Cycling NSW’s aim to reboot track cycling at the Dunc Gray Velodrome started successfully with the 37th running of the Clarence Street Cyclery Cup on Saturday.
It proved to be a great carnival for two of our strongest riders when Olympic bronze and Commonwealth gold medallist and team sprint world champion Kaarle McCulloch added a third victory to her 2006 and 2017 wins.
McCulloch said she used the race to help prepare for the next round of the World Cup in Berlin on November 30.
“This is a great fun carnival because there is no real pressure,” McCulloch said.
“This is why I started racing. There is a great atmosphere and I will always try to support these local events. This is where I won my first big race in 2006 and it’s good to race with my St George clubmates.”
A new race schedule had been created for this event including state championships and an international line up of male and female cyclists racing sprint and Keirin events along with the traditional handicap racing for the Clarence St Cyclery Cup.
McCulloch started off scratch in the eight-lap handicap event and caught the field with three laps to go where she was too strong, leading from the moment she hit the front.
In the men’s race it was the first local hit out for the Sutherland club’s 2018 junior one-kilometre time trial world champion Tom Cornish and he didn't disappoint, racing in his Australian colours off scratch with Austral Wheelrace winner Zachary Marshall.
In front of a good crowd they caught the field late in the 2km race and Cornish went hard and straight to the front with a lap to go.
“It was hard to get around everybody safely,” Cornish said.
“Kai Chapman helped do some work and we got to the lead. It might have looked easy but it's a long way from behind to sprint for the win.”
Cornish’s maiden victory came in front of St George Cycling Club’s Daniel Gandy and Lachlan Scott.
St George’s Maximilian Cyreszko won the 14-lap men’s tempo race.
Clubmate Olivia Saunders took out the W17 Moto Pace 3000m.
St George sprinter John Trovas and teammate Rohan Haydon-Smith beat the masters world champions in their team sprint exhibition match up.
McCulloch also took gold in the sprint spectacular, the keirin and the elite women's derby.
Cornish is in the Australian sprint squad for the 2020 Olympic Games.
The next big event at Dunc Gray Velodrome is the Sydney Cup on wheels.
