DUBBO Cycle Club juniors Luke Ensor, Haylee Fuller and brothers Kurt and Dylan Eather travel to Bendigo this week to take part in the Cycling Australian National Junior Road Championships as a part of a very strong New South Wales squad.
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Bendigo will host the 2016 Cycling Australia Junior Road National Championships from September 2 to 4.
Nearly 250 of Australia's rising stars from across the country will vie for national titles across the under 15 and 17 categories in the time trial, road race and criterium disciplines. The Dubbo foursome have ramped up their preparations for the national championships over the last several weeks under the watchful eye of coaches Gus Dawson and Vaughn Eather and the young riders are continuing to improve ahead of this weekend’s racing.
The championships start in Bendigo on Friday with the individual time trial, while on Saturday Fuller will ride in the 32.4km under-15 women’s road race, Dylan Eather will contest the 32.4km under-15 men’s road race and Ensor and Kurt Eather will tackle the 64.8km under-17 men’s road race on Saturday, before Sunday’s criterium events.
Kurt Eather and Luke Ensor will look to draw on their 2015 national road championships experience where the pair scored medals in both the road race and criterium, with Eather victorious in the road race ahead of Ensor, who finished second.
Both riders have been valuable members of the NSW track and road teams over the past few years and have had their form tapered perfectly for this weekend racing.
Dylan Eather will be a live medal chance in all three events and particularly the individual time trial based on his gold medal winning State Championship performance, while Fuller is capable podium placings in all three events based on her strong form throughout the season, which saw her win the NSW Hill climb Championships in her age group.
Strong local riders Chris Couper, Mike Ticehurst, Tim Hines and Darrell Wheeler contested last weekend’s annual 101km Cootamundra Classic, which was won in a dead heat by Ben Hill and Ayden Toovey.
Couper was the best placed Dubbo rider in the popular event, while Hines, Ticehurst and former winner Wheeler again mixed it with a strong peloton of riders and well known National Road Series participants.
Couper and Hines stayed on and raced in Sunday’s 69km Cootamundra Recovery race, which was taken out by Hill ahead of Toovey in second and Stuart Shaw in third. Meanwhile, club president Craig Granger, along Heather Ticehurst, Sarah Gordon and Julia Graham tested their climbing legs in Sunday’s 105km Tour de Warrumbungles at Coonabarabran, which saw the riders climb almost 2000 vertical meters in elevation.
The next target for Dubbo Cycle Club riders is the Western Division road championships to be held at Orange on Saturday 10th September on the Forest Road – Huntley Road course, which hosted the NSW Masters Championships individual time trial earlier this year.
For those interested in trying track cycling this summer, Dubbo Cycle Club will be holding an introduction to track cycling for prospective junior riders at Victoria Park No.1 Oval on Sunday 11th September from 10am to 1pm. For those interested or seeking more information, please contact Bill Williamson on 0418 452 367.