There is a series of interviews with members of the Australian Cycling Team on RIDE Media’s YouTube channel. The latest is with Sam Welsford, a member of the silver medal winning team pursuit from the Rio Olympics.

 


– Click the link below for part 1 of the Sam Welsford interview. –


 

 

“The Olympics is such a high-pressure situation that it’s never going to be a perfect, easy ride,” says Sam Welsford from his hotel room in Brisbane only five days before flying to Japan for his second Olympic Games. “It’s going to be 0.1 either way for the whole race – and it’s just going to be on the edge the whole time, until one team eventually blows or gets away in one little moment.

 

“The margin for error is obviously getting smaller and smaller. One bad start out of the gate, or one missed split that you do, you have the whole race – as it’s getting faster – [to make up the margin].”

 

Australia has won gold in the team pursuit at the Olympics twice, in LA in 1984 and again in Athens in 2004.

 

In both London and Rio the Australian men’s pursuit team won silver – finishing behind Team GB (and a world record ride) both times.

 

The team pursuit has been a key focus of the Australia Cycling Team for many years and Welsford – along with Kelland O’Brien, Alex Porter, Leigh Howard and Luke Plapp – represent a solid medal prospect on the track in Tokyo in 2021.

 

“We’re getting into that low 3:40 range now,” says Welsford of times for the 4,000m event that has a rich history at the Olympic Games. “[At] the worlds you could see a 3:44 and they’re predicting way faster times in Tokyo.

 

“It will be very close between all the top teams, but we’re pretty confident we can go there and get the job done.”

 

 

– Interview by Rob Arnold

 


 

 


– Other interviews with riders from the Australian Cycling Team (below). –