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Sprint cyclist Chloe Hosking admits having lengthened her odds of making the Olympic road race team after a disappointing late-season slump in the last of the key selection races.
But she’s hopeful selectors will take more positives out of her early form to send her to London for her first Olympic Games starting in July.
The rising star of Australian women’s cycling is one of six main contenders vying for three spots on the squad which will be decided by June 30.
With the window for selection races having officially closed at the end of May, Hosking knows there’s nothing more she can do.
She’s quietly optimistic, but for some poor results in China.
Earlier in May, Hosking returned to ride in the Tour of Chongming, which she won in 2009, but just missed out on a podium finish.
“I was feeling pretty confident up until then,” she said.
“But I’m hoping my results that I had over in Europe earlier in the season will speak for themselves.
“I beat the world champion, I beat the No.1 ranked rider and then I had another win on a course similar to, if not harder than London.
“So I hope all these things just work in my favour.”
Hosking’s biggest threats are time trial specialist Shara Gillow, Rochelle Gilmore and Melissa Hoskins, who recently made the track team, while Amanda Spratt and Tiffany Cromwell are also in contention.
But Hosking potentially has another ace up her sleeve, hoping her sprint skills hold her in good stead for the London course.
The 140km race heads through south-west London into Surrey, with two laps of the ominous Box Hill circuit in the middle, and critics are mixed about what type of rider it will advantage.
“If you judge by the past world championships in Copenhagen, all the big teams wanted to sprint because they all thought they had the best hope in a sprint,” Hosking said.
“Maybe I’m biased because it’s what I want, but I think they’ll be looking for sprints again, so I like to think that’s good for me.”
Hosking also has the benefit of having ridden parts of the course last year on a subterfuge mission for the Australian Institute of Sport, which then digitally mapped the information.
The 21-year-old was the first to test out the virtual course last week.
The Bendigo-born Canberran insists she’ll look ahead if London doesn’t work out.
“I don’t want the world to end if I don’t get selected,” she said.
“I was looking today for the future countries for other Olympics and I think Doha is in the running for 2020.
“That’s dead flat – right up my alley – so I’m going to have a long career.”
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