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Blessing in disguise
By reducing the track cycling program at the London Olympics, the IOC has done Cameron Meyer a huge favour, says Mike Tomalaris.
It came as no big surprise that Meyer's last official competition in the velodrome arrived last Sunday when collecting a bronze medal in the Madison with long-time colleague Leigh Howard at the UCI World Championships.
There was no fanfare, no farewell and no tears - just a round of modest applause from an appreciative Hisense Arena for a rider who stood on the podium alongside the Belgian gold medal combination of Kenny De Ketele and Gijs Van Hoecke.
Making the right call
The decision by Cameron Meyer to forgo one last hurrah in the team pursuit in London in favour of success on the road, is the right one writes Al Hinds.
It was a very hard decision to make, but ultimately my passion for the team pursuit isn't 100 per cent. I take huge satisfaction from that and now want to see what I can achieve on the road.The Australia pursuit team’s perceived failure at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, where it narrowly lost to rival Great Britain, and Meyer’s last gasp win in the points race had many suggesting, punter and pundit alike, that Meyer should be in the team for the Olympic Games.
Anthony Tan wrote on Sunday that Meyer’s inclusion was not only "logical, but essential", Tan pointing out that Australia needed the extra experience that a Geraint Thomas had brought to the Brits for their winning ride, and that Meyer had in spades.
We need you, Cam…
The reinstatement of Cameron Meyer into the Australian team pursuit line-up for the London Games is not just logical, but essential, writes Anthony Tan from the Track World Championships.
It was only last October, at the 2011 Jayco Herald Sun Tour, where I sat down at some length with Cameron Meyer to get a progress report on his Olympic ambitions, as well as balancing his development on the road as a bona fide stage race specialist.
There in Victoria, he told me in no uncertain terms that it was his unquenchable desire to be part of Australia’s team pursuit line-up at the London Olympics, those Olympics just four months away now, and to regain the title they ceded to Great Britain at the Beijing Games.
Heavy handed
Some of the most eagerly anticipated match-ups of the entire week have been ruined by a bunch of overzealous commissaires, and in the eyes of Anthony Tan, sullied the spirit of track racing.
Friday evening, judges were right to have relegated Victoria Pendleton in the first heat of her match sprint semi-final against Anna Meares, for the Briton clearly deviated from the red sprinter’s line before hip-sliding to a halt.
In the second heat, the roles were reversed as Meares moved abruptly above the sprinter’s line, her back wheel almost coming into contact with Pendleton’s front, forcing the fetching Brit to back off at risk of coming a cropper again.
The complete package
Would it be rude of me to confess I have a deep affection for Anna Meares?
After scrutinising the movements and rare public comments of Australia's highest-profile track cyclist in the week leading up to the world championships, I've come to the conclusion that Anna epitomises everything there is to being a role model.
The first time I discovered Anna's brilliant talents was at Sydney's Dunc Gray Velodrome whilst covering the 2002 Track National Championships.
