Cycling Australia

Cycling Australia is pleased to announce the finalists for the Jayco 2012 Australian Cyclist of the Year Awards.

The awards will be presented at a black tie gala being staged at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth in Sydney on Friday 9 November. The evening will culminate with the presentation of the Sir Hubert 'Oppy' Opperman Medal to the 2012 Australian Cyclist of the Year.

During 2012 in competition at World Championships, Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Australian cyclists claimed 48 wins, placed second 37 times and claimed 29 bronze medals across the gamut of track, road, mountain bike and BMX and in categories from juniors to masters aged over 60.

Anna Meares was crowned Olympic Champion and eight Australians stood on the podium to receive a gold medal at the Paralympic Games. The sport also celebrated success in other major events including the BMX Supercross World Cup titles won by Sam Willoughby and Caroline Buchanan and three wins by Simon Gerrans in WorldTour events on the road.

The 2012 Australian Cyclist of the Year will be awarded to one of the winners of the individual category awards. The People's Choice Cyclist of the Year winner has been determined by an online public vote with five finalists in the running including previous recipients Cadel Evans and Anna Meares.

Information on how to purchase tickets to the awards night can be foud here found here.

Cycling Australia would like to thank our awards sponsors and suporters - Jayco, the Australian Sports Commission, Subaru, SBS Cycling Central, Mavic, Singapore Airlines, Shimano, Jetset Glynde and the Amy Gillett Foundation.

The finalists for the awards are listed below.

(*** denotes triple 2012 World Champion ** denotes dual 2012 World Champion * denotes 2012 World Champion, OG denotes Olympic Games Champion, PG denotes Paralympic Games Champion)

People's Choice Cyclist of the Year

• Cadel Evans
• Simon Gerrans
• Anna Meares OAM
• Rachel Neylan
• Sam Willoughby

Mavic Elite Track Cyclists of the Year

Female Elite Track

• Nettie Edmondson capped off a stellar year with a bronze medal in the omnium at the Olympic Games. At the world titles she claimed silver in the same event after racing to a silver medal in the team pursuit. She threw in a couple of national titles for good measure.
• Kaarle McCulloch  had a list of things she wanted to achieve before she retired. Amongst them was wanting to be an Olympian and to win an Olympic medal. In 2012 she did both. She rode with Anna Meares to a bronze medal in the team sprint in London. The pair claimed silver in the same event at the world titles.
• **/OG Anna Meares OAM became the most successful female Olympic track cyclist in history. Her campaign began with third place in the team sprint but it was the individual sprint that produced one of the most famous showdowns in Games history. Meares versus Britain's Victoria Pendleton was a story written over a decade of racing and Meares' triumph was the final chapter. At the world titles she won the keirin, clocked a world record 500m to win the time trial, was second in the team sprint and third in the sprint.

Male Elite Track

• (*) Michael Hepburn achieved a couple of his lifelong ambitions this year beginning with his gold medal performance in the indvidual pursuit at the world titles in Melbourne. He then earned selection in the Olympic team collecting silver as a member of the team pursuit squad in London.
• (*) Glenn O'Shea is a cyclist of many talents which comes in handy when you're asked to line up in both the six race omnium and the team pursuit for Australia. He won the omnium world title and silver in the team pursuit at the worlds in Melbourne and in London rode away with silver in the team pursuit and fifth in the omnium.
• (*) Shane Perkins was living the dream in London when he stepped onto the podium to claim the Olympic bronze medal in the men's sprint in front of his parents, wife and two small children. Earlier in the year Perkins, Matt Glaetzer and Scott Sunderland were crowned team sprint world champions.

Elite Mountain Bike Cyclists of the Year

Female Elite Mountain Bike

• (*) Jessica Douglas excels in mountain bike endurance racing and this year won her second straight world title in the solo 24 hour event in Italy.
• Rebecca Henderson launched her season with wins in the under 23 cross country at the Australian and Oceania championships. She finished amongst the top three under 23 riders in five of the seven World Cup rounds she contested this year to earn selection for the Olympic Games in London where she placed 25th in the women's mountain bike race.
• Janine Jungfels rides her bike a little differently to the other nominees - for a start she does it without a saddle. But her skill at observed trials saw her win two rounds of the 2012 World Cup series and place third in another. At the world titles in Austria she finished in sixth place.

