We list the riders to look out for ahead of the state titles
AusCycling Victoria will host its state titles this weekend for juniors and elite riders with competitors looking to book their spot for the national champs. Here’s who to look out for.
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Some of the best cyclists and the rising stars of the sport will be on show this weekend at the Victoria track cycling titles.
The best junior and senior athletes from around the state will compete against each other for not only a state title but a place on the Victorian team for the upcoming national titles.
Riders will compete in the sprint, points race, time trial, individual pursuit and the elimination races.
From Commonwealth Games riders, to national champions, to the best talent from country clubs and metro clubs, the event is expected to have plenty of competition.
The event starts on Saturday and finishes on Sunday at DISC Velodrome.
We list some of the riders to look out for.
Belinda Bailey, Bendigo & District Cycling Club
Will start as the favourite for the sprint in the under-19 women after winning the state title last year. Bailey is also an accomplished road race rider. She won the under-19 Oceania title last year.
Riley Boyd, Brunswick Cycling Club
Will be looking for his first medal at the state titles in the under-15 men after finishing fourth in multiple events last year. Expect him to end his medal hunt quickly.
Tarun Cook, Blackburn Cycling Club
Makes the rise to elite men after competing in the under-19s last year. Cook won silver in the sprint and won gold in the points race. At the nationals, Cook dominated, claiming gold in the team pursuit and the omnium before claiming bronze in the scratch race.
Pippa Denham, Horsham Cycling Club
Described as a smoky for her age group, Denham makes the rise to the under-17 women after finishing fourth in the under-15 sprint last year. The talented rider from Horsham also competed at last year’s national titles.
Madeleine Douglas, Bendigo & District Cycling Club
One of the favourites for the sprint after finishing second last year in the under-15s at the state titles. Douglas will also be looking for solid results in the time trial and points after finishing third and fourth last year respectively in both of them.
Jack Edwards, Shepparton Cycling Club
The sprinter will compete in the under-17 men as the defending champion in the time trial and will start favourite. He also finished second in the sprint. The Shepparton cyclist also won a bronze in the keirin and the team sprint at the nationals.
Oscar Gallagher, Blackburn Cycling Club
Another rider who makes the step up from under-17 men to the under-19s. Gallagher didn’t win a medal at the state titles last year but finished fourth in the points race at the nationals.
Sam Gallagher, Blackburn Cycling Club
Gallagher is the reigning champion in the sprint in the state titles after beating Conor Rowley last year. He also combined with Maddern and Pollard to win bronze at the national titles in the team sprint.
Angus Gill, Bendigo & District Cycling Club
Combined with his teammates to secure gold in the team pursuit last year for Victoria in the under-19s. Gill was unlucky not to win a state medal last year, competing in multiple events.
Taj Hindell, Brunswick Cycling Club
Will be looking for an improved performance after missing out on the quarter-finals of the sprint and the time trial last year.
Alana Hribar, Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club
Hribar won two bronze medals last year in the under-19s at the state titles in time trial and the individual pursuit before winning gold in the team pursuit for Victoria at the nationals. One to look out for as she gets more experience in the age group.
Lilyth Jones, Bendigo & District Cycling Club
Jones will be making the move up to under-19 women after winning two state titles last year in the under-17s in the individual pursuit and the points race. She is a national bronze medallist after finishing third in the points race last year.
Eddie Jirovec, Brunswick Cycling Club
A rider who makes the transition to the under-19 men after dominating the under-17s last year. Jirovec won the individual pursuit, the sprint and the points while finishing second in the time trial. At the nationals, he won the scratch race and the team pursuit.
Ollie Jirovec, Brunswick Cycling Club
Jirovec makes the rise to the under-17 men after winning gold in the points race and silver in the sprint and time trial at last year’s state titles. The talented rider, who is the younger brother of Eddie, is a national champion in the keirin and the scratch and a silver medallist in the time trial in the under-15 men.
