A 16-athlete ARA Australian Cycling Team has been selected for the 2026 UCI Track World Championships, which is the first event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games qualifying cycle.
The squad will race at China’s Shanghai Chongming Velodrome from October 14–18.
Fifteen of the selections featured at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, with Liam Walsh returning to the men's endurance squad.
Felicity Wilson-Haffenden is the only selection yet to experience an elite Track Worlds.
The Tasmanian is part of an unchanged women's endurance squad that delivered six medals in Glasgow, including team pursuit, scratch race and elimination race golds.
Felicity Wilson-Haffenden will race at an elite UCI Track World Championships for the first time. (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Georgia Baker, Sophie Edwards, Claudia Marcks, Alyssa Polites join Wilson-Haffenden.
Blake Agnoletto, Thomas Cornish, Conor Leahy, James Moriarty and Walsh form a motivated men’s squad aiming to turn two silver medals from their two recent major events into gold.
AusCycling Head Coach of Endurance Conor Taylor said the Commonwealth Games was evidence of the progress made by both endurance squads and that they are tracking in the right direction towards LA.
"Our women have progressed significantly over the past 12 months. Seeing all their hard work rewarded with gold in the team pursuit in Glasgow was particularly pleasing," Taylor said.
"Our men were disappointed to miss out on team pursuit gold in Glasgow. As reigning Olympic champions, they rightly set themselves high performance standards and they knew they were capable of going faster on the day. However, they showed their class by winning multiple individual medals.
"This year's world championships will no doubt provide a particularly tough test given its proximity to the Commonwealth Games and that it opens the Olympic qualification period.
The men's team pursuit squad won silver a year ago in Santiago. (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
"However, we have a group of motivated athletes well prepared for the challenge and opportunity to compete against the best in the world for rainbow jerseys. Congratulations to all selected athletes."
On the sprint side, Glasgow sensation Leigh Hoffman has been selected alongside Ryan Elliott and Danny Barber for the second consecutive year.
The trio won team sprint Commonwealth gold and bronze at last year’s Track Worlds in Santiago.
Kristina Clonan, Alessia McCaig and Molly McGill will look to win Australia a third straight women’s team sprint world championship medal, with Clonan back for another Track Worlds campaign after missing 2025 due to injury.
Speaking on the selected sprint group, AusCycling Head Coach of Acceleration and Action Eric Haakonssen said the team is still developing ahead of LA28.
Leigh Hoffman stormed to three gold medals in Glasgow and picked up three medals at the 2025 Track Worlds. (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
"Leigh Hoffman and Kristina Clonan are the only Paris Olympians in our sprint group, but the squad carries real momentum from the Commonwealth Games and from the medals we won at last year's world championships," Haakonssen said.
"Ten weeks between the two events is a tight turnaround. The athletes are progressing well, and Matt Crampton (Men's Sprint Coach) and Kaarle McCulloch (Women's Sprint Coach) have driven strong work on team dynamics and performance behaviours alongside the physical preparation.
"Shanghai opens the LA Olympics performance period, so I congratulate every rider selected, and with strong talent pushing hard behind them these spots will be contested again next year.”
The first rankings of the LA28 UCI Track Olympic Qualification period will be tallied after Shanghai and be continually updated through to April 10, 2028.
As a trio, Molly McGill, Kristina Clonan and Alessia McCaig will be hungry to pick up from where they left off in 2024 at Track Worlds after Clonan missed 2025. (Getty Images)
ARA Australian Cycling Team – 2026 UCI Track World Championships
Endurance Men
- Blake Agnoletto (Bendigo and District CC / VIC)
- Thomas Cornish (Southern Cross CC / NSW)
- Conor Leahy (Peel District CC / WA)
- James Moriarty (Balmoral CC / QLD)
- Liam Walsh (Balmoral CC / QLD)
Endurance Women
- Georgia Baker (Northern Districts CC / TAS)
- Sophie Edwards (Norwood CC / SA)
- Claudia Marcks (Canberra CC / ACT)
- Alyssa Polites (Carnegie Caulfield CC / VIC)
- Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Hobart Wheelers Dirt Devils CC / TAS)
Sprint Men
- Danny Barber (Dubbo CC / NSW)
- Ryan Elliott (Balmoral CC / QLD)
- Leigh Hoffman (Whyalla CC / SA)
Sprint Women
- Kristina Clonan (Sunshine Coast CC / QLD)
- Alessia McCaig (Bendigo and District CC / VIC)
- Molly McGill (Balmoral CC / QLD)
Feature picture: SWpix.com