Male Elite Mountain Bike

• (*) Jason English this year won his fifth straight Australian solo 24hr mountain bike title to set him up in the green and gold for the trip to the world titles. He won the 2009 and 2010 crowns but with no title race in 2011 he had to wait until this year to go for the hat-trick. In Italy in May he did just that and secured a third world title.
• Mick Hannah had a solid year in downhill competition winning two elite ranked races in Germany and collecting third place in the South Africa round of the UCI World Cup Series. At the world titles in Austria he was the fastest in the timed run and finished fourth in the final. He ended the season ranked seventh in the world.
• Dan McConnell won both the Oceania and Australian cross country titles in 2012. In World Cup competition he broke into the top 20 with a 19th place finish in Canada in June. He was Australia's sole representative in the men's cross country event at the Olympic Games where he rode home in 21st place.

SBS Cycling Central Elite Road Cyclists of the Year

Female Elite Road

• Tiffany Cromwell placed second in the road race at the national titles. She won a stage of the Giro d'Italia for women and was second in the World Cup Grand Prix de Plouay - Bretagne in France.
• Rachel Neylan was third in the road race at both the national and Oceania championships this year. Her European season with a pro team didn't pan out as planned so she went it alone. She earned selection in the Cyclones team for the road world titles and, following the team plan, went with an early move that proved to be the winning break . She sprinted home to claim the silver medal.
• Amanda Spratt won the elite women's road race crown at the road nationals in January and was on the podium in several races this year but it's her role as team captain that sets her apart. She rode for Australia at the London Olympic Games and directed the race plan for the world championships in the Netherlands.

Male Elite Road

• Luke Durbridge opened his first season in the elite ranks with victory in time trial at the road nationals. During the season he then added stage and overall wins in the Circuit la Sarthe and the Tour du Poitou Charentes. He won the Duo Normand and the prologue of the Critérium du Dauphiné before helping his Orica-GreenEDGE team to bronze in the teams time trial at the world titles.
• Simon Gerrans ruled the roads in Buninyong in January to win the green and gold national champion's jersey in the road race. Later the same month he won the Tour Down Under for a second time. Heading to Europe his form continued with a win in Milan - Sanremo. He earned Olympic Games selection and at the end of the season won a third World Tour event this time the Grand Prix de Québec.
• Michael Rogers began his season on the third step of the time trial podium at the road nationals. He was also on the podium in the Critérium International in France and mid-year he stepped up to win two stages and overall honours in the Bayern-Rundfahrt in Germany. He placed second overall in the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Singapore Airlines Elite BMX Cyclists of the Year

Female Elite BMX

• (*) Caroline Buchanan was unbeatable against the clock in 2012 winning the Superfinal time trials at all four Supercross rounds and winning the world title. She also grabbed a main event win in Norway to help her claim the World Cup Series crown. At the Olympic Games she was fastest in the timed run and went on to finish fifth in the final. She ended the season ranked world number one.
• Melinda McLeod rocketed into the elite ranks in 2012. She won gold at the nationals and was second at the Oceania Championships. She won the national series crown and made the final of the Supercross round in Norway. Her world ranking was eleventh at the end of the season.
• Lauren Reynolds is ranked sixth in the world and in 2012 made the final in two rounds of the Supercross series. At the World Championships she qualified through to the semi finals and finished twelfth overall while at the Olympic Games her campaign saw her make it through to the semi finals and finish 15th. She was second at the nationals and was the second ranked rider in the national series.

Male Elite BMX

• Anthony Dean was the bronze medallist at the national titles. In international racing he placed seventh in the final of the Canadian Supercross round and at the World Championships in Birmingham placed fourth.
• Brian Kirkham won both the Australian and Oceania title and was third in the Canadian round of the Supercross series He also made the final in Norway where he finished sixth. Selected to race in the Olympic Games he was in top form but a run of bad luck saw him crash out of contention in the quarter finals. He ended the season ranked fourth in the world.
• (*) Sam Willoughby had a massive year. He was crowned world champion in May and in August made his Olympic Games debut in London where he collected the silver medal. He was second in all four Supercross rounds to win the World Cup series crown and ended the season ranked number one in the world.