Omer Kirmizi, Brunswick Cycling Club
Makes the move up to the under-15 men after finishing second in the time trial and the sprint over 200m. Will face tough competition this year up another age group but Kirmizi could surprise.
Alanah Lake, Blackburn Cycling Club
Lake last year won silver in the time trial and bronze in the individual pursuit and points in the under-15 women and makes the rise to the under-17s. The Blackburn cyclist also represented her state at the nationals last year.
Adam Lees, Blackburn Cycling Club
Last year’s sprint champion in under-19 at the state titles and will be one of the riders to look out for this year. He also won bronze in the team sprint at the nationals in under-19. With riders around him making the move to elite, he’ll start as the favourite to go back-to-back.
Jade Maddern, Castlemaine Cycling Club
Finished fourth last year in the sprint titles and the time trial in elite men at the state titles. At the national titles he finished third in the team sprint event for Victoria before winning bronze in the time trial event. If he brings that form into this year’s title, he will be one to beat.
Sophie Marr, Blackburn Cycling Club
Another under-19 rider moving up to elite women this year. Marr last year finished second, behind Lucinda Stewart, in the individual pursuit and the elimination. At the nationals, in the under-19s, she won the scratch, the team pursuit, the madison, the omnium and the individual pursuit to be one of the leading riders in the country.
Alessia McCaig, Bendigo & District Cycling Club
One of the best young riders in the country. McCaig, from Bendigo, competed last year at the Commonwealth Games for Australia in the sprint, team sprint, keirin and time trial, finishing fourth in the team sprint. At last year’s nationals, McCaig won silver in the keirin and bronze in the sprint, team sprint and the time trial. Expect McCaig to be one of the leading riders in the elite women this weekend.
Maximus Moore, Hawthorn Cycling Club
Will start as one of the favourites in the under-15 men even though he didn’t compete last year. Moore won two state titles last year in the under-13s, claiming the time trial and the sprint over 200m event. A young star on the rise.
Ned Pollard, Bendigo & District Cycling Club
The 22-year-old is one of the best sprinters in the state. He is part of the Victorian Institute of Sport and won a bronze medal last year in the sprint at the state titles in elite men. Is expected to be one of the riders to beat and won bronze last year representing Victoria in the team sprint at the national titles.
Dylan Proctor-Parker, Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club
Another under-19 rider who makes the rise to the elite men. Proctor-Parker last year won the individual pursuit race and finished second in the time trial. At the nationals, in under-19, he won a silver medal in the madison and bronze in the individual pursuit before being part of the Victorian team that won the team
Quinn Rothenbuehler, Brunswick Cycling Club
A rider who will be one to look at as they remain in the under-17 women’s age group. Last year they finished inside the top five in the points race and in the quarters of the individual pursuit and the sprint pursuit. A young rider on the rise.
Billie Russell, Brunswick Cycling Club
Will start as the favourite in most events after dominating last year in the same age group at the state titles. Russell won the sprint, individual pursuit, time trial and points race in the under-15 women. At the nationals, she won the keirin in under-15 and also claimed silver in the points and time trial. A superstar already despite being a star on the rise.
Lachlan Stewart, Alpine Cycling Club
A talented junior who won two bronze medals last year in the under-15 men, in the sprint and points race, and is expected to be one of the leading performers in the age group this year. Has also won medals on the road and in mountain biking in his career so far.
Lucinda Stewart, Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club
A star on the track and on the road. Stewart won this year’s under-23 criterium race at the road nationals and also finished fourth at the recent Melbourne to Warrnambool event and was the top young rider. On the track, she’s just as good. In the under-19s last year, she won the national title in the points race, the madison, team pursuit and finished second in the omnium. Stewart also won the points race, the time trial, elimination and the individual pursuit at the state titles in the under-19s.
Lavinia Ward, Blackburn Cycling Club
Will be looking to go one better this year after finishing second in the individual pursuit and the points race. But will need to beat Russell who will start as the favourite.
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