How a family-like bond was formed in tough times for Australia’s world champion team pursuiters
VICTORY, tragedy, sweat, tears, joy and heartache have helped forge Australia’s “sisters on wheels” into a truly united unit. Now they’ve set their sights on the track cycling world championships ... and beyond.
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THREE weeks after the sudden death of her father last year, Tasmanian track cyclist Georgia Baker faced a pivotal moment in her career.
She had the choice of two paths and while neither was right or wrong, her decision has now led her to next week’s world championships in London, and possibly the Rio Olympics in August.
Baker could have stayed home and raced domestically, surrounded by the support of her family who were coming to terms with Patrick’s passing due to a heart attack at the age of 44.
Or she could have boarded a plane to fly across the other side of the world to join her cycling family racing and training in The Netherlands.
That cycling family is Australia’s women’s track endurance squad, which has been dubbed “sisters on wheels” because of the family-like bond which exists among the riders under coach Gary Sutton.
As hard as it was, Baker willed herself on to the plane and when she arrived in Holland in July she was tired and emotional but also excited because she knew that was where she needed to be.
“I remember seeing Sutto at the airport, it was a long flight over and I was so glad to see him,” Baker said.
“I’d talked to the girls on Facebook before going over but then to finally see them I got a bit upset.
“But there comes a point where you have shed so many tears you can’t possibly have any more, and I was just excited and happy to be there.
“The reason I went over was because of my dad, and that Holland trip for me was a vital part of breaking into the team.
“I really needed to be training and racing with the girls and leading up to it I was obviously talking to my dad and he was so excited for me to go.
“That’s what he wanted — he would have been like annoyed with himself if I didn’t go, and I also went because I had such great confidence in the girls I was going over to join.
“Also Sutto and Katie (sports scientist) they weren’t just teammates or people I didn’t know, they were really good friends.
“They were there with me when I had my days when I was upset and without them I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
At the end of the six weeks of racing and training in Europe, Baker bought the riders and staff a gift to thank them for their support.
“The girls were really keen for her to come over but it wasn’t easy for her,” Sutton said.
“She had a few hard days but the way they supported her when she was a bit down, for me as a coach to sit back and see that encouragement made me so proud.
“But she also grabbed the opportunity and thought ‘I’m in the top eight (riders) who are a possibility of going to Rio’.
“She’s got a good, strong character and I gotta tell you, she’s tough.
“I think what we’re seeing now she’s been part of the program is she has gotten stronger on and off the bike and is really believing in herself.”
That brave decision has led the 21-year-old to London where she will make her world championship debut.
Australia is defending the team pursuit title it won in world record time in Paris last year, which Baker watched from back home.
“A lot of people say ‘you’re so strong Georgia and you should be so proud of yourself’ and I look at it and think I just did it,” Baker said.
“I don’t know if I got that strength from Dad, I just knew what I had to do to break into the team.
“I’m the sort of person who always looks for the next thing (challenge).”
The dual world champion in the group, Annette Edmondson, says the bond between the riders is also born out of the knowledge that in the team pursuit they are only as strong as each other.
“We really do want everyone to be going the best they can because at the end of the day we need each other to get the best result possible,” Edmondson said.
“When we’re in Europe we’ve got a group chat going on to keep in touch but everyone moved to Adelaide in October so we’ve been spending a lot more time together.”
Edmondson said she had huge respect for what Baker had been able to do in the past 12 months.
“I cannot imagine what it would be like to go through that and when she popped over to Holland only a few weeks later it really showed just how dedicated she is to this cause and her dad would be so proud of what she’s achieved,” Edmondson said.
“She’s got the perfect attitude, she’s ready to learn and listens and also takes criticism really well and learns from it.
“She really stepped up in New Zealand (world cup) and that impressed a lot of people.”
According to Sutton, the bond between the teammates is real.
“Without a doubt, they care for each other, there’s no question,” he said.
“And they feel for Mel Hoskins (who will miss the world titles due to pneumonia) at the moment but they also know in Mel’s situation it’s also about Rio as well.”
Hoskins was one of the four riders who became world champions in Paris last year but was struck down by pneumonia while in New Zealand before the world cup in November.
She was in hospital for a week and for the next two barely left the house, let alone rode a bike, as her mind turned to worrying about next month’s world titles and then the Olympics in August.
“Being one of the more established team pursuit riders in the team you don’t think that you’re going to be the one needing a hand,” Hoskins said.
“You’re normally the one helping the other girls or picking them up and suddenly the shoe was on the other foot.
“At first I acted like I was fine and didn’t want them to worry but when I got sent to hospital reality dawned that it’s not something you want to go through alone.
“The girls were really good, they visited, sent flowers, food, offered to come around and play cards, just always thinking of you which was really nice.
“When things don’t go well it’s nice to know you’ve got an amazing group of people around you — including staff who are willing to bend over backwards to make sure you are OK.”
