DUBBO'S Luke Ensor has confirmed his status as one of the best young riders in Australia after picking up four medals at last weekend's National Track Championships.
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Ensor picked up three silver and one bronze at Melbourne while fellow Dubbo under-15s competitor Kurt Eather battled illness and still managed a top 10 finish.
Michelle Ensor, who travelled with the team to Melbourne, said it was an amazing week for the Dubbo pair.
"They all performed well, the team environment was great and in the overall state champion trophy NSW and Victoria were equal but on the last day Victoria got ahead," she said.
"But the experience the kids get in that environment is great and something really good as they go forward knowing what it takes to compete at that next level.
"They went into camp on the Monday and spent all their time together as a team. They didn't get too much free time because sometimes at training they could be at the track from 10am to 10pm but in the bit of down time they had it was great to see them spending time together and having fun and sharing experiences of racing."
Luke Ensor claimed silver medals in the time trial, sprint and 2km pursuit events while he won bronze in the pointscore race.
His efforts in the pursuit were a real highlight as he tussled with Victorian Graham Frislie, who had earlier broken an Australian record when qualifying for the sprints.
While Ensor and Eather are two of the best riders in NSW, they have two Dubbo coaches to thank for their achievements.
Renowned cycling mentors Gus Dawson and Vaughan Eather have worked closely with the pair and Ensor admitted her son was well prepared.
"He's trained hard and the results show. His coaches had him up to speed for the state championships but they had to make sure there was enough left in the tank for nationals," she said.
"You don't want to peak too soon in the lead-up to nationals so we had to make sure he was right.
"You could see after the 2km pursuit he had nothing left in the tank by the end, he put in all his effort and that's what it takes when competing at the nationals."
Young Ensor got to enjoy his time on the national podium but for Eather it was a frustrating week as he battled food poisoning.
Despite his struggles he managed to get back on the bike and finish inside the top 10.
"He was sick on the Thursday but bounced back with his can-do attitude and finished eighth in the scratch race which was a great effort at a national championships and that just really shows his commitment," Michelle Ensor said.
After a hectic start to 2015 both of the prodigious talents will ease back their training for two weeks before preparing for the upcoming road racing season.