TrackNats24: Walsh, McCaig and South Australia win elite national titles on Day 3

'I know how many silver medals I’ve got’: Liam Walsh wins long-awaited maiden national championship in scratch race

For several years, Queensland’s Liam Walsh has found himself on the minor medal steps of the podium at TrackNats. That all changed on Day 3 of the 2024 AusCycling Track National Championships in Brisbane.

Walsh looked all but out of the race in the closing laps of the elite men’s scratch race as multiple moves went off the front of the main bunch, including a major move from points race and individual pursuit national champion Conor Leahy.

But patience from Walsh and trust in his Queensland teammates proved to be a masterstroke, with the 22-year-old rocketing around Western Australian Stephen Hall and Tasmanian Josh Duffy in the final straight to win by millimetres at the line.

Disbelief and relief were written all over Walsh’s face as he celebrated his first elite national championship in front of his hometown crowd.

What he said:

“I’ve been there or thereabouts for the last four or five years and I know how many silver medals I’ve got but let’s just say almost too many to count. It’s so good to finally crack it.

“I didn’t think it was possible after last night’s performance in the points race, but today was a new day and the legs were good so I’m pretty happy.

“Rohan (Haydon-Smith) and Tyler (Tomkinson) did a little bit of work for me keeping it together and Tyler did some mega quick laps there when Conor (Leahy) was off the front to keep it in touch and I didn’t actually know where the front of the race was until the last corner where me and Josh (Duffy) were running at Stephan (Hall). But yeah, I didn’t know how far away the front was, but I was just going for the line and luckily it came back.

“It’s been a big three to four months for me. I really haven’t had enough time to train, it’s just been race and recover.

“I went close in December (to the omnium national title) and I did think I had that one after the finish but it was either one point my way or one point Graeme’s (Frislie) way and it didn’t fall my way that day. I put that behind me and had a really good RoadNats and Tour Down Under, and it’s been difficult coming back to the track but when you put it together it makes it worth it.

“I was really careful over the last few weeks. In New Zealand (at Oceanias) I had some issues with the dust and the dry air and the summer sort of caught up to me. So, I took a few days off over there and I pulled out of the omnium there because I was feeling the same way I was in the points race last night.

“But for today I had a very clear plan. I put on a big gear, a bigger gear than I’ve ever run in a bunch race and I just tried to keep the bunch rolling and keep it controlled. I was lining up behind Conor a lot so that he couldn’t get separation, and I lost him at eight to go when he went. But it was more about trying to be really careful with my effort today and making sure we didn’t have that fence battle like we did last night that made it so hard for me and keep it on the black line so that guys like Gus Miller and some of the other WA boys couldn’t really play the numbers and the blocking like they did so well last night.

“It was just a really clear plan from us and I think we were good enough to be able to pull it off.

“This jersey will go straight up on the wall tonight and it probably won’t leave there for a long time.”

Three for three: Alessia McCaig continues winning streak, defends 500m TT national title

Victorian Alessia McCaig has given herself the opportunity to collect all four sprint national titles from the 2024 TrackNats after successfully defending her elite women’s 500m time trial national championship.

After two nights of heavy racing, the 20-year-old played qualifying tactically in the earlier session of Sunday’s racing, finishing in fourth position behind the evergreen comeback of 40-year-old Kristine Perkins at the top of the standings in a time of 34.648.

In the final, McCaig shaved 1.1 seconds off her time to vault to the lead in a time of 34.358, with Tomasin Clark, Selina Ho and Perkins still to come.

Perkins would come the closest of the top-three qualifiers, setting a time of 34.658 to finish 0.3 seconds off McCaig.

Tomasin Clark from New South Wales finished third to collect to the bronze medal.

McCaig will race for the clean sweep in the team sprint on Tuesday with Victorian teammates Megan Reed and Ning Chien.

What she said:

“I’m feeling pretty relieved right now. Super happy to get three from three and put down a pretty good time that I’m happy with,” McCaig said.

“In qualifying I just went in there and kept it nice and relaxed and calm. Didn’t burn all my biccies and then put a big gear on the final and just went all out. So yeah, it was kind of in the plan but I’m happy – that's all I can ask for.

“It’d be really special if I could clean up all four sprint titles, but the team sprint is just for fun and I’m really excited to do it with Megan and Ning - bring it on!”

South Australia wins fourth consecutive elite women's team pursuit national title

South Australia’s elite women’s team pursuit quartet of Chloe Moran, Sophie Edwards, Alli Anderson and Summer Nordmeyer notched four national championships on the trot for their state on Sunday night at Anna Meares Velodrome.