While her teammates including Amy Cure, Ashlee Ankudinoff and Rebecca Wiasak set about defending the title next week, Hoskins will be watching on TV from her European training base in Girona.
“I’d be kidding myself to say it’s going to be easy because last year was the best experience of my career, and to know they’re all there and I’m not is going to be hard,” Hoskins said.
“But it’s also motivating to make sure I do everything right so when I do go into camp for pre-Olympics I am going as good as ever to make sure I get picked, because no one is a shoo-in yet.
“Having missed a lot of the training with them you do feel like you don’t know where you’re at and there is this doubt, so it is motivating to be stomping and get back to where I want to be.”
THE Paris world championships in February, 2015, not only confirmed Australia’s growing potential in the women’s team pursuit but according to Sutton made the girls believe that 18 months from the Olympics, anything was possible.
They not only stormed to victory in their gold medal ride off against Great Britain but did so in world record time of 4mins 13 secs.
“What Paris did was now they believed in themselves a lot more, and to be honest with you we’ve been in this situation before,” Sutton said.
“If you think back to 2010 we had three young ladies that won the world championship and ended up running fourth in London (two years later), these girls are older, more mature, stronger and they not only believe in themselves but they believe in each other.
“I’ve seen in the past you’ve had world champions who probably floated a little bit but this group certainly hasn’t done that, every training session has been important to them and they’ve been so committed it’s unbelievable.”
Australia took five girls to Paris for last year’s world titles but only four could ride for gold in the team pursuit, and Wiasak was the one who missed out.
As her teammates raced towards their rainbow jerseys, Wiasak stood on the side of the track both cheering and crying at the same time, which showed what it meant to her.
But in the 24 hours that followed, Wiasak’s teammates rallied around her and testament to her character, she came out and stunned the field to win the individual pursuit world title.
When Edmondson won the omnium days later, it made it a perfect three gold medals from three events for Sutton’s riders.
Starting Wednesday in London they are hoping to successfully defend all three titles but are aware it’s just another step towards their much grander goal at the Rio Olympics in August.
“We’re going there to win, there’s no question,” Sutton said.
“But the reality is there is very little between three or four teams. After the world’s we’ll reassess and look at what comes out of that and we have time to get ready for Rio.”
Sutton says he has the best team around him and the riders including technical boss Ian McKenzie who brings years of expertise to the program, sports scientist Katie Slattery and strength and conditioning coach Kristy-Lee Taylor.
“The one thing I’m really proud of is I believe we have the best team of people working with the team itself,” Sutton said.
“It’s not just about training, it’s recovery, how the riders are travelling, their sleep patterns and in the gym.”
After the highest of highs and heartbreaking lows in the past 12 months, Australia’s women’s team pursuiters have emerged stronger for it.
And it’s the youthful exuberance of riders like Baker knocking down the door for selection which has kept everyone on their toes.
“They’re world champions and to break into the team it’s been a pretty tough gig but I’m really happy with where I’m at,” Baker said.
“My main goal has been to make the Rio Olympics but I’ve had some bad luck the last few years, but I was able to get some consistent training and really step up a bit and it’s all come together at the right time.”
THE TEAM
Georgia Baker
Age: 21
From: Launceston, Tasmania
Making her world championship debut after impressing at the New Zealand world cup last year.
Rebecca Wiasak
Age: 31
From: Geelong, Victoria
Reigning individual pursuit world champion who missed out on a ride in the team pursuit at last year’s world titles.
Isabella King
Age: 23
From: Applecross, Western Australia
Won gold at the New Zealand world cup last year but missed the final selection cut for the London world titles.
Annette Edmondson
Age: 24
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Dual world champion in the team pursuit and omnium as well as Olympic bronze medallist from London 2012.
Ashlee Ankudinoff
Age: 25
From: Sydney, New South Wales
Only remaining member of the 2010 world championship team pursuit still racing at the elite level and was part of last year’s TP world title in Paris.
Melissa Hoskins
Age: 25
From: Perth, Western Australia
Mainstay of the women’s team pursuit squad who was part of last year’s world championship winning team but will miss this year’s titles while recovering from pneumonia.
Amy Cure
Age: 23
From: Penguin, Tasmania
Won the points race at the 2014 world championships in Colombia and then helped Australia to gold in the team pursuit in Paris last year.
2016 UCI TRACK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
When: March 2-6
Where: London
Watch: TV SBS2 live
Highlights: Wednesday — men’s and women’s team sprint, women’s individual pursuit. Thursday — men’s team pursuit, women’s keirin. Friday — women’s team pursuit. Saturday — men’s sprint. Sunday — women’s sprint, men’s keirin.
reece.homfray@news.com.au
Originally published as How a family-like bond was formed in tough times for Australia’s world champion team pursuiters
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