TRACK CYCLING: Cycling Australia has named a 13-rider team headed by four members of the Rio Olympic team and a number of rising stars to contest the final two rounds of the 2016-17 UCI Track World Cup series in Cali, Colombia February 17-19 and Los Angeles from February 24-26 2017.
"It is great to see some of Australia's Olympic heroes selected for the final two rounds of the 2016-17 World Cup season with a number of rising stars number making their debut," said Cycling Australia CEO Nicholas Green OAM.
"With Track Nationals only three weeks away and just over a year until Australia hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2018 I am excited to follow the team’s progress over the next two weekends.”
The change in format for the 2016-17 World Cup season has seen the number of rounds expanded to four with two back-to-back World Cup weekends offering additional racing as we enter a new Olympic cycle.
Following the opening two rounds in Glasgow and Apeldoorn in November 2016, where Australia's rising stars gained crucial international experience, the series heads to the America's to round out the season before the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships held in Hong Kong, in April.
The 15 event programme in Cali includes eight events for men and seven for women across three days of competition: men's and women's team sprint, team pursuit, omnium, points race, sprint and keirins feature along side the women's scratch race, men's Madison and 1km time trial.
The Los Angeles round features 13 events including the men's and women's team sprint, keirin, sprint, scratch races and Madison. With the women also lining up in the team and individual pursuit and the men in the omnium.
The Australian team sees a mix of youth an experience with riders returning to international competition for the first time since August's Rio Olympic Games with a number of rising stars making their World Cup debuts.
Rio Olympic silver medallist Sam Welsford (WA) leads a strong men's endurance group and is joined by his world championship winning team pursuit teammate Alex Porter (SA). Three-time track world champion Leigh Howard (VIC) returns to the World Cup circuit for the first time since the 2010/11 season.
Kelland O'Brien (VIC) and Cameron Scott (NSW) make their World Cup debut having made a successful start to their elite careers at the Oceania Championships in December. Rio Paralympic tandem pilot Nicholas Yallouris (NSW) and Rohan Wight (SA) round out the men's endurance team
Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW) and Amy Cure (TAS) who count four elite world titles between them line up internationally for the first time since the Rio Olympics, joined by Olympic teammate Georgia Baker (TAS).
Reigning two-time individual pursuit world champion Rebecca Wiasak (ACT) will add further strength to the line up with newly crowned Madison national champion Alex Manly (SA) completing the team.
Thomas Clarke (SA) who made his World Cup debut in Glasgow and Apeldoorn in November will again pull on the green and gold jersey in the sprint events
TEAM AUSTRALIA
Women's Endurance
Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW)
Georgia Baker (TAS)
Amy Cure (TAS)
Alexandra Manly (SA)
Rebecca Wiasak (ACT)
Men's Endurance - Cali World Cup only
Leigh Howard (VIC)
Kelland O'Brien (VIC) - Cali and LA World Cups
Alex Porter (SA)
Cameron Scott (NSW)
Sam Welsford (WA)
Rohan Wight (SA)
Nick Yallouris (NSW)
Sprint
Thomas Clarke (SA)