The South Australians were guaranteed the national title as the only state or territory entered in the event and went up against Ireland’s team of Lara Gillespie, Mia Griffin, Kelly Murphy and Alice Sharpe for the gold medal.

At the end of the 4000 metres pursuit, it was the Irish on top in a time of 4:17.670 to South Australia’s 4:24.953.

What they said:

Alli Anderson: “To be quite honest, I just had a very average ride. So, I let the team down a little bit, but thankfully I've got three strong girls behind me to like to bring me up. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by these girls. I mean, it's a team event, so, you know, if one person is lacking, they are able to pick it up. So yeah, I'm really stoked and I'm glad we can still produce a pretty solid ride.

“We trained once before the event. So, you know, it's always a hit and miss with how it will go, but yeah, we're all behind each other and I think that's super important.

“It's awesome being able to share it with other girls. My first individual jersey (on Day 1) was incredible. It still hasn't really sunk in, but being able to celebrate with the girls, you know, everyone's like, ‘oh, you did so good.’

“You lift each other up, so I think it's really nice to be able to share that positivity and bring everyone up with you instead of just yourself.”

Alex Hewes – Junior Men’s Points Race National Champion

What he said:

“It’s been such an awesome week. Literally, nothing could have gone better. Like, a great IP for me, like one of my best IPs ever. Then yeah, to win the scratch for the first time and to win the points again, same as last year (in U17). It’s pretty awesome.

“I was quite surprised at how high the pace was towards the start. Everyone was sprinting pretty fast at the beginning, and I was getting a bit worried, but when we got away for the first time, that's when it started to get a bit better for me.

“When we got the first lap, got the points for the sprint as well, that's when the momentum started to pull forward. And then obviously we got the second lap, which was really cool and yeah, to get the final sprint as well – I couldn't have done it without my teammates, Luke (Richert) and Toby (Jones). They helped so much, so it's a big, big thank you to them.

“I like the bigger gears to be honest. The little gear didn't really suit me too well (in U17). But yeah, it's awesome to have a longer race distance and more competition, and yeah, It's really cool. I love it.”

Liliya Tatarinoff – Junior Women’s 500m Time Trial National Champion

What she said:

“I'm pretty happy. I definitely think there's more work to be done for if I go to junior worlds. For the first lap, that's definitely where I want to improve. And if I get faster in the first lap, then the second lap I'll be coming in faster, so hopefully that lap will be faster as well. So yeah, I'm pretty happy with how I went today though.

“NSWIS has been a great, great help. And my coach, Sean Eadie, he's been great. A very good coach. And all my teammates are great to train with.”

South Australia – Junior Women’s Team Pursuit National Champions
(Leani van der Berg, Ava Wilson, Madeleine Wasserbaech, Ava Schmidtke)

What they said:

Leani van der Berg: “Over the moon. We've come third and then second. So, coming first now, it's really good. Just to step it up again this year is really great. Every year we've just stepped it up.

“Just like the small little details. We've been working a lot on, like, our position, our line on the track. So, just little things that add up to make it work.

“I think the ultimate goal is to go faster again, but yeah, I think we're all moving up eventually together. So, you know, we'll mainly just be saying together.

“We literally could not have done it without Ash Ankudinoff. And then all of our mechanics – Josh and Nashie, Brett, Alana – literally impossible without any of them.”

Madeleine Wasserbaech: “And then of course, all the other SA teammates who are the biggest hecklers!”

Ava Wilson: “It sort of started as juniors. We've just all like, it's all been about the team. We're not individual riders. When we come here, we're all a team. So, it's been since juniors that we come up and we're just all here for each other.”

Madeleine Wasserbaech: “We all like to support each other. Have a good vibe around as well, make sure you cheer each other on.

“And we're all really good friends, so that kind of helps as well.”

South Australia – Junior Men’s Team Sprint National Champions
(Tayte Ryan, Kai Arbery, Niel van Niekerk)

What they said:

Tayte Ryan: “That one definitely hurt. I had to fight pretty hard in the last lap there, but we got the job done.”

Niel van Niekerk: It was just a bit of a front start (in qualifying), so we switched it up a bit like last year and went well again. Good to get the gold two years in a row.”

Kai Arbery: “Real stoked with my start lap.”

Tayte Ryan: “It’s bloody hard to get to.”

Kai Arbery: “That’s a PB by two tenths since Oceays so really happy with that.”

Tayte Ryan: “Ideally, we would really like to put together a team for junior worlds in China and I think given how we rode today, Kai put down an excellent start lap and we performed well as a team, so hoping for the best, but we’ll see how we go with that.

“It’s been five or six years now that SA have won this with Jimmy (Glasspool) so it’s nice to keep that going.”

Pictures: Mackenzie Sweetnam