There's few athletes of any kind in Dubbo who have as much to look forward to in 2022 as Danny Barber.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The rising star of the track is bound for Adelaide in the coming weeks, where he will continue chasing his Olympic dream by linking up with the Australian sprint squad.
The move headlines an exciting time for Dubbo Cycle Club riders, with a host of athletes set for bumper campaigns next year.
Teenager Barber is one of six Dubbo riders who have gained selection in AusCycling and Australian Institute of Sport programs.
Former Oceania junior champion Barber is part of the Podium Potential program and will train regularly with former and current Olympians and national champions while Kurt Eather, Haylee Fuller, Dylan Eather, Ben Anderson and Tyler Puzicha have all been selected for the Developing and Emerging programs.
READ ALSO:
Kurt Eather will rise up to be part of the Developing program, which is for athletes considered four to six years from the elite podium, while the others are Emerging athletes, those who are considered six to eight years from the elite podium.
"It's been a long time coming," Barber said of his looming move to Adelaide.
"I've been riding for about seven years and it's all been here in Dubbo and in Adelaide I'll be training with the best Australia has got and I'm pretty keen for it.
"When I was young I was watching these people at the Olympics and now I'm going to be training with them. It's a bit surreal, really."
The likes of Barber and the Eather brothers have grown up racing each other and have often acted as motivation for each other.
That's the case again now, with Barber's achievements proof riders from outside the major cities can still reach the very top.
"You know someone from out here can do it and it gives you that bit more motivation to definitely push harder and keep trying," Kurt Eather said, before speaking about moving up to the Developing program.
"It's definitely good to know I'm moving up the pathway and the next step would be the Podium Potential pathway, so hopefully I can get up there soon.
"It's knowing you're the next step closer and if you can keep on improving you will make the Australian squad and make the move to Adelaide, which is definitely the goal for me."
As big an achievement as it is to have six riders selected for the elite national programs, it should come as no shock to those who have followed Dubbo Cycle Club in recent years.
The up-and-coming group have won a swag of state and national awards over the years, leading Dubbo Cycle Club to be named the best in the country in 2019.
"It's good to see the club doing well," Dylan Eather said.
"And I know there's more coming through who can get up there too so it's great to see the club progressing."
Getting the results doesn't come without a huge amount of commitment and hard work.
Training is basically seven days a week for the Dubbo Cycle Club stars while a huge amount of travel around the country is involved.
Members of the clubs are regularly spread all over the state on weekends, while Kurt Eather was in Sydney just this week and won a race there on Tuesday.
"The selection is the reward for all the hard work by the riders and parents in the club," was the message from club coaches Vaughn Eather and Gus Dawson.
"Getting six riders selected out of one club is extraordinary, However, it did not happen overnight, athletes began their journey early. It is a testament to each of them for their dedication and will to succeed."
While each of the six riders selected have put in plenty of effort - Anderson and Puzicha live at Orange and Bathurst respectively so have to travel just to train - few have had it as tough as Dylan Eather this year.
There's heaps of work. You train every day and on a day off you still do gym.
- Dylan Eather
He suffered a broken hand twice in 2021, each time ruling him out of action for six weeks, so the Emerging program selection was a hugely satisfying moment.
"It's been hard to get back to where I was. I'm still not where I want to be but it's starting to coming back and I'm starting to feel pretty good," he said.
"There's heaps of work. You train every day and on a day off you still do gym."
With the Dubbo riders moving up in the world and spending less time at home it's something of an end of an era for the club given the stars have risen through the ranks together locally.
Barber knows nothing he's achieved would have been possible without his family, coaches, and teammates in Dubbo but he's all too aware a move to ride regularly at the Adelaide Superdome is what's needed if he's to achieve his goal of riding for his country.
"Dubbo is great and this new track is fantastic but there they (Adelaide) have got all the equipment, all the gym gear, and the velodrome and everything there is going to greatly improve me," he said.
"Since I found out (about the Podium Potential selection) I've been working hard and the motivation has gone through the rood. It's going to push me further and seeing other athletes achieve their goals will be great."
Dubbo Cycle Club riders are now working towards the national road championships in January before the national and Oceania track championships are in March and April.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News