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Australia prepares for Copenhagen worlds battle

published 19 March 2010

Can last year's star performers do it again in 2010?

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Reigning women's team sprint world champion Anna Meares about to head out onto the track.(Image credit: CyclingWorld.dk)

Leigh Howard watches the Australian women's team pursuit squad train from the rollers.(Image credit: CyclingWorld.dk)

Women's endurance coach Gary Sutton talks to team pursuit member Ashlee Ankudinoff.(Image credit: CyclingWorld.dk)

Ankudinoff and Josie Tomic share a laugh as the women's team pursuit squad trains.(Image credit: CyclingWorld.dk)

Dan Ellis puts his head down and goes for broke in training.(Image credit: CyclingWorld.dk)

The Australian women prepare on the boards in Copenhagen.(Image credit: CyclingWorld.dk)

The Australian squad trains together in the Ballerup Super Arena.(Image credit: CyclingWorld.dk)

Australia resumed training in the Ballerup Super Arena yesterday after arriving in Copenhagen ahead of next week's UCI Track World Championships, looking to repeat its feats of the 2009 world titles in Warsaw, Poland.

Hoy and Pendleton show their form before track worlds

Australia picks final Track Worlds team

Hoy to face his Copenhagen demons

The team was the standout performer at last season's titles and goes into this year's worlds boasting a squad with an average age of 21. Omnium world champions Leigh Howard and Josephine Tomic return to defend their titles, while defending women's team sprint world champions Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch will also be riding in Copenhagen.

The anticipated showdown in the men's team pursuit should also involve the Australians, with Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis, Michael Hepburn, Cameron Meyer and Travis Meyer handed the task of taking down the British team. All five performed well at last month's Australian track national titles and should go into worlds with good form.

Meanwhile, the men's sprint group has its work cut out against the likes of Sir Chris Hoy and the gun British squad, the esteemed Scot recently saying that although these world titles are important, the London Olympics in two years' time are more so; a good time, perhaps, for the Australians to remind him of how tough worlds can be.

Shane Perkins, Dan Ellis, Jason Niblett and Scott Sunderland have been handed the task of delivering gold for the Australians, with Perkins coming off an injury that put him out of the national titles, while Ellis, Sunderland and Niblett should be in good form after an intensive preparation block.

Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for more track world championships news and views from Copenhagen