Cycling Australia's WorldTour academy chosen over team offers

SOME of Australia's best young cyclists have rejected offers from European teams to sign with Cycling Australia's WorldTour academy.

Caleb Ewan

SOME of Australia's best young cyclists have rejected offers from European teams to sign with Cycling Australia's WorldTour academy.

The nine-person Jayco-AIS WorldTour Academy was officially launched in Canberra this morning ahead of the Oceania road cycling championships starting on Thursday.

Riders will then leave for Europe on March 22 to race second-tier UCI sanctioned events for the season.

The roster includes Alex Clements, Alex Edmondson, Caleb Ewan, Campbell Flakemore, Damien Howson, Brad Linfield, Alex Morgan, Mitch Mulhern and Adam Phelan, and the team's director is James Victor.

Some had received offers to ride for European development teams - but opted to kick-start their careers with the national squad.

Ewan, who in January won the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Series, said it was a perfect platform to the next level.

"For a young guy like me to go to Europe by myself to ride with a European team would have been pretty hard," the 18-year-old said.

"Now to go with an Australian team and with our mates makes that transition to living in Europe and that style of racing a lot easier."

Ewan plans to open his European season with one-day races in Italy before tackling the Olympics Tour in The Netherlands in May.

And while Ewan is a proven sprinter, he doesn't expect Sunday's 153km Oceania road race to finish with a bunch kick.

"A few of the guys are going pretty strong but the course is really hilly ... if it does come down to a sprint it will be a little group."

Edmondson, who went to the London Olympics with the team pursuit squad on the track, will juggle both disciplines this season.

"It's about getting as much experience as I can on and off the bike and living away from home," he said. "Hopefully I can get a good road base behind me to pick up the (track) world cups towards the end of the year."

Meanwhile Howson, who is gunning for his third consecutive under-23 Oceania time trial title this week, says he is hoping the WorldTour academy will open doors to a career in the sport.

Cycling Australia performance director Kevin Tabotta said the national body was keen to implement "new methodology and structure to our programs".

He said: "The academy will provide increased international racing opportunities for our emerging talent and will also provide room for Australian UCI continental and NRS teams to have a greater involvement in the development of these young athletes.

"This structure will help (them) stay motivated, professional and challenged throughout the long season."