Tasmania experiencing exciting influx of talented cyclists

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PolicyAbout usView Subscription OffersThe Examiner's complete view of propertyHome/Sport/cyclingTasmania experiencing exciting influx of talented cyclistsBy Ben HannMarch 21 2023 - 2:00amBy

Ben HannMarch 21 2023 - 2:00amFacebookTwitterWhatsappEmailCopyTasmanian under-19 team pursuit foursome of Sam McKee, Alex Eaves, Lachlan Oliver and Hayden Van Der Ploeg. Picture AusCycling

Tasmanian track cyclists were in the spotlight from Wednesday to Sunday as they clinched medal after medal at the AusCycling National Championships in Queensland.

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50% off EOFY SaleAll articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperCrosswords, Sudoku and TriviaAll other regional websites in your areaContinue With only nine riders

coming from the state, there were seven podium finishes - three gold, three silver and a bronze.

The remarkable strike-rate could easily be seen as a shock to onlookers, however, Tasmanian Institute of Sport's head cycling coach Matt Gilmore was far from surprised.

"I've slowly been working with them for the past few months in preparation to the national championship," he said.

"We knew what we were going to get, and we knew that we were going to be super competitive."

READ MORE: Sam McKee becomes national champion in Queensland

Gilmore spoke glowingly about the riders' efforts at the championship. "Felicity Wilson-Haffenden's performance in the individual pursuits, breaking a national record is obviously a real

highlight," he said.

"Her limited experience in cycling - she was a hockey player two years ago - and now breaking national records, for me was a standout performance.

"Sam McKee certainly showed a lot this week as well and I think he picked up four medals in the end which is a great performance from a kid who has had a few setbacks in recent times.

"I was really pleased with everyone's performance, in each of the timed events everybody did a [personal best].

"All you can ask for athletes to do at championships is to put their best performance forward."

Success has not been limited to the velodrome either, with road cycling and mountain biking also seeing plenty of positive Tasmanian performances.

Sam Fox was recently crowned national mountain bike champion, Georgia Baker is a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Josh Duffy a bronze medallist and Izzy Flint clinched under-23

national champion status in mountain biking.

READ MORE: Fox on the run to Paris Olympics

The new generation are proving worthy successors to the golden days of Richie Porte, Will Clarke, Matthew Goss and Wes Sulzberger, something Gilmore has been proud to be a part of.

"We've got so many athletes competing internationally at the moment, and so many more just about to leave, there's three about to head off to Europe," he said.

"It just takes an extreme amount of patience and hard work and understanding that sometimes there are some ebbs and flows in either talent on the ground, or just the weight of numbers and in

recent times, we have had the weight of numbers.

"Everything we do has a strategy and so it's particularly pleasing to see those strategies work."

With confidence brimming, many cyclists will stay in Queensland as they prepare for the Oceania Track Championships which begin on Thursday, before the Oceania Road Championships the week

after.

The stakes only get bigger from there too, the 2024 Paris Olympics are just around the corner followed by the 2026 Commonwealth Games in country Victoria.

"We've certainly got a few athletes in the mix, there's some real good depth for what we've got coming up," Gilmore said

Despite the plethora of positivity surrounding the sport, there are a couple of flies in an otherwise perfect jar of ointment.

Zack Gilmore - son of Matt - has found himself suddenly without a team with only a week remaining before the start of the European season.

In an unlikely flow-on effect, the Legana rider has been thwarted by Silicon Valley Bank's bankruptcy announcement, as his father explained.

"Unfortunately - we only received news a couple of days ago, he was meant to start racing next week - and it's funny how things in the world have a knock-on effect, the major sponsor was

tangled up with the Silicon Valley Bank," he said.

"Obviously, they lost a fair bit of money and that has had a really big knock-on effect to everything else and unfortunately Zack was caught in the crossfire there.

"As a result, he has now lost a ride and a team, so we're frantically trying to search around and see what we can do.

"But it's a really difficult time of the year, obviously the budgets have been confirmed, team rosters have been confirmed, so just fingers crossed we can pick something up for him."

Gilmore has also eyed a concerning trend in women's cycling, something he is keen to rectify.

"We were really strong four or five years ago with females and now that's dropped off a bit," he said.

"So now that's a bit of a co-ordinated effort that needs to happen to address that."

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us on Google News: The ExaminerShareFacebookTwitterWhatsappEmailCopyBen HannDigital Sport JournalistA passionate sports lover, devoted to writing detailed stories about the best people and

sporting events that Launceston has to offer. Follow me on Twitter at @BenHann6 or email me at [email protected] for any stories.A passionate sports lover, devoted to

writing detailed stories about the best people and sporting events that Launceston has to offer. Follow me on Twitter at @BenHann6 or email me at [email protected] for any

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