Simon Jones: Australia’s first Olympics goal is making it to the start line

TOKYO JAPAN JULY 19 A worker paints the start ramp at the Cycling BMX racing venue at the Ariake Urban Sports Park ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games on July 19 2021 in Tokyo Japan The Ariake Urban Sports Park will host skateboarding and BMX cycling events Photo by Cameron SpencerGetty Images
Putting some finishing touches on the BMX start ramp at the Tokyo Olympic Games (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Simon Jones was brought into AusCycling to turn around the nation’s Olympic Games medal performance, but regardless of how well the athletes have been prepared for Tokyo the Brit is acutely aware that even having a shot at a medal winning performance can’t be taken for granted.

The team is hitting its ambitious targets on the track, while the road selection includes riders that have delivered top results in some of the biggest races on the calendar and worn the rainbow stripes. There is a mountain biker that stood on last year’s World Championship podium and the BMX squad boasts a recently-crowned world champion. Though, with the Tokyo Games being held in the middle of a global pandemic, ensuring those riders actually get a chance to race is no simple matter.

Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.