A proven and promising 18-rider ARA Australian Cycling Team has been selected to race at the 2025 UCI Track World Championships in Santiago, Chile.
The ARA Australian Cycling Team travelling to Velódromo Peñalolén to compete from October 22–26 is the largest assembled for a Track Worlds since 2017.
Comprising the 18-strong squad is five endurance men, five endurance women, four sprint men and four sprint women.
AusCycling Executive General Manager of Performance, Jesse Korf, said the team represents a great blend of experience and fresh talent – Olympic medallists, seasoned campaigners, athletes on the rise and those making their debut.
"After the intensity of the Olympic year, the World Championships this year are our first real step on the road to LA 2028, and they will also serve as an important marker on the way to next year’s Commonwealth Games," Korf said.
"It’s an exciting moment to see this group come together and test themselves on the world stage."
Olympic team pursuit gold medallist Conor Leahy returns to the green and gold for the first time since that famous night in Paris.
The Western Australian is the only change to the winning UCI Track Nations Cup team pursuit squad from March in Konya, joining Olympic champion and world record breaking teammate Oliver Bleddyn and the talented trio of Blake Agnoletto, James Moriarty and Liam Walsh.
Leahy said he was super excited to be back on the boards and on the pursuit bike.
"It’s been a long time since Paris but I think it was good for me to step away for a little bit to let the fire come back to the belly and give myself the challenge of stepping back into a squad of hitters," Leahy said.
"I can’t wait to get into the final parts of the prep with my mates and have the opportunity to fight for medals with them at the highest level of the sport again.
"We are all really excited to be back together properly training and preparing for a milestone event for the first time in over a year.
"We've all had different lead-ins and experiences this year but I think that’s what makes a team like ours special. We can spend months apart but when we get back together on the boards again we can just click and back each other in all the way."
Olympians and established performers Sophie Edwards, Alexandra Manly and Maeve Plouffe form an experienced women’s team pursuit core, flanked by Track Worlds debutants Claudia Marcks and Alyssa Polites.
Experience is no question for Marcks and Polites, with Marcks racing in Konya and at the Adelaide Track Nations Cup last year, while Polites was part of the Australian team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Both team sprint outfits raced to bronze medals in Ballerup 12 months ago, a feat both will be aiming to better or replicate on the opening night of competition.
Olympic team sprint bronze medallist Leigh Hoffman has quickly become a senior leader of the men’s unit, while exciting 21-year-old Ryan Elliott returns for his second Track Worlds appearance.
Keirin national champion Danny Barber and 19-year-old Tayte Ryan, a three-time junior world champion, will make their Track Worlds debuts, with Ryan’s first elite national team selection arriving in his first year out of the junior ranks.
On the women’s side, sprint and keirin national champion Alessia McCaig and emerging talent Molly McGill return after a successful debutant campaign a year ago.
Joining them is the evergreen Kristine Perkins, who will compete at a Track Worlds for the first time since winning team sprint bronze in 2007 alongside Anna Meares.
Rounding out the sprint women is 19-year-old Liliya Tatarinoff, who like Ryan, has earnt debut selection in her first year racing as an elite.
AusCycling Head Coach of Acceleration and Action, Eric Haakonssen, said the sprint squads “reflects our strategic priorities – building a world-class sprint program capable of contending for medals now while laying the foundation for LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032”.
“On the men’s side, we have a clear focus on strengthening our team sprint performance and refining our performance potential in individual events. With Leigh Hoffman bringing a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the group, Ryan Elliott consolidating his starting potential, and debutants Danny Barber and Tayte Ryan making the step up, we’re developing race-ready athletes who can deliver under pressure,” Haakonssen said.
“For the women, this balanced squads sees Kristine Perkins returning as a steadying force alongside Alessia McCaig and Molly McGill, with Liliya Tatarinoff earning selection in her first year out of juniors. This mix gives us both immediate podium potential and an eye on fast-tracking the next generation through a clear technical and physical development plan.
“The excitement is not just about Santiago – it’s about the breakthrough moments and the progression these athletes will carry forward into future campaigns.”
ARA Australian Cycling Team
Endurance Men
- Blake Agnoletto (Bendigo and District Cycling Club/VIC)
- Oliver Bleddyn (Norwood Cycling Club/SA)
- Conor Leahy (Peel District Cycling Club/WA)
- James Moriarty (Balmoral Cycling Club/QLD)
- Liam Walsh (Balmoral Cycling Club/QLD)
Endurance Women
- Sophie Edwards (Norwood Cycling Club/SA)
- Alexandra Manly (Central Districts Cycling Club/SA)
- Claudia Marcks (Canberra Cycling Club/ACT)
- Maeve Plouffe (Port Adelaide Cycling Club/SA)
- Alyssa Polites (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club/VIC)
Sprint Men
- Danny Barber (Dubbo Cycle Club/NSW)
- Ryan Elliott (Balmoral Cycling Club/QLD)
- Leigh Hoffman (Whyalla Cycling Club/SA)
- Tayte Ryan (Port Adelaide Cycling Club/SA)
Sprint Women
- Alessia McCaig (Bendigo and District Cycling Club/VIC)
- Molly McGill (Balmoral Cycling Club/QLD)
- Kristine Perkins (Track Cycling WA/WA)
- Liliya Tatarinoff (Central Coast Cycling Club/NSW)
Feature image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com