Aussies set to bring bling to Brisbane for Track Cycling World Cup

Brisbane will be glittering with rainbows with ten reigning world champions confirmed in a stellar Australian Team for the 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup from December 13-15.

The Brisbane round of the World Cup offers valuable qualifying points for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and will be the Australians’ last race on home soil ahead of February’s World Championships.

The team boasts more than forty elite world titles, with ten reigning world champions, and eight Olympians set to line up on the Anna Meares Velodrome across the three days of competition.

Reigning men’s team pursuit world champion and world record holders Sam Welsford, Alex Porter, Kelland O’Brien and Leigh Howard are confirmed, along with reigning women’s world champions Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSWIS), Annette Edmondson, Georgia Baker and Alexandra Manly.

“There’s nothing like home soil, we had the 2012 World Championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games on home soil and that was incredible,” said dual Olympian Edmondson. “It’s been three years since I’ve worn these rainbows and you never take it for granted. To have another chance to represent Australia in the rainbows in the team pursuit, with a home crowd, that is just amazing.”

2019 team sprint world champions Stephanie Morton and Kaarle McCulloch (NSWIS) headline the sprinting contingent, as well as 2019 junior world champion athlete Tom Cornish (NSWIS).

“Racing is the best preparation for a big event like the Olympics and the World Cup in Brisbane is exactly that,” said Glaetzer, who claimed two gold medals on the Velodrome at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. “It will be a great dress rehearsal for us to really get in some good form and perform with the pressure of the crowd and everything going on around that.”

In superb signs for the next generation, four of the country’s developing athletes from the Australian Cycling Team’s Podium Potential Academy in Matthew Richardson, Tom Cornish, Maeve Plouffe andCaitlin Ward have been selected.

Before landing in Brisbane, members of the team will contest Round 4 of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand, from December 6-8.

Australia’s para-cycling stars will also be in action across the three days in Brisbane with the event to include a UCI category 1 event for the time trial, individual pursuit and scratch race with critical qualifying points towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.  The Australian Para-cycling contingent will be named closer to the event.

Team Australia

Sprint

• Stephanie Morton – SA – reigning team sprint world champion
• Kaarle McCulloch – NSW – reigning team sprint world champion
• Caitlin Ward – VIC – Dual reigning national champion, Podium Potential Academy Member
• Matthew Glaetzer – SA – 2018 sprint world champion
• Nathan Hart – ACT – 2018 World Cup gold medallist
• Matthew Richardson – WA – Podium Potential Academy Member
• Tom Cornish – NSW – 2019 junior world champion; Podium Potential Academy Member

Endurance

• Ashlee Ankudinoff – NSW – reigning individual & team pursuit world champion
• Nettie Edmondson – SA – reigning team pursuit world champion
• Georgia Baker – TAS – reigning team pursuit world champion
• Alexandra Manly – SA – reigning points race & team pursuit world champion
• Maeve Plouffe – SA – reigning Oceania champion, Podium Potential Academy Member
• Sam Welsford – WA – reigning scratch & team pursuit world champion
• Alex Porter – SA – reigning team pursuit world champion
• Kelland O’Brien – VIC – reigning team pursuit world champion
• Leigh Howard – VIC – reigning team pursuit world champion
• Cameron Meyer – WA – nine-time career world champion

2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup

Brisbane’s Anna Meares Velodrome will host the 2019-2020 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup where the world’s best track cyclists will battle for gold and valuable qualifying points for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic & Paralympic Games from December 13-15.

The event will be delivered by Cycling Australia in partnership with the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Marketing.

Schedule

• FRI 13 DEC: Team Pursuit; Team Sprint; Para-cycling Time Trial
• SAT 14 DEC: Men’s Omnium; Women’s Madison; Men’s Keirin; Women’s Sprint; Para-cycling Individual Pursuit
• SUN 15 DEC: Women’s Omnium; Men’s Madison; Women’s Keirin; Men’s Sprint; Para-cycling Scratch Race

Tickets

Ticket prices begin from only $10 for day sessions, while fans can get along to the evening’s finals action for as little as $30, with Family and Series passes also available. Secure your seats at the official website brisbanetrackworldcup.com/tickets