WAIS Athletes Compete at UCI Road World Champs
WAIS athletes have contested the road races at the 2013 UCI Road World Championships in Italy at elite senior, U23 and junior level, with the elite men’s road race held in wild wet conditions.
WAIS cyclist Cameron Meyer headed into his first elite senior men’s road race at World Championship level, having previously contested the elite time trial, but his planned role of domestique in the Australian set up was thrown out of kilter in disastrous wet conditions that led to almost two thirds of the starting peloton abandoning the race.
Meyer – along with several other Australian competitors including Cadel Evans was forced out of the race early with a series of crashes marring the showpiece event of the 2013 World Championships. Those that did manage to get through to the finish line, put on an incredible finale, with Portugal’s Rui Costa holding off a drastic final kilometre assault to win a maiden road race world title.
WAIS athlete Emily McRedmond competed in the junior women’s road race, finishing 52nd over the 82.25km course. McRedmond’s compatriot – Alexandra Manly was best of the Australians, finishing eighth.
Another WAIS young gun in Bradley Lindfield had similar misfortune to Meyer, as he was forced to withdraw from the men’s U23 road race without finishing the 172.3km course. Gold was taken by Slovenian wunderkid Matej Mohoric – who last year picked up gold and silver medals in U18 ranks in Valkenburg.