By Astrid van Uden (@astridvanuden) Following a successful first round of the Queensland Road Series where he won a stage, came second overall and dominated both the sprint and U23 competitions, Alex Wohler is looking forward to the first race of the Subaru National Road Series (NRS) in Perth this week. On Wednesday March 26th the four-stage Tour de Perth begins and Wohler will be lining up with his team, Team Budget Forklifts, for the season opener. With a fantastic start to the year, Wohler would like to build on that success and the momentum he created in 2013 whilst also racing with Team Budget Forklifts. Although in 2013, Wohler did not stand on the podium at a NRS race this will be one of his big goals for 2014 and he believes that Team Budget Forklifts provides a great platform for him to focus on that goal. ?Team Budget Forklifts offer a great environment both on & off the bike. Everyone in the team are so close we all get along very well and will do anything to see each other win,? said Wohler, ?I’m looking at focusing on progressing as a rider and being better than I was last year as well as being a great team mate who is stable and strong in every race.? In his final year as a U23 rider, Wohler is also looking for that big result which is going to propel him to the next level of professional cycling. ?[My] final year of U23 has come round quickly and with this being the last year before stepping into the Elite ranks I would ideally be looking to get as many results as possible.? Wohler is determined to show his ability to either overseas or domestic teams in Australia to create future opportunities for 2015 and will get the opportunity to do so with Team Budget Forklifts, who will be racing in the NRS, with the possibility of racing international UCI races as they have done in the past. ?I have always wanted to race in Europe or America, to experience that style of racing and travel so we will see what happens this year and make a decision whether I make a step overseas next year or stay here for another season to develop further.? Whether he decides to make that jump or not depends on how he performs this year but Wohler has the determination and drive of someone who wants to go far in the sport. Team Budget Forklifts is definitely supportive of where he wants to go. ?That’s the reason why I love this team and why I wanted to continue for another year. I’m looking forward to starting the NRS season in the coming week and getting the opportunity to race overseas in some more UCI races.? The Queensland native will be focusing this season on some of his local races this year, where he would like to shine in his home state. He feels the pressure of doing well in the NRS Battle on the Border, especially since the roads are ones that he knows very well. ?I have a few races on the cards I would like to do well in, in terms of NRS, the Battle on the Border is a focus as it’s in my backyard and having an advantage of knowing the roads will definitely come in handy. ?The Tour of Gippsland and Grafton to Inverell have always been races I love to attend and to pull a good result in both would be very satisfying. ?We don’t know what our international calendar is yet but a few local races here in Queensland like the State Time Trial, Road Race Championships and the Queensland Road Team Series are all races I would be aiming to do well in.? But first, the Tour de Perth is calling and Wohler believes his fitness is ready for the challenge that lies ahead this week: ?with a long season on the cards this year managing my fitness is important to being competitive at the events I race. With the NRS starting in a few days time in Perth, I think I?m in great shape to be able to challenge for a stage win.? The four-day Tour de Perth features a 45km Criterium, two road stages and the Rottnest Island Individual Time Trial beginning on March 26th. You can follow Alex Wohler on his twitter @alwohler and website www.alexwohler.com.
