CYCLING: Australia claimed its first medal of the Championships through Anna Meares (SA) and Kaarle McCulloch (NSW) in the women’s team sprint on the opening day of the 2015 UCI Track World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

The quartet of Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Melissa Hoskins (WA) set a national record on the way to qualifying fastest in the women’s team pursuit. 

Australia’s two-time defending champion team pursuit outfit qualified fifth fastest in the men’s team pursuit, while the men’s team sprint trio finished sixth.

Event Recaps

WOMEN'S TEAM SPRINT

Three-time world champions Anna Meares (SA) and Kaarle McCulloch (NSW) claimed Australia’s first medal of the Championships with bronze in the women’s team sprint.

It was a reunion for the pair, which claimed three consecutive titles from 2009-11 plus silver in 2012, but last rode together to claim bronze at the London Olympic Games in 2012.

A change in combination now has McCulloch leading Meares in the first of two laps, with the pair qualifying fourth fastest in 32.878secs.  

In the final, the pair pegged back a deficit of five hundredths of a second after the first lap against triple defending world champions Germany to take the win in a time of 32.723secs ahead of Germany (32.817).  

“I can’t believe it to be honest, I can’t believe my times but can’t be happier,” said McCulloch after posting two personal best on the day.

“This is the first ride we have had for over two years and we weren’t that far from the Australian record.  Anna and I always lift for finals and tonight we brought it home and beat the defending world champions,” added McCulloch.

For Meares, it was the twenty-fourth medal of her glittering career, her sixth in the event.

“For us this is the first time Kaarle and I have ridden since London in a different position. (I’m) so pleased with how we performed tonight,” said Meares.

“I have a whole new level of respect for Kaarle and all second wheel riders.”

While McCulloch’s world championship campaign only featured the team sprint, Meares’ focus now switches to Thursday’s 500m time trial, an event in which she has claimed four of her ten world titles. 

If she wins, she will move clear of France’s Felicia Ballanger into the lead for most female track cycling world championship victories of all time.

“Everyone’s got their eye on it (the record) except me,” Meares remarked “I’m just out there racing and trying to perform at my absolute best.

“I do my work ethic well, I do my processing well, the results always look after themselves. Gold medal or not.”

China claimed gold in a world record time of 32.034secs to defeat Russia.

WOMEN'S TEAM PURSUIT QUALIFYING

For the first time in World Championship history, Australia has qualified fastest in the four-rider women’s 4000m team pursuit event.

The second last of sixteen teams to take to the track, Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA) and Melissa Hoskins (WA) covered the sixteen laps in the fastest time of 4mins 18.135secs.

This was almost two seconds better than their national record (4:20.999) set just three weeks ago in Melbourne during the Subaru Track Nationals. 

Australia’s women have found the team pursuit podium five times at the past six World Championships, including winning the title in 2010 when it was a three-rider event, the only time they have posted the fastest qualifying time in the history of the event. 

Four-time defending champions Great Britain (4:18.207) were second fastest in today’s qualifying. 

“Everything is heading in the right direction, but we are only taking it one round at a time, we have two more solid rounds still to come tomorrow,” Cure told Cycling Australia.

“But we are happy with that ride.  We have come in here knowing we have done all the hard work, and its time to put everything together.  And we backed ourselves and out team mates today and it showed in the time,” added Cure.

“For the last four months, we have been riding well as a team, day in day out we all have been working hard, starting to pay off,” said Hoskins, who has reached the podium at the past three World Championships.

“It is a quick track, but our focus was qualifying in a good qualifying time, and to see where we stood compared to the other teams.  Its great we have come out on top today, but tomorrow we have two rounds to ride, so we are taking it one step as a time.”

The three-round team pursuit competition will continue on Thursday afternoon where Australia will meet fourth fastest New Zealand, with the winner to ride for gold against either Canada or Great Britain on Thursday evening. 

MEN'S TEAM PURSUIT QUALIFYING

Two-time defending world champions Australia qualified fifth fastest in the men’s team pursuit, with the team experiencing a ‘freak mechanical’ mishap shortly after commencing their qualifying ride.

In the final heat of 16, two-time defending champion Alex Edmondson (SA) lined up with returning champions Luke Davison (SA) and Mitchell Mulhern (QLD), and 2010 and 2011 team pursuit world champion Jack Bobridge (SA).

However, just fifty metres after leading his team out of the gate, a crank bolt on Davison’s bike broke, which was followed by a rear wheel puncture to Edmondson.  As the team hit the first bend, Mitchell Mulhern fell after clipping Edmondson’s wheel, with the race stopped shortly after.

