Australia's Team Pursuit squad for 2018 Commonwealth Games taking shape
Forgoing the 2017/18 Track World Cup, Australian men's track coach Tim Decker has instead been putting his riders through their paces to finalise a squad for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Gold medallists in the Team Pursuit at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Decker is aiming for a successful defence in April next year and to bury the memories of silver in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Assembling for the Melbourne Six-Day are Sam Welsford, Alex Porter, Kelland O'Brien, Rohan Wight and Nick Yallouris, Jordan Kerby, Leigh Howard and Cameron Scott. Cameron Meyer and Callum Scotson are also part of the larger squad but have been racing madison events during the European winter and are absent from the meet.
"The main priority [this week] is setting ourselves up for the Commonwealth Games," Decker said of the Melbourne racing. "We are always looking to create opportunities for younger athletes coming through, but we are also looking create some in-house pressure for the Cycling Australia riders to make selection for the Commonwealth Games.
"I wanted to give all riders some exposure, to see how everyone is progressing, and to give everyone a fair and even chance for team selection. And importantly, we are making sure they get in an element of Team Pursuit racing before we actually get to the Games."
Decker added that he wanted to test his riders in unfamiliar conditions and has been pleased with the results so far.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com