Australian Sprinters Eager To Tackle Challenging Cali Velodrome

 

Australia?s sprinters believe that earning their stripes as juniors on outdoor, regional velodromes will pay dividends when the sprint competition begins at the 2014 UCI Track World Championships on Wednesday. With the Cali Veldorome featuring an open-air design, athletes have been treated to an array of the elements which has created unusual and challenging World Championship conditions. Strong wind gusts across the track are frequent, with a torrential downpour leaking water onto the velodrome and cancelling part of Monday?s afternoon training session shortly after the Australian team had completed its final hit out. ?I am banking on my experiences growing up in central Queensland racing on outdoor tracks and dealing with all sorts of weather conditions, wind and rain and of course delays,? said Rockhampton?s Anna Meares. ?I think I am quite well versed in that area, so for me now it is a case of reminding myself of that fact and also that everyone is in the same boat.? Meares, who boasts ten world titles and twenty career World Championship medals, is excited about being back on the world scene after missing the 2013 Championships in a break from the sport. ?I have missed it, it certainly was an experience sitting on the couch watching it on TV, so I am really happy to be back,? said Meares, 30, who begins her campaign on Thursday in the 500mt time trial. ?I have some big goals here and not to exclude any other female riders of course, in particular I really am looking forward to big competition from riders such as Germany?s Kristina Vogel, Great British riders in Jess Varnish and Becky James, and Hong Kong?s Wai Sze Lee,? Meares added. Similarly Victoria?s Shane Perkins, who honed his skills on the famous outdoor Northcote and Carnegie Caulfield tracks, is eager for the competition to get underway. ?The wind changes its mind every five minutes which makes it fun choosing wheels but at the end of the day everyone has to put up with it,? said the two-time world champion. ?On the up side it reminds me of growing up on the Christmas carnivals circuit on regional tracks or racing out at Northcote, so I am looking forward to it,? added Perkins, who is in action on day one in the team sprint with Daniel Ellis and Matthew Glaetzer. National Sprint Coach Gary West is extremely pleased with how the team has dealt with the challenging conditions, off the back of an epic 52-hour trip to Colombia from Australia. ?The first few days were a bit rusty, which was to be expected with the long flight, and the different environment here, but it was a really good final session today and really pleased with what as executed,? said West. ?Today they all appeared to be a lot more confident, and we always knew that the longer we were here, the more they are exposed to the elements on the track, the more comfortable they would be come. ?There were times today, particularly in the team sprint efforts, when it got a little windy but they got through it and they were joking about it at the end. ?They know it (conditions) is the same for every one, and that they need to take it in their stride and I am really happy with how positively they have reacted to it,? West added.