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Newly crowned world junior women’s time-trial champion Elinor Barker will form part of Team SWI Welsh Cycling, Wales’ new track cycling team that will compete in the 2012/2013 UCI Track World Cup series.
Barker, 18, is joined by fellow Great Britain Olympic Development Programme rider Amy Roberts, who won two medals at the UCI Juniors Track World Championships in New Zealand earlier this year. Ciara Horne and Jon Mould have also been named with the potential for additional athletes to join the team later in the series.
"Major targets for Team SWI WC include the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. In the meantime, we will work to deliver riders to British Cycling with the hope of success at Rio in 2016.”
Team SWI WC is a UCI track trade team and will work with the Great Britain Cycling Team in providing more opportunities for athletes eligible to ride for Wales to compete at international track competitions including the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
The team will travel to all three rounds of the 2012 UCI Track World Cup series starting in Cali Colombia (11-13 October 2012), Glasgow, Scotland (16 -18 November 2012), Aguascalientes, Mexico (17–19 January 2013).
Matt Cosgrove, Performance Director at Welsh Cycling will manage Team SWI WC through the 2012/2013 track season. Ahead of the team’s departure for Colombia, he said: “Team SWI Welsh Cycling is an integral part of the Welsh Cycling Performance programme. The team will give riders who are eligible to represent Wales an opportunity to compete in track cycling events at world level.
“This will enable riders gain experience and develop as athletes in preparation for Glasgow 2014.”
The squad will be based at Wales National Velodrome, under the supervision of Welsh Cycling’s Head Coach Darren Tudor. Having worked on the development and performance of some of Great Britain and Wales’ most successful cyclists, Darren Tudor plans to use his own experiences to ensure Wales is at the forefront of cycling in Glasgow 2014.
“The 2012/13 track season is part of a learning process for many of our riders, with the Track World Cups providing them with experience of competing on the international stage," Tudor said.
"Team SWI Welsh Cycling is part of a long term project that will aim to deliver riders to the podium programmes at British Cycling. Major targets for Team SWI WC include the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. In the meantime, we will work to deliver riders to British Cycling with the hope of success at Rio in 2016.”
A team of four endurance riders will travel to Round 1 of the UCI Track World Cup in Cali, Colombia:-
Elinor Barker
Amy Roberts
Ciara Horne
Jon Mould
