In a first of its kind multi-discipline UCI Cycling World Championships, there are plenty of rainbow jerseys on offer in 2023 and Australia has a strong contingent of riders to chase them. They range from BMX Freestyle Olympic gold medalist Logan Martin, to Rebecca Henderson in the Mountain Bike XCO, the defending men’s Team Sprint champion’s on the track plus Michael Matthews, Grace Brown and Rohan Dennis to take on the road races and time trials.
Australia will compete in ten of the 13 World Championships being held from August 3 to 13 with 121 athletes, nine of whom are lining up in more than one discipline. There are 84 elite riders, 11 under 23 representatives and 26 juniors, with six defending world champions among them.
All, of course, will be wanting to put their best foot forward, as always when the rainbow bands are on offer, but the stakes are particularly high this year given for many it is also important to stake a claim for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
We take a closer look at just some of the riders from Australia who have potential to end up on the Worlds podium, or perhaps even with a rainbow jersey on their back.
Logan Martin – BMX Freestyle Park
- Top World Championships results – 1st in 2021, 2nd in 2019, 1st in 2017
- Event dates – Saturday August 5 to Monday August 7
Logan Martin has some experience in excelling when it comes to event firsts, winning the initial BMX Freestyle world title in 2017 and also in Tokyo with the very first Olympic gold medal was awarded in the event – perhaps he could also add a rainbow jersey at the first combined cycling championships in Glasgow to that list. The Gold Coast based rider is already the most successful men’s elite rider in the discipline across the five years that the event has had a World Championships, having taken two world titles and a silver medal.
The 29 year old’s consistent results this year have been encouraging, as he is sitting on top of the leaderboard in the UCI World Cup standings. Still it’s going to be a hard fought battle for the rainbows, with the Australian placing third in the latest round of the World Cup in Belgium last month behind France’s Anthony Jeanjean and 2022 world champion, Japan’s Rim Nakamura.
Emily Petricola – Para-Cycling Track
- Top World Championships results – 1st in C4 Omnium, Scratch Race and Individual Pursuit 2022, 1st in C4 Omnium, Scratch Race and Individual Pursuit…
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