Matt Wilson aims to create opportunities for next gen of Aussie cycling stars

A former national road cycling champion has been instrumental in creating a new series for up and coming Aussie riders. He fears what will happen if the venture fails.

Matt Wilson after winning the Herald Sun Tour race in Melbourne in 2007.

Former professional rider Matt Wilson hopes his hard work over the past 12 month to create a new pathway for domestic cycling can produce Australian stars of the future.

He fears that if it fails a generation of riders might be lost and not get the opportunity he once had.

Next year will be one of the most significant and important for Australian cycling with the introduction of the ProVelo Super League.

The Super League replaces the National Racing Series (NRS), which is the second tier of Australian cycling.

The series will race over eight events and travel to most of Australia.

Matt Wilson winning a race during his career.

The winner in the under-23 class, for men and women, will get the opportunity to trial for Team Jayco ALula.

Wilson, with the help of others including Jayco Caravans owner Gerry Ryan, created the new competition.

The former pro rider, who also owned a team in the NRS, saw the domestic scene in desperate need of help.

“I’ve been a cyclist and I’ve got my own team, so I’ve been racing in Australia for eight years as part of a team,” he revealed.

“We also ran our own NRS events for three years.

“The domestic cycling scene was struggling, and I just hoped to create something that fills the gap and can be more commercially successful and provide a pathway for young Australians for years to come.”

The new series has attracted eight new teams and a host of sponsors with teams in the NRS also starting to come on board.

Television rights have also been secured for the series, which will travel to South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.

Wilson said the new concept had to work.

“It’s encouraging we have so many new teams coming on board,” he said.

“They can see that value.

“Once the league is up and running and what the look is, hopefully it snowballs from there.

“It is super important (it works).

“Without a strong domestic scene where do the next crop of champions come from?

“How do they get inspired and where do they go to race?”

Wilson knows initimately the heyday of domestic cycling in Australia as he was a major competitor in it.

He is a former Australian road race champion, winning the event in 2004 in Ballarat.

In 2007 he won the Herald Sun Tour, the biggest professional win of his career.

Matt Wilson after winning the Herald Sun Tour race in Melbourne in 2007.

It was the win which saved his career and led to five more years of riding before retirement in 2012.

“It was one of my favourite moments in cycling,” he said.

“It was right at the end of a terrible season.

“I had many broken bones and falls and couldn’t get a contract.

“It was my comeback race from an injury and I trained the house down.

“I came in, and rarely do I think I can win the race, but I thought I could win this I was feeling so good.

“I had a great team behind me and we went in there and we pulled it off.”

His success is now providing the inspiration to make sure riders get the chance to compete and become stars of the future.

“I grew up racing tours all around Australia and there was a healthy domestic scene back then,” he said.

“Some of the best champions came through that program.

“It’s unthinkable to think of a scene without it.

“It’s an important part of cycling to have these opportunities.”

The new season starts from January 18 to 20 in South Australia at the Tour Down Under.

You can view the rest of the series and find out more information about it here.

Originally published as Matt Wilson aims to create opportunities for next gen of Aussie cycling stars