Elite Para-Cyclists of the Year

Female Elite Para-cycling

• (PG) Carol Cooke came to Para-cycling later in life than most but she came armed with a steely determination to fulfil a lifelong dream. In London this year that dream was realised when she won the mixed T1-T2 tricycle road time trial at the Paralympic Games. She also won the T2 time trial and was second in the road race at the Spanish round of the World Cup.
• ( ** / PG) Felicity Johnson & pilot Stephanie Morton set the track alight in 2012 first in Los Angeles at the Para-cycling track worlds where they won the sprint and grabbed gold in the time trial with a world record ride. They headed to London as favourites for the Paralympic Games time trial and didn't let the pressure phase them producing a thrilling ride to win gold. The pair also set the flying 200m tandem world record this season
• (PG) Sue Powell won Australia's first gold medal at the Paralympic Games in London with a blistering world record ride in the C4 3km pursuit. Crossing over to the road she claimed silver in the time trial. Also in 2012 Powell grabbed gold in the road time trial at the World Cup round in Spain and was the silver medallist in the pursuit at the track world titles.

Male Elite Para-cycling

• (*/PG) Michael Gallagher OAM  wanted 2012 to be the year he successfully defended his Paralympic Games pursuit title and he did that in style, slashing seven seconds off his own world record. In London he also grabbed bronze in the C5 road time trial. Earlier in the year he won the pursuit at the track worlds in Los Angeles.
• (PG) Kieran Modra OAM & pilot Scott McPhee overcame more than their fair share of adversity to line up in London. Modra qualified for his seventh Games despite breaking three vertebrae in a crash nine months earlier and the pair had few chances to race together in the lead up to the Paralympic Games but when it counted they delivered a world record to win gold in the pursuit.
• (*/PG) David Nicholas went to London with his main focus on the road events. The reigning C3 world champion added Paralympic Champion to his achievements winning gold in the time trial before backing up a day later to claim bronze in the C1-3 combined road race. On the track in LA in February he won the C3 pursuit and was second in the kilometre time trial.

Shimano Junior Cyclists of the Year

Female Junior BMX

• Sarah Harvey rode into second overall in the Probikx National Series and was the silver medallist at the national championships. She sits eighth on the world rankings.
• Rachel Jones won the Probikx National Series crown and at the World Championships placed fifth. She was the bronze medallist at the nationals and her world ranking at the end of the season was sixth.
• Chelsea King is ranked 14th in the world and placed fifth overall in the Probikx National Series.

Male Junior BMX

• Corey Frieswyk was second overall in the Probikx National Series and ended the season ranked 15th in the world.
• Luke Hombsch is ranked 19th in the world and his results in the Probikx National Series saw him finish eighth overall.
• Bodi Turner took out overall honours in the Probikx National Series and in the world rankings ended the season fifth on the table.

Female Junior Road

• Jessica Mundy claimed bronze medals in the road race at both the Oceania and Australian Championships. Her results saw her selected for the team to contest the road race at the world championships where she placed 29th.
• Allison Rice is the 2012 Oceania junior time trial champion and was fifth in the event at the nationals. She earned selection in the team for world titles where she finished 19th in the time trial.
• Emily Roper dominated against the clock with time trial victories at both the Oceania and Australian titles. At the world championships in the Netherlands she placed fourth in the time trial, missing the bronze medal by a mere five seconds. In the road race she crossed the line in ninth place.

Male Junior Road

• Caleb Ewan sprinted home for the silver medal in the junior road race at the world titles in Holland. He opened his season with two stage wins and second overall in the elite Jayco Bay Classic series. He won the time trial and was second in the road race at the junior road nationals and posted some solid performances in Europe including victory in the Gent to Menen one day race in Belgium.
• Bradley Linfield claimed the Oceania road race crown and won the Mersey Valley selection race in 2012. In Europe he added Trofeo Emilio Paganessi to his list of victories during preparation for the world titles where he rode in support of team mate Caleb Ewan.
• Robert-Jon McCarthy sprinted home in first place to be crowned junior road race national champion in Shepparton where he finished third in the criterium. He earned selection in the Australian team for the world titles where his efforts helped Caleb Ewan score silver in the road race.

Female Junior Mountain Bike

• Danielle Beecroft won the Australian junior downhill title and at the world championships in Austria sped down the hill to secure the bronze medal position on the podium.
• Holly Harris won the junior XCO national title.
• Emily Parkes was the highest placed Australian at the Oceania Championships finishing fourth in the XCO. She claimed bronze at the national championships and won the national series.

