The next generation of Dubbo Cycle Club stars will be on show at the weekend's NSW Junior Under 9-13 Track Cycling Championships.
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Hosted by the Dubbo club and featuring a number of hometown riders, the championships have attracted competitors from all over NSW as well as a handful from interstate.
Dubbo has been hosting the junior titles for more than 20 years now and while it won't be accompanied by the regular Dubbo Track Open event for senior riders due to a lack of numbers, club president Ben O'Brien said it's an exciting time.
"I think we're up to the 21st year we've been running this and it's really nice to see these kids coming through," he said.
"In a couple of years' time you can almost guarantee some of these kids will be representing Australia."
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Roughly 10 Dubbo riders will be part of the action, with the first of races to be held on Saturday evening before the battle for medals begins on Sunday morning.
It will be the first major event for many of the Dubbo riders, due to their ages and the fact so many events have been cancelled in the past two years due to the COVID pandemic.
"It's going to be really exciting for them to get out there and have a crack," O'Brien added.
Cooper Farr will be one to watch after he starred at last year's junior championships, winning gold in the under 11s time trial in impressive fashion.
A familiar face will be one of his biggest rivals as Sid Pickering has shown great development over the past year and the two young guns have had some top battles in local racing.
Scarlet Weeks is another firmly in medal contention while under 9s rider Matilda Lunney has been traveling across from Mudgee to ride with the Dubbo club and she's showing great promise.
"You watch them and it's amazing ... they just improve out of sight," O'Brien said of the Dubbo youngsters.
"They're going around for awhile and you might not think they're improving and then all of a sudden it's just exponential improvement and it's exciting to see how much energy and encouragement they get from that.
"It's a bit of a pay-off for coaches and the parents as well. It's great to watch the kids racing."
As is always the case, the Jackson Pascoe Trophy memorial event will be one of the most special events contested on the weekend.
Held in honour of Pascoe, who died in a truck accident in 2005, the event is a staple of the championships and this year the trophy will be awarded by Jackson's brother, Chris.
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