Trans-Tasman Rivalry To Reignite This Week At Oceania Track Championships

Trans-Tasman cycling rivalry will reignite in Adelaide this week when the 2013 UCI Oceania Track Championships gets underway at the Super-Drome on Wednesday.   The Championships signify the start of the campaign towards the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Olympic Games, with a host of Australia?s Olympic team to return to competition this week.   2012 London Olympic omnium bronze medallist and home-town hero Annette Edmondson makes her return to track cycling following a successful stint on the domestic road scene during which she claimed overall honours in the final two events in the Subaru National Women?s Road Series in October.   ?It will my first major (track) competition since the games, and while I know that I won?t be in peak form, I have been back on the track for the last few weeks am hoping to get some decent results,? said South Australia?s Edmondson, 20, who also claimed silver in the omnium at the 2012 Track World Championships in Melbourne. ?   Edmondson will contest four events this week in the team and individual pursuits, scratch and omnium and expects tough opposition from the strong women?s field that includes fellow Olympian Tasmania?s Amy Cure and in-form riders Ashlee Ankudinoff and Isabella King.   Ankudinoff claimed the omnium and the team pursuit (with Cure and Melissa Hoskins) silver medals at last week?s second leg of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Series in Glasgow.? However the Sydney rider will not contest the omnium in Adelaide, instead opting to focus on the scratch, points race and pursuits.   King claimed two gold medals in Colombia?s opening round in the omnium and scratch race and will contest those two events in Adelaide in addition to the team pursuit.   ?Given the success of both Bella King and Ashlee Ankudinoff in the UCI World Cups, I will have a big fight on my hands and I know I am going to have to have my guard up at every opportunity,? Edmondson added.? ?   London team sprint bronze medallist Kaarle McCulloch of New South Wales headlines the women?s sprint field, with many eagerly anticipating a battle with Queensland?s five-time junior world champion Taylah Jennings, 18, who will make her debut in the senior ranks.   In the men?s events, reigning team sprint world champion Matthew Glaetzer, 20, will look to excite his home crowd when he contests the keirin, men?s sprint and teams sprint.?   The South Australian will come up against the likes of Canberra?s reigning national sprint champion Alex Bird, Glasgow World Cup keirin silver medallist Andrew Taylor of New South Wales and dual 2012 junior world champion Jacob Schmid of Victoria, who will look to impress as he suits up in the senior ranks for the first time.   Following a gruelling Olympic campaign, the younger Edmondson sibling Alex will restart his engines with a busy Oceania program that includes four events – the individual and teams pursuit, the points race and the Madison where he will partner Luke Davison.   ?I had a month off after the games and that was fantastic as I hadn?t had a break in over two years, but it has all been back on in full since September,? Edmondson, 18, explained.? ?We have been working really hard in camp here in Adelaide for the past week and a half, and everyone is really focused and pushing hard for positions.   ?There will be so many new faces at these Championships as we have a lot of younger guys coming through now who have a lot of potential. ?   ?But the weird thing is that I am the leader in this group, but it’s funny because most of the boys are only a month or so younger than me,? remarked Edmondson. ?   Those expected to challenge Edmondson include Davison and former junior world champion Caleb Ewan (New South Wales), with Australia?s junior world champion team pursuit quartet of Jack Cummings (Victoria) Alex Morgan (Victoria), Tirian McManus (New South Wales) and Miles Scotson (South Australia) also looking to perform strongly in their senior debuts.   New Zealand will be headlined by Olympians Edward Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell and Natasha Hansen, while the Championships will also feature plenty of talent from both countries in the under 19 fields.   The four-day event begins on Wednesday 28 November and runs through until Saturday 1 December, with the opening day of competition featuring finals in the team pursuit, team sprint, time trials and scratch races.   Thursday night?s line up includes the individual pursuit finals, while Friday night will see a host of Under 19 sprint finals with the elite men?s sprint also on the agenda.   The final night of competition on Saturday boasts a blockbuster program with the finals of women?s sprint, men?s keirin, women and men?s omnium, women?s 20km points race and the men?s 40km madison.   Tickets are available at the gate, with no charge for day sessions and night session tickets starting as low as $7.