-for-profit incorporated association that we’ve also created, and the ultimate goal is to raise funds to be able to assist young riders both in and out of the mainstream AusCycling programs to help them to get the racing they need, the equipment they need and host events. 

“The age groups are going to continually increase and essentially the plan is to follow this cohort and the current juniors up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.” 

After starting in Sydney, the Blackline Track League will head to Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome from November 30 to December 1 and finish at Melbourne’s DISC Velodrome on December 18 as the first of four days of racing at the Quest Ivanhoe 127^th Austral Wheelrace week. 

Blackline Track League’s organising committee of parents is already mooting plans for 2025 that would see the series make use of New Zealand and Western Australia. 

“The difficulty is finding dates in the calendar to fit it in. It's basically impossible, so that'll be a challenge for next year,” Liang said. 

“We have two teams from New Zealand racing in the league this year and they're keen on a round across the ditch next year. 

“We're talking about ways to make that happen in a way that makes the series still accessible to everyone, so it could be a bonus round, or we drop the worst round of scores from each team because we know not everyone can fly to New Zealand for racing. 

“We're keen to have an arrangement with the Western Australia track community as well, and that would be assisting WA riders being involved rather than taking an event out west at this stage.” 

Tickets for Blackline Track League rounds are for sale via their website, with discount codes provided for league riders’ family and friends. 

All three rounds will be live streamed on AusCycling YouTube. 

Blackline Track League 2024 teams: 

• Amy Gillett Foundation – The Wheelhouse 
• Don’t stop pedaling (Bananaman Flooring) 
• Life in Lycra (Terra Firma) 
• Hot Wheels (Blueline Architecture) 
• Jets (Blackburn Cycling Club) 
• Just Freight 
• Muzzketeers (Balmoral Cycling Club) 
• On Form (RW Corkery) 
• Team EOP (East Oz Plumbing) 
• The Green Machine (Ebor) 
• Trackyon (Freewater Plumbing) 
• VelocityNZ (Velobike) 
• WaterRower 

Feature picture: Josh Chadwick