Hello Tim Gavel here from the Region Media Group. I'm down
here at Stromlo Forest Park with the ACT Junior Track
Cycling Team and they've just returned home from the National
Championships as one of the most successful teams ever to
represent the ACT at the Junior Track Cycling Championships.
One four gold medals which is an incredible performance. I've
got a couple of the athletes alongside me of course. The
team is right behind me as well. Um Lauren Bates she won
two gold medals. So Lauren just tell us about your performance
and and you break a record as well so you had a pretty
successful time. Yeah no I I broke the record in the
individual pursuit which was has always been a goal of mine
which was awesome. Got the green and gold as well which
was awesome as well. Yeah. And the Omnium's pretty good. And
what does it mean to be part of this team then? I love this
team like this team's really good like I had my last
nationals. We had a good team but this team's definitely a
better team. Yeah and you got huge aspirations. You you're
part of the academy now in Canberra so. Yeah. You you feel as
though cycling's going to be your go? Oh yeah definitely. No
it's a dream of mine to get to the pro level so should be fun.
Yeah and what do you like about track cycling? The speed. It's
so speedy. It's fun. Yeah. Yeah. Good on you. Well done on
the nationals. Thank you. Also alongside us is Eddie Marcks
and Eddie just tell us about your performance and I
guess what it was like representing the ACT. Oh yeah
it was it was such a vibe. Everything was like it's like
the total experience of going there nationals and competing
for your own state is really good. And yeah damage to get
the bronze medal in the IP individual pursuit which is
really good. Do you do you see yourself really pursuing
cycling? Is that what you want to do? Ah yeah well I see
where this can take me and yeah. Yeah and what's so good
about this team? Oh everyone's like really nice and you just
make really good memories with this with this group. Like
everyone's really good. Yeah and Siân Mulholland is the
coach. She's also with us. And Siân just tell us about the
performance of the team and what it means to you to have
such success. This is a a fantastic team. They've come
together really well to get the results that we did. We
exceeded all expectations. Um great bunch of kids. It's a big
team. We don't normally send that many people away and
everybody just put in and did as they were asked and the
results came as a result of that. And I guess the success
it it's very much a team effort isn't it? Even though there are
individuals winning gold. It it's it's part of a team isn't
it? Well they say it takes a village to raise a child. I
tell you what it took there was a very very big team effort
behind the results that these kids achieved. We had I think
we had four or five or six or something parents up there
making sure that food was ready and washing was done and and
then we had the on-track teams with manager and mechanic and
and chaperone. I only had to tell them how to ride fast so
you know I had the easy job sort of. Yes and and obviously
you train out at the Narrabundah Velodrome? How does that go?
I mean pretty cold out there in winter and ah we breed them
tough here. Yes. We breed them tough here and and look our
track is not as as as perhaps good as some of the other
tracks around the country and we don't have lights and we
don't have a roof. Um any politicians listening might
want to take that on board but we but if you can ride Canberra
and you can train through winter and summer and brown
snakes and plovers then ah you're going to be tough when
you get to the National Championships. And I think it
shows with this group Uh just as a final question I mean
you're obviously hoping that all of these young cyclists go
through and just continue the sport to see how far they can
go. ACT has always produced champions from as long as I've
been here which is longer than I care to remember. And there's
no reason whatsoever that that all of these kids can't go on
and make a make a professional career out of this. That's how
good they are. It's great. Thanks for the chat. So we've
obviously got some really talented cyclists here. Thanks
very much to Laura and Eddie and and Siân for being down
here as well as that. We've got the whole team behind us so
thanks very much for joining us down here. This is Tim Gavel
signing off for the Region Media Group.