Worlds: Team pursuit the focus for Aussie track endurance

With one eye on the Paris Olympics, the team pursuit will be the focus of Australia’s track endurance campaign at next month’s World Championships.

The ARA Australian Cycling Team has been encamped in Portugal this week, putting the finishing touches on preparations for the combined UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.

As explained earlier this year, the team pursuit is a golden ticket for the 2024 Olympic Games, and these World Championships offer the biggest basket of qualification points of any single event.

Australia last won a team pursuit world championship in 2019, when our men and women both secured the rainbow bands. Since then, it’s been an unusually long medal drought – the best result was fourth last year for both men and women.

Aussie rider Kelland O’Brien said although Paris is a major target, the goal in Glasgow will be to win.

“We’re 12 months away from the big one and we haven’t put much together yet since Tokyo. For us, it’s a good opportunity to learn and to grow as a team,” O’Brien said.

“By no means are we going there to make up the numbers. We’re here to win, to try our best, and overall it’s a good chance to put in some good, solid rides.”

His teammate Conor Leahy is similarly optimistic.

“We always go for the win, but I genuinely believe we are medal opportunists this year. Pretty confident vibes, but we’re not getting too ahead of ourselves. We still know it’s a massive fight and anything can happen in these massive, big races,” Leahy said.

This year’s squad features a high proportion of athletes who have been dipping in and out of the track program while juggling professional road careers.

O’Brien, Georgia Baker and Maeve Plouffe are among that number, as are Sam Welsford and Alexandra Manly – the latter two coming straight from the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes respectively.

Leahy, Chloe Moran, Sophie Edwards, Oliver Bleddyn and Josh Duffy round out the squad that will compete across seven days at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

“This year, it’s completely different because everyone’s coming from different backgrounds, different road teams, some from the track, some from Europe, some from Australia,” Plouffe said.

“That’s a really exciting thing because we did identify with the old approach that it wasn’t lifting us to the level we needed to be. We want to get on the podium, we want to get on the top step.

“So far in this camp, the results have been really good. I’m really excited from what we’ve seen with the girls on the team and the level of performance we’ve all been giving. It’s a lot higher than I’ve seen in recent years, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Moran will be particularly busy, with the scratch race, elimination race and omnium all on her program in addition to the team pursuit.

“This will be my second Worlds, so I’m still a bit fresh to it and I’m really keen,” Moran said.

“Both times I went to the UK last year to compete, the crowds were unreal. I thought they were supportive of everyone; it was just a really good atmosphere. I haven’t been to Glasgow yet, but I’ve heard that’s the vibe of the crowd over there; they really get behind everyone.”

ARA Australian Cycling Team for 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships

Track Endurance

Women Elite

• Georgia Baker (Team Pursuit, Madison, Points Race)
• Sophie Edwards (Team Pursuit)
• Alexandra Manly (Team Pursuit, Madison)
• Chloe Moran (Team Pursuit, Scratch Race, Elimination Race, Omnium)
• Maeve Plouffe (Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit)

Men Elite

• Oliver Bleddyn (Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit)
• Josh Duffy (Team Pursuit, Scratch Race, Elimination Race, Points Race)
• Conor Leahy (Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit)
• Kelland O'Brien (Team Pursuit, Omnium)
• Sam Welsford (Team Pursuit)

For more coverage of the ARA Australian Cycling Team at the UCI Cycling World Championships, visit our Glasgow 2023 Hub. To subscribe to daily updates, click here.

Photos: Guy Swarbrick