Cycling has long been one of Australia’s best sports at either the Olympics or Commonwealth Games, with our track and road teams putting in strong performances, and there are plenty of big medal chances on the Gold Coast.
The sport is separated into three disciplines at the Commonwealth Games. Track Cycling is a four-day programme at the start of the Commonwealth Games, road cycling will bring with it the individual time trial and road race, while the mountain bike is a one-off dash.
On the track, Australia won seven gold and including para-sport events, another 13 either silver or bronze ones in Glasgow during 2014. With another four medals between the road and mountain bike, the Aussies were a total of ten cycling medals ahead of their nearest opposition in England, who had 14.
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The men’s road team at least, is without plenty of the big stars as everyone is in Europe at this point of the season. Still, other nations are in the same boat, but there are still a stack of medal chances floating around.
So, who are the big chances in 2018?
Patrick Constable (men’s track)
Constable broke onto the world stage at the 2016 Olympics in the sprint event, making the quarter-finals through way of winning a repechage, before losing out to eventual gold medalist Jason Kenny.
While it was a disappointing final result, the youngster is fast and even with a dearth of results since, should be a chance on the Gold Coast.
Tiffany Cromwell (women’s road race)
The biggest career achievement for Cromwell was taking fifth place in the 2014 road world championships. While she didn’t win on that occasions, she is a smart cyclist to say the least and has won some significant races over the years.
While she won’t be the leader of the Australian team in the road race, don’t be surprised if she gets involved with a breakaway and takes every opportunity which may be presented to her on the punchy course.
(AAP Image/Kathy Watt)
Amy Cure (women’s track)
With 11 World Championship medals to her name, including a gold in the 2014 points race and plenty in team events, Cure will be a pivotal part of Australia’s charge to break their record medal haul from Glasgow.
At the Glasgow games, she took silver in the scratch race and bronze in the individual pursuit, which should be her best chance to medal in 2018.
Alexander Edmondson (men’s road race)
Edmondson came from nowhere to win the Australian national championship this year. Having grown up on the track and won medals at both the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Rio Olympics, he has begun transitioning onto the road and had his first major success at the championships.
While it’s hard to say he will be a favourite, in a relatively leaderless Australian team, he could well be an option to go it alone.
Katrin Garfoot (women’s road race, individual time trial)
Garfoot’s number one goal for 2018 is to win the time trial at the Games. She decided to not cycle for Orica in Europe this year and with good reason – she is gold medal favourite by the length of the straight.
After winning the time trial at the National Championships, she also took out the time trial at the Tour Down Under. Garfoot has won three straight Australian time trial championships and finished third two times in a row at the world championships.
Don’t discount her from the road race either, where she finished second at the World Championships in 2017.
Matthew Glaetzer (men’s track)
Glaetzer is one of the fastest men on two wheels in the world, and proved it by winning the sprint event at the recent track World Championships.
In Rio at the 2016 Olympics, the then 23-year-old finished fourth in the sprint and tenth in the men’s keirin, putting in inspired performances.
He took his first World Championships gold medal this year in the sprint, beating out Briton Jack Carlin, but he could take home multiple medals on the Gold Coast, with the South Australian likely to participate in all of the sprint-style events.
Mathew Hayman (men’s road race)
Hayman is a former winner of the most prestigious one day race in the world: Paris-Roubaix.
On that occasion, he outsprinted Belgian Tom Boonen. He was the king of the cobbles, but the grit, determination and will of Hayman has always made him a chance to jump into breakaways and win races like this.
Is he the favourite? Absolutely not.
Could the now 39-year-old claim his second Commonwealth Games medal following triump in 2006 around Melbourne? Absolutely.
(Image: Team Sky)
Chloe Hosking (women’s road race)
Hosking’s list of accolades speak for themselves. While she struggled at this year’s Australian Championship, the sprinter riding with Alé–Cipollini has already won the women’s Great Ocean Road Race and a stage of the Tour Down Under this year.
While the course may not suit her, she is tactically very smart. If Hosking can hang on, she will be Australia’s best option if it came to a sprint – although that’s far from certain.
Jordan Kerby (men’s track)
Kerby will be a huge chance in the individual pursuit. While he hasn’t had brilliant results in 2018, he won both the Australiana and World Championships individual pursuit race during 2017.
After spending 2014-2016 with the Drapac squad, he took a backseat from road duties at the start of last year to focus all his efforts on the track and now finds himself in the Commonwealth Games squad with a strong chance of medalling.
Cameron Meyer (men’s individual time trial, track)
Meyer is going to have a very busy 11 days. He will start on the track, then do the time trial and finish it all off with the road race.
Starting on the track, the 30-year-old is a back-to-back world champion in the points race and also finished third in the Madison with Callum Scotson at the 2018 Championships. Whether individually or as part of the team, Meyer not claiming an endurance medal on the track would be a major surprise.
Meyer, despite riding road less than others, will shape as Australia’s best hope at the individual time trial as well.
Of course, if none of that works out, don’t be surprised to see Meyer jump up the road in the final event and shoot for a medal there.
(AP Photo/Keystone, Jean-Christophe Bott)
Stephanie Morton (women’s track)
The big event for Morton will be the sprint. Contested over a distance of just 200 metres, it normally comes down to hundredths of a second.
She won gold in the event at Glasgow during 2014 and has since won back-to-back silver medals at the World Championships, missing out to dominant German Kristina Vogel this year on both occasions, despite having the fastest qualification time ahead of the finals this time around.
Without Vogel in her way, Morton is a clear favourite and should also put in a solid performance at the 500-metre time trial.
On top of that, Australia’s team sprints and team pursuits were strong at the 2017 track world championships. Further to that, mountain bikers Daniel McConnell and Rebecca McConnell are also chances.
The Commonwealth Games cycling programme gets underway on Thursday, April 5 at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane.
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