Despite achieving so much in his young career already, Dubbo cycling star Adam Mitchell admits he has some nerves leading up to the Cycling Australia Under-23 Road National Championships at Ballarat.
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The 19-year-old, who finished fourth in the under-19 National Championships road race at the Gold Coast in 2015 will contest the under-23 men’s criterium on Wednesday before lining up in the 132.6km road race on Saturday.
The young gun has performed on the national stage on both the road and track before but this Championships campaign shapes as one of the toughest events he has taken part in.
“I’m not going to lie – everyday closer to the event the nerves build,” he said.
“I’m definitely excited to be heading to the infamous Buninyong circuit in Ballarat to test myself against the best the nation has.”
Mitchell will line up against a strong field of young riders, including Olympic team pursuit silver medalists Callum Scotson and Sam Welsford, Olympic mountain bike and road race participant Scott Bowden and Paralympian Alistair Donohoe.
“There are 123 entries and with three Olympians and one Paralympian in the field it’s hard to look past them (as the riders to watch),” he said.
The 13-lap 132.6km road race on the grueling Buninyong course, which sees riders take on a tough climb on each lap, appears Mitchell’s best chance of success.
“The road race will be challenging for all and raced in an aggressive manner,” he said. “With 13 10km loops to be negotiated and a nasty climb on each lap, it’s sure to come down to who can sustain the intensity and recovery effectively when and where possible.”
The journey to the start line this week started in September for Mitchell, who has seen many early starts and many long and lonely hours on the road in preparation for the event.
“I’ve had plenty of 4am starters and clocked up many hours in the saddle,” he said.
“I’ve done many five and six hour solo rides, which sees an average of 450km per week, with a number of weeks being as big as 650 to 700km. I’ve put in a solid amount of preparation and although I’m not 100 per cent happy with where I am physically, I’m happy to take to the start line after a horror run in recent times.”
Mitchell’s training has been affected by ongoing issues with his right knee while he also fell at last year’s under-23 NSW State Criterium.
