Elsie Apps and Caleb McKenzie will represent Australia in road cycling at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Apps heads to Senegal after competing for the ARA Australian Cycling Team at the 2026 UCI Junior Track World Championships and arrives fresh from a European road campaign in Belgium with ARA Skip Capital.
"Honestly, it's pretty unreal. I've put a lot of work into my cycling, so to get the chance to represent Australia is something I'm really proud of. I'm just super excited to get over there and give it everything," Apps said.
In 2026, McKenzie has raced for Team Brennan domestically and U19 Academy Région Sud p/b Giant in Europe.
The younger brother of UCI WorldTour professional Hamish McKenzie lines up with the individual time trial firmly in his sights.
"I want to target the ITT as my main goal of the Olympics, with the goal of putting together a good ride, and keep the ball rolling into the road race," McKenzie said.
The YOG will be held from October 31 to November 13 in the capital of Senegal, which is making history as the first African city to host an Olympic sports event.
It will bring together around 2,700 athletes from over 200 National Olympic Committees and be staged across three host zones, Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, under the motto "Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates".
Cycling will be represented on the programme by the road discipline, with two events for each gender: a road race (November 8) and an individual time trial (November 10).
All 84 cyclists - 42 women and 42 men - will compete in both.
Australian Youth Olympic Team (Cycling) - Dakar 2026
- Elsie Apps (Goulburn Cycle Club / NSW)
- Caleb McKenzie (Tas Junior Cycling Foundation / TAS)
Feature picture: SWpix.com