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Cycling Australia is pleased to announce the junior riders to contest the 2011 UCI Road World Championships in Denmark and the2011 Youth Commonwealth Games on the Isle of Man.

 

Since 2005 the Junior World Championships has featured both track and road events but from this year under-19, under-23 and elite road events will all be decided at the same Championships, this year being staged from 19 to 25 September in Copenhagen.

 

"I think the youngsters will really benefit from being in a team environment with experienced, elite professionals and I'm sure they'll be paying close attention to the way their heroes behave and prepare for the worlds," said Cycling Australia High Performance Manager, Paul Brosnan.

 

"But the energy and excitement of the juniors will also add something special to the team dynamic and I expect their youthful enthusiasm will be infectious."

 

Jessica Allen and Calvin Watson contested the 2010 World Championships and have been selected again in 2011 while Allen, Allison Rice and Jessica Mundy will contest both the worlds and the Youth Commonwealth Games being staged from 7 to 13 September.

 

Several other riders named today are also members of the team that heads to Moscow in August for the Junior Track World Championships.

 

The juniors selected in the Australian Cyclones team for the 2011 UCI Road World Championships are:

• Jessica Allen (Doubleview WA, 17.04.1993)
• Allison Rice (Ainslie ACT, 24.03.1994)
• Jessica Mundy (Ashton SA, 25.09.1994)

• Alexander Edmondson (Stirling, SA 22.12.1993)
• David Edwards (Cleveland QLD, 21.04.1993)
• Jackson Law (Balgownie, NSW 02.02.1993)
• Bradley Linfield (Dalyellup WA, 29.06.1994)
• Nicholas Schultz (Arana Hills QLD, 13.09.1994)
• Calvin Watson (Frankston VIC, 06.01.1993)

Eight riders have been nominated to the team for the Youth Commonwealth Games being held on the Isle of Man from 7 to 13 September.

• Jessica Allen (Doubleview WA, 17.04.1993)
• Allison Rice (Ainslie ACT, 24.03.1994)
• Jessica Mundy (Ashton SA, 25.09.1994)
• Emily Roper (Elanora, QLD 24.07.1994)

• Jack Beckinsale (Grays Point NSW, 27.05.1993)
• Caleb Ewan (Bowral, NSW 07.11.1994)
• Robert-Jon McCarthy (South Brighton SA, 30.03.1994)
• Alexander Morgan (Mitcham, VIC 18.07.1994)

The closing date for appeals against non-selection is 5pm (Sydney time) Friday 24 June, 2011.

 

The Australian under 19 team to contest the UCI Junior Track World Championships being staged in Moscow, Russia from 17 to 21 August was announced in February and is listed below for reference.

• Georgia Baker (Perth, TAS 21.09.1994)
• Taylah Jennings (The Range, QLD 18.05.1994)
• Allee Proud (Mt Hawthorn, WA 26.02.1994)
• Emily Roper (Elanora, QLD 24.07.1994)
• Adele Sylvester (Hawthorn East, VIC 02.11.1993)

• Jack Cummings (Endeavour Hills, VIC 02.01.1994)
• Alexander Edmondson (Stirling, SA 22.12.1993)
• Caleb Ewan (Bowral, NSW 07.11.1994)
• Jaron Gardiner (Miners Rest, VIC 10.03.1993)
• Jackson Law (Balgownie, NSW 02.02.1993)
• Timothy McMillan (Woronora Heights, NSW 10.12.1993)
• Alexander Morgan (Mitcham, VIC 18.07.1994)
• Luke Parker (Ormond, VIC 21.10.1993)
• Rick Sanders (Heatherton, VIC 03.05.1993)

Nicholas earns call up to Para-cycling team

 

Cycling Australia has also confirmed the additional selection of Victorian David Nicholas (Proserpine QLD, 01.12.1991) to the team to contest the C3 events at the 2011 Para-cycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark from 5 to 12 September

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Stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia was taken out in exemplary style yesterday, with Mark Cavendish stomping home for the win – almost a bike length ahead of closest rival, Davide Apollonio from Team Sky. The 184km stage from Castelfirdado to Ravenna was hotly contested by an aggressive peloton, but HTC Highroad kept their cool for the entire stage, with the end result placing Cavendish over the line first.

