It will be 10 years since David McKenzie has raced on the track when he lines up at the Bendigo Madison this weekend. McKenzie will partner Aaron Salisbury in the HLP/Ridewiser team in the 80km Madison on Sunday evening.
While McKenzie has been racing as an international professional on the road for the past decade - a career that has included a stage win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia - he has found himself in the unique position of being able to indulge his track passion while in Australia.
"The track is where I started, so it is a thrill to line up in an important race like the Bendigo Madison after so many years," McKenzie said. "I'm a bit nervous as it has been so long, however Aaron and I have been working hard on our change-overs and starting to feel comfortable together."
While McKenzie is contracted to the Indonesian Wismilak team, his racing commitments overseas will be in international racing blocks rather than across the entire season. This has given him the opportunity to work with the HLP/Ridewiser team back in Australia.
"It's great to be part of this new initiative, working with developmental riders," he said. "I feel like I have a lot of experience and knowledge to share, which I hope will benefit these young guys when they go onto careers overseas."
However, McKenzie will need to pull out all of that knowledge and experience for himself when lining up with the likes of Scott McGrory, Tim Decker and Chris Sutton on Sunday night.
For more on the Bendigo Madison see www.madison.org.au.
