Australian team named for 2022 UCI Track World Championships in France

AusCycling has named an Australian squad of 15 track cyclists to vie for rainbow jerseys at the 2022 UCI Track World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France from October 12-16.

Endurance

The men’s and women’s endurance side of the Australian team that will compete at Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, situated just outside Paris, combines six UCI WorldTour road professionals with four domestically based Australian Cycling Team members.

Tokyo 2020 Olympians Kelland O’Brien, Lucas Plapp and Sam Welsford reunite together on the boards for the first time since winning team pursuit bronze at Izu Velodrome last year.

Welsford and O’Brien have both tasted rainbow glory at prior UCI Track World Championships, with Welsford a three-time team pursuit world champion as well as the 2019 scratch race world champion, while O’Brien is a two-time team pursuit world champion.

Sam Welsford and Kelland O'Brien in action at the opening round of the 2022 UCI Track Nations Cup in Glasgow, Scotland. Picture: More CADENCE

Plapp has been the most active of the three on the boards in 2022, racing at the UCI Track Nations Cup in Milton, Canada, and Birmingham 2022.

Both Welsford and O’Brien raced at the opening round of the UCI Track Nations Cup in Glasgow, Scotland back in April.

The WorldTour neo-pro trio are joined by rising stars Josh Duffy and Conor Leahy, who both played pivotal roles for Australia at the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The exciting Australian Cycling Team and Team BikeExchange-Jayco trident of Georgia Baker, Alexandra Manly and Ruby Roseman-Gannon are joined by soon-to-be WorldTour neo-pro Maeve Plouffe and Chloe Moran.

Baker and Manly bring world championship-winning pedigree to the squad, while Roseman-Gannon will be making her elite Track World Championships debut.

The women’s endurance squad will have a heightened focus on achieving results in bunch races at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, as AusCycling’s Executive General Manager of Performance Jesse Korf explained.

“For the women, we have the ambition to improve on our performance in the bunch races where Georgia Baker and Alex Manly have shown promising signs in the Nations Cup season,” Korf said.

“We will certainly run the team pursuit but as it pertains to selection, we would like to improve our ranking in the bunch events for the women, as we have exciting talent in this space and therefore paid specific attention to this during the selection process.

“Whilst the Olympic qualification period isn't open yet, an improved ranking will set us up well when it does open next season.

“It is also an important learning moment for us as we encourage track riders to pick up pro contracts and then bring them back in for key competitions.

Maeve Plouffe celebrates winning individual pursuit gold at the Milton UCI Track Nations Cup in May. Picture: UCI/SWPix

“We will have most of our male track WorldTour riders back in the line-up and the crew is looking to be competitive but also spend valuable time training and racing together.”

Australian team: Endurance

Georgia Baker (Northern Districts Cycling Club, TAS)
Alexandra Manly (Central Districts CC, SA)
Chloe Moran (Central Districts CC, SA)
Maeve Plouffe (Port Adelaide CC, SA)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Brunswick CC, VIC)
Josh Duffy (Launceston City CC, TAS)
Conor Leahy (Peel District CC, WA)
Kelland O'Brien (St Kilda CC, VIC)
Lucas Plapp (Brunswick CC, VIC)
Sam Welsford (Northern Beaches CC, WA)

Sprint

Australia’s 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning men’s team sprint squad remains unchanged for the 2022 UCI Track World Championships.

Australian Cycling Team veteran Matthew Glaetzer is joined by Leigh Hoffman, Thomas Cornish and 2022 revelation Matthew Richardson.

On the women’s sprint side, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kristina Clonan will look to continue her ascension up the ranks and build on her successful Birmingham 2022 individual results.

Kristina Clonan rounds a bend en route to 500m time trial gold at the Milton UCI Track Nations Cup. Picture: Ivan Rupes

Head Coach of Acceleration and Action Dr Scott Gardner said it is an exciting time for the Australian sprint team after achieving excellent results to this point of the year.

“Sprint coaches Dr Lynne Munro and Matt Crampton have worked hard with the team and the World Championships provide the sprinters with the next opportunity to execute what they have been practicing under pressure on a big stage,” Gardner said.

“We are heavily focused on learning as much as we can as we progress towards the Olympics in 2024.

“We have started talking about excellence a lot inside the team and will be looking for the sprinters to enjoy racing while continuing to build belief and confidence in their race processes.”

Gardner added there is strong competition for spots in the men’s sprint team.

The Australian Cycling Team men's team sprint squad has been lighting up the boards in 2022. Picture: More CADENCE

“They have been heavily focused on team sprint in past years, so it will be great to see them express themselves in some other sprint events at the international level in France,” Gardner said.

“Matt Glaetzer, Matt Richardson and Tom Cornish have all shown good progression in speed this season. They will be looking to continue their progression in tactical execution against the fastest riders in the world.

“They will also come together with Leigh Hoffman in the team sprint, where we would like to see them enjoy racing together while working on developing a solid race plan that we can continue to develop further towards the Olympics, which will be at the same velodrome in 2024.

“Kristina Clonan’s transition from endurance is a great success story and credit to the coaches – she is improving every time she steps out on the track.”

Top draw results are 100 per cent on the mind of the men’s sprint team as they prepare for Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, with 23-year-old Richardson stating his biggest goal will be the team sprint.

Matthew Richardson has had a breakout 2022 season. Picture: Ivan Rupes

“I think we stand a really good chance at being on the podium and then from there I’m looking at executing in the same way I have all season in the sprint and keirin,” Richardson said.

“It’s going to be awesome being back at the World Championships after missing it in 2021.

“I’ve got an Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games now under my belt, so plenty of big competition experience to feed off.”

The Western Australian has elected for a different preparation for the 2022 UCI Track World Championships and remained in Europe following Birmingham 2022.

“The prep here in Europe is going super well,” Richardson said.

Matthew Richardson has been winning medals for fun in 2022. Picture: More CADENCE

“Morale is high and I’m really enjoying the training and lifestyle balance.

“Vibes are super high off the back of Commies (Commonwealth Games) and I’m going to ride that wave all the way through until worlds.”

Australian team: Sprint

Matthew Glaetzer (Central Districts CC, SA)
Matthew Richardson (Midland CC, WA)
Leigh Hoffmann (Whyalla CC, SA)
Thomas Cornish (Southern Cross CC, NSW)
Kristina Clonan (Sunshine Coast CC, QLD)

About the 2022 UCI Track World Championships

The UCI Track World Championships are the annual world championships for track cycling organised by the governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

When: October 12 – 16, 2022
Where: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
Velodrome: Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines

Characteristics of the track

Length: 250 metres
Width: 8 metres
Surface: Siberian wood
Bend: Maximum 43.8°
Straight: Maximum 13°