The manxman’s team entered the final 2km on the front of the peloton, as they had been for the majority of the stage – but a small crash almost took down the entire HTC Highroad team, as they entered one of the first corners of the township of Ravenna. A rider from Androni Cycling Team misjudged a sharp left hand turn, and cut in front of the Cavendish leadout, and into the barriers. This set off a chain reaction, with several big names including Robbie Hunter hitting the tarmac.

The peloton continued in to the village, with the familiar colours of HTC Highroad stringing out off the front of the field, which had now been reduced to less than 30 riders after the aforementioned pile-up. This still did not reduce the risk of HTC losing their stage win, with “every team coming to the front to fight for the finale”.

Hitting the final kilometre, and it was Lars Bak who continued the ruthless pace of the HTC Highroad leadout – followed directly behind by Mark Renshaw, who took over the controls with 500m to go. Renshaw again increased the pace until the 200m indicator, where Cavendish began to make his move. Anticipating a response by Italian stallion Pettachi, Mark Cavendish hit the gas early, leaving his biggest concern behind…

However, it was Sky Pro Team rider, Davide Apollonio who stealthily charged across from Pettachi’s wheel, and up behind Cavendish who was 80m from the line. Apollonio had tried to run up the right hand side of the stage winner, but faded against the raw power of Cavendish who at this point already had his hands aloft. The tally of wins for Cavendish is at two for now, but he has hopes of bettering that in the coming stages…

By  Joey  A. Esterhuyzen

http://www.joeysracing.com

By Jarrod Patridge



CT: First of all, congratulations on your recent result at the Giro, Can you tell us what wearing the Maglia Rosa meant to you?

It has been a fantastic week for me, the best since I am a professional rider. Wearing the pink jersey with the roads crowded with Italian tifossi is a memory I always keep. People love very much that race; I would say that the Giro has a special flavor and this has been a spectacular edition with many attacks from the beginning. 

CT: You defended the pink jersey with such passion and tenacity, can you tell us what the suffering was like, particularly while climbing the Passo del Mortirolo?

I tried to calculate the efforts during the climb up to Mortirolo, knowing that the second part of the stage could be decisive, as my team director, Neil Stephens, suggested to me.  Mortirolo and Zoncolan are among the hardest mountains in cycling and I usually do better in the Pyrenees or the French Alps, with long slopes and less gradient.

CT: Wet roads and steep inclines made the descent of Stage 19 so dangerous. People  were on the edge of their seats watching you fly down the mountain. Were you nervous or could you only think about the stage?

I thought the descent was worth taking the risk, the asphalt was in good condition. After the Gavia stage, the Italian TV asked me why I did not take the risk there. There it was really dangerous road, with parts dry and an old asphalt with holes. And ravines nearby! 

CT:  What inspired you to want to become a professional cyclist?

I started cycling seriously at the age of 15 and I have always been a lover of nature; cycling it is a way to visit places also and little by little I got more involved in it.

CT: Caisse D'Epargne is such a strong team, and you have been with them for about 5 years. What does it mean to you to be with one of the biggest Pro Tour teams?

This is a really serious team who tries to compete for the overall in all the races. For that reason, the team tries that domestics as me have our chances in a couple of races during the year.  It is a way to give experience of winning to many riders.  My team mates really fought hard in the break of L´Aquila and during the last week against the push of Liquigas.

 And finally…

CT: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?!

I am very normal guy, but let me say that I like Spanish food. Jamón would be a good choice, I think!

Photos courtesy of Bob Cullinan. To see more