The team regrouped and in their restarted heat, they powered to the fastest time after two laps. However, they were unable to maintain the pace and finished with the fifth fastest time of 3mins 58.900seconds.

However despite the series of misfortunes, the quartet came agonisingly close to still being able to defend their title on Thursday, finishing fourteen hundredths of a second within third placed Germany (3:58.861) and fourth fastest Switzerland (3:58.887).

“(It was) a bit of bad luck at the start, bit of a mishap, but it can happen to anyone, any team at any moment,” said two-time team pursuit world champion Jack Bobridge told Cycling Australia.

“I think everyone handled it quite well, and now we know have a job to do tomorrow.  That is, we go out again and do our best again.”

The benchmark was set early by New Zealand who posted the fastest time of the day of 3mins 56.421seconds ahead of Great Britain (3:57.716).

Australia will now face eighth fastest qualifiers France (4:00.783) in the first round on Thursday morning.  The two fastest times from the sixth – eight placed teams will ride for the bronze medal on Thursday evening. 

MEN'S TEAM SPRINT

2012 world champions Shane Perkins (VIC) and Matthew Glaetzer (SA) teamed with debutant Nathan Hart (ACT) to finish sixth in the men’s team sprint.

The trio posted a time of 43.379secs for the three laps, just six hundredths of a second outside of the top four and a chance to ride for a medal.

Glaetzer and Perkins will now turn their attentions to Thursday’s men’s keirin, while Hart’s debut campaign ends after just two laps of the Paris track.

“I’m really happy with how I performed for the team, I rode a solid personal best but unfortunately we didn’t quote make the medal round,” said Canberra’s Hart.

“It was really exciting day of racing and I am stoked to have been a part of the Australian cycling team at a World Championships.

“This adds so much motivation to keep training hard with everyone at CA HPU and move onwards and upwards to hopefully even better results.”

France was awarded the gold medal after defending world champions and fastest qualifiers New Zealand was relegated in the final for an incorrect changeover. 

DAY TWO MINI PREVIEW

Five finals will be decided on the second evening of the Championships (5am - 830am AEST) including the aforementioend men's and women's team pursuits finals.

The women's 500m time trial final will feature four-time worl champion Anna Meares (SA) and Kaarle McCulloch (NSW), while the Matthew Glaetzer (SA), Shane Perkins (VIC) and Jacob Schmid (VIC) will line up in the men's keirin. 

In the men's scratch race, debutant Scott Law (NSW) will hit the track for the first time.

ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• The 2015 UCI Track World Championships will be held in Paris, from 18 - 22 February 2015.
• Nineteen events will be contested over the five-day event including the ten Olympic events - the team pursuit and sprint, individual sprints, keirin and omnium
• Official website > www.trackworld-france2015.com

FOLLOW / WATCH

• Watch LIVE on SBS TWO (TV Guide) and LIVE stream on SBS Cycling Central.

2015 TEAM AUSTRALIA

Endurance Men

• Jack BOBRIDGE (25, SA) 2010 & 11 Team Pursuit and 2011 Individual Pursuit World Champion
• Luke DAVISON (24, SA / Formerly NSW) 2014 Team Pursuit World Champion
• Alexander EDMONDSON (21, SA) 2013 & 2014 Team Pursuit World Champion, 2014 Ind Pursuit World Champion
• Glenn O'SHEA  (25, SA  / Formerly VIC) 2013 & 2014 Team Pursuit, and 2012 Omnium World Champion
• Miles SCOTSON (21, SA) 2014 Team Pursuit World Champion
• Scott LAW (24, NSW)
• Mitchell MULHERN (24, QLD) 2014 Team Pursuit World Champion

Endurance Women

• Amy CURE (22, TAS) 2014 Points Race World Champion
• Annette EDMONDSON (22, SA)
• Melissa HOSKINS (23, WA)
• Ashlee ANKUDINOFF (24, NSW) 2010 Team Pursuit World Champion
• Rebecca WIASAK (30, ACT)

Sprint Men

• Matthew GLAETZER (22, SA) 2012 Team Sprint World Champion
• Nathan HART (21, ACT)
• Peter LEWIS (25, NSW)
• Shane PERKINS (27, VIC) 2012 Team Sprint & 2011 Keirin World Champion
• Jacob SCHMID (21, VIC)

Sprint Women

• Anna MEARES OAM (31, SA / Formerly QLD) 10x World Champion
• Stephanie MORTON OAM (24, SA)
• Kaarle McCULLOCH (26, NSW) Three-time World Champion (Team Sprint with Meares)

CYCLING AUSTRALIA