For this, we talk to one Olympian from all five disciplines: road, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, mountain bike and track.
Road: Australia’s international riders regroup back home for Wollongong
Among Australia’s 29-strong team for Wollongong is Grace Brown, Australian and Commonwealth Champion in the individual time trial.
“There is a lot of hype about having a home UCI World Championships and I think it’s natural for the Australian riders to feel an extra bit of pressure, but it shouldn’t take away from the special experience of racing in front of home fans,” she says. “Most Aussie cyclists are very proud of their home country, and it’s always a special time to come together with the national team and be with like-minded Australians.”
Part of the UCI Women’s WorldTeam FDJ Suez Futuroscope, Brown, like her fellow Australian cyclists, spends a lot of time training and racing far from home. Something that she believes could be behind the strength of her country’s athletes.
“I think if you are racing in the professional peloton as an Australian, you already need to be a strong and determined cyclist. It takes a lot of sacrifice to leave Australia to race in Europe. So those who make it here have a lot of inner strength.”
🚨 It's just the beginning ! @GLBrown321 extend with the team until 2024 ✍️ pic.twitter.com/JuNczNRqUD
— FDJ - SUEZ - Futuroscope (@FDJ_SUEZ_Fut) August 26, 2022
Her own breakthrough season came at two of Belgium’s Classics in 2020: second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and victory at Brabantse Pijl.
The Australian star is convinced that there are many more potential winners in her country just waiting to be discovered: “I think there is a huge talent pool in Australia, which is largely untapped. We are a big sporting nation, but cycling is not a sport that is introduced at a young age.”
BMX Racing: Saya Sakakibara owes success to big brother Kai
One person who cannot wait for the UCI Road World in Wollongong is Saya Sakakibara, who was brought up in Helensburgh where the road races will start.
“It’s so exciting that it starts in my hometown. I’ll definitely be following that and cheering on our Aussie riders!”
But her true love is BMX Racing. The 23-year-old finished 2nd overall in the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in 2018 and 2020, but saw her first Olympic appearance – in Tokyo 2020 – abruptly interrupted by a crash in the semi-finals. She remains, without doubt, one of Australia’s great BMX Racers, something she credits in large part to her big brother Kai, who continues to inspire her since his competitive retirement after a serious crash and injuries.
“I just followed in his footsteps and heavily relied on his passion to lead me. There is no doubt that Kai’s influence on me had everything to do with my journey through the National Academy during my Junior years, then being part of the National Team as I turned Elite.”
Those early years were not so long ago but Sakakibara has already seen a change in the BMX Racing scene in Australia: “BMX Racing has evolved tremendously, and I believe that in Australia it is one of the most established BMX Racing organisations in the world. When I think back to when I first started racing in Australia, there were only a handful of girls racing at state and national level. Now there are so many girls on bikes racing, which is cool to see.”
She believes that trend will continue, particularly with Brisbane hosting the UCI BMX Racing World Championships in 2026 and the Olympic Games in 2032.
BMX Freestyle: no longer just for hanging out
The Brisbane 2032 Olympics will also be a huge motivation for Australian athletes in cycling’s youngest Olympic discipline, BMX Freestyle. And one of the world’s leading athletes is Australia’s own Logan Martin, Olympic Champion and two-time UCI World Champion.
LOGAN MARTIN, YOU ARE AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION 🥇
— AusCycling (@AusCyclingAus) August 1, 2021
Logan has made history as the first ever men's BMX Freestyle @Olympics Champion. @AUSOlympicTeam I @AusCyclingTeam I #Tokyo2020 I #TokyoTogether I #LetsRideTogether pic.twitter.com/WN53KHat1D
Last year, he was named 2021 Australian Cyclist of the Year. A breakthrough for the discipline according to the 28-year-old.
“That was definitely a great one to win! In a way it just put BMX Freestyle more on the map. It means that BMX is on the rise and the recognition is now there for bigger and better opportunities in the sport in the future.
“Since I started out, BMX Freestyle has evolved into more of a sport as opposed to a ‘hang out’ activity. There’s more structure to the sport and lots more support these days which has been amazing to see. AusCycling are working with the Queensland Academy of Sports to help us athletes with the perfect training facilities, physiotherapists, sports psychologists, strength and conditioning coaches and pretty much anything else you can think of that helps an athlete perform. That has been awesome!
“I can only see our discipline progressing and continuing to evolve like it has in the previous ten years!”
Mountain Bike: the challenges of integrating international scene
Rebecca McConnell finished the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup with three cross-country Olympic (XCO) victories and second place overall. She is also nine-time Australian Champion, titles that mean a lot to her: “I’m really proud to be an Australian and every year I still get those nervous feels when I turn up to the National Championships. The National Champion’s jersey means a lot to me.”
“When I’m at races in Aus I try to be as accessible as possible. I want to show them (other, younger athletes) what is possible but still be realistic about the challenges and hard work. As Aussies we will always face limitations and additional challenges.”
Riders need to go abroad to have a chance of moving up the UCI World Ranking, but it’s not easy to integrate an international team.
“We are more expensive to support because of travel and getting equipment over. That means a bigger commitment from the teams. Realistically it’s easier and more logical to take riders from within Europe.”
McConnell, who is riders’ representative on the UCI Athletes’ Commission, dearly hopes to see a system that will enable more Australians to get onto the UCI World Cup circuit in the years to come.
She says Australia has plenty of talent, and that the sport in general is more popular than ever: “Everyone rides a mountain bike or has a friend who is into it,” she says. “The carparks at any bike park are completely full at weekends. There is so much to love about mountain biking in Australia. It’s just an amazing community and you can go just about anywhere in Australia and there are places to ride mountain bike.”
Track: Glaetzer the role model
Australia has long been a force to be reckoned with in international competition, and among their stars is sprinter Matthew Glaetzer, who has two UCI World titles to his name and competed at the last three Sumer Olympic Games. In 2017, he became the first rider to break the 1:00 mark for the 1km time trial at sea level.
What a moment, I'll remember that one for a while. Last lap... https://t.co/rhesZKNKWC
— Matthew Glaetzer (@MatthewGlaetzer) November 13, 2017
Why are the Aussies so strong on the track?
“Our country has great roads, weather and terrain for cycling as a sport to be popular. Our history of success also helps inspire the younger athletes to aspire to achieve something similar. These, coupled with talent identification to keep numbers in the sport is important.
“There are currently fewer women in sprint compared to men so we would love to see more girls coming through in the years to come.”
Glaetzer, who remains on top of the game despite thyroid cancer and subsequent operation in 2019, tries to set an example: “I’m happy to be a friendly face they can look up to. Sprinters can be intimidating sometimes so I like the young cyclists to know I am approachable and willing to help them.”
AusCycling and the team spirit
We leave the last word to AusCycling’s Executive General Manager of Performance Jesse Korf. The Federation has programmes and strategies in place to ensure Australian cyclists will be among the best at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
“But what is equally important is when we put on the Green and Gold, it is about how we go about things as a team…. How we enable each other to chase dreams and create memories on a bike. Things will go wrong, it requires a lot of sacrifice and on occasion maybe even despair. It is about how we deal with triumph and disaster and support each other regardless.”