Top cyclists bypass worlds for Gold Coast

Australia will send only four riders to the track cycling world championships, focusing instead this year on the Commonwealth Games.

Australia will send only four riders to the world track cycling championships, with the focus this year on the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

While all four team members are potential medallists, Australia usually sends a full contingent to the worlds.

The change of strategy was one of the first measures brought in by Cycling Australia's new high performance director Simon Jones.

After disappointing results overall at the last three Olympics, Jones is overhauling Australian cycling's elite program.

Jones is using Gold Coast as a major events dress rehearsal for the track program ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

From next year, the focus returns to the worlds and Olympic qualifying.

Eight-time world champion Cameron Meyer headlines the team for the February 28-March 4 worlds in Appeldoorn, The Netherlands.

Meyer will compete in the points race and also partner Olympic silver medallist Callum Scotson in the madison.

Scotson will ride in the scratch race.

Leading sprinters Matthew Glaetzer and Stephanie Morton will compete in the sprint and keirin.

Glaetzer will also ride in the 1km time trial and Morton will contest the 500m equivalent.

All four would be key members of Australia's Commonwealth Games track team.

But Scotson will bypass the Commonwealth Games as he tries to secure a professional road contract.

On Thursday, he won his third-straight national title in the under-23 road time trial.

Top Australian road cyclist Amanda Spratt has also ruled herself out of selection for the April 4-15 Games.

Spratt told Cycling Central that she wants a big result at the Ardennes Classics, which clash with the Games.

Soon after winning his third-straight Australian criterium championship in Ballarat on Wednesday night, sprint ace Caleb Ewan also doubted that he would available for the Games.

The timing is tough for Australia's top road cyclists, given the importance of the European spring classics.

Also on Thursday, Cycling Australia announced the team for the Para-cycling track worlds from March 22 in Rio de Janeiro.

The 16-rider team includes two tandem combinations aiming for Commonwealth Games selection - 2016 world champion Jessica Gallagher and her new pilot Lara Tucker, plus Brad Henderson and pilot Thomas Clarke.

The team features reigning world Para-cycling champions Amanda Reid, David Nicholas and Simone Kennedy.


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Source: AAP



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