Male Junior Mountain Bike

• Ben Bradley won the Australian XCO title and in World Cup competition scored a fourth and a tenth place finish in 2012. At the world titles in Austria he crossed the line in 28th place.
• Connor Fearon arrived on the downhill scene in 2012. He won the junior national title and at the world championships raced home for the bronze medal. But he also stepped onto the elite podium with a second place finish in the French round of the MTB World Cup.
• Jack Moir finished fourth on the national series Gravity Cup rankings after top ten results in all four rounds. At the world championships he was the fifth fastest junior in the downhill competition.

Female Junior Track

• (**) Georgia Baker came away from her second junior track world titles with a world record and gold medal from the team pursuit. She also scored victory in the scratch race. Back in Australia her nationals campaign netted bronze in the individual pursuit and points race.
• (***) Taylah Jennings was unstoppable at the world championships. She joined her compatriots for a world record setting win in the team pursuit and added points race gold a day later. She then repeated her 2011 clean sweep of victories in all six events to win her second straight omnium title.
• Caitlin Ward lined up in the sprint and team sprint at the junior world titles and stepped onto the podium after both with a silver medal in the sprint and a bronze in the team sprint with Allee Proud. At the nationals she won the keirin and sprint.

Male Junior Track

• (*) Alex Morgan came home from the track world championships with a gold medal won in the team pursuit and a bronze medal from the individual pursuit. He is the reigning individual pursuit junior national champion.
• (**) Jacob Schmid won gold in both the sprint and keirin at the junior track world titles in New Zealand. He was also in the Aussie trio that set a world record in qualifying for the team sprint before going on to finish with the silver medal. At the nationals he collected gold in the keirin and team sprint.
• (*) Zac Shaw was crowned world champion this year in the kilometre time trial and was the bronze medallist in the sprint. He was also in the world record breaking team sprint trio that claimed the silver medal in New Zealand. He also won gold in the time trial and team sprint at the nationals.

Jetset Glynde Masters Cyclists of the Year

Female Masters Road

• Gaye Lynn won the road race, time trial and criterium in the Masters 7 (60-64) class at the road nationals but continues to be competitive with her younger rivals consistently crossing the line with the Masters 4 riders.
• Felicity Wardlaw claimed gold medals in both the criterium and time trial at the road nationals in the Masters 2 (35-39) events and crossed the line in second place in the road race.
• Linda White claimed victory in the time trial of the Perth round of the World Cycling Tour and at the road nationals was the winner in the Masters 4 (45-49) criterium and road race and was second in the time trial.

Male Masters Road

• Roy Clark grabbed gold in the Masters 5 (50-54) time trial and criterium events at the road nationals and added silver in the road race to wrap up his medal campaign.
• Richard Spinks collected gold in the criterium and road race at the masters road nationals while in the time trial he finished in second place in the Masters 9 (70-74) division.
• Darrell Wheeler has been racing for more than 50 years and in 2012 he won a hat trick of gold in the Masters 8 (65-69) class with wins in the time trial, criterium and road race at the road nationals in Goulburn.

Female Masters Mountain Bike

• Meg Carrigan claimed the 2012 national title in the Super Masters women's division and teamed with Peter Whitfield to finish 22nd in the 612km eight stage TransAlp race in Europe.

Male Masters Mountain Bike

• (*) Neil Dall this year claimed the solo 24hr world title in the 50 to 54 age division.
• Garry James is the Australian Super Masters Marathon Champion.
• Craig Peacock was second in the 50 to 59 age group Leadville marathon endurance event and won the Langkawi MTB stage race. He is also the national age group XCO champion.

Female Masters Track

• Michelle Crawford scooped up medals across the board at the track national championships collecting wins in the individual pursuit and scratch race and silver medals in both the time trial and sprint in the Masters 3 class.
• Cheryl Hulskamp claimed three medals at the 2012 track world titles bringing home silver in the individual pursuit and bronze in both the 500m time trial and sprint events in the Masters 3 (40-44) class.
• Rebecca Wheadon was on the podium four times in the Masters 2 (35-39) division at the world championships in Manchester. She was the silver medallist in the points race, indvidual pursuit and sprint events while in the scratch race she sprinted home in third place. At the nationals she won the sprint and pursuit and was second in the time trial.

Male Masters Track

• (**) Chris Murray clocked world best times in both the flying 200m and the 750m time trial in the Masters 4 (45-49) class at the world championships. His time trial ride gave him victory while he rode through to finish second in the sprint. Murray also celebrated gold in the team sprint.
• (*) David Stevens claimed silver at the track world titles in the Masters 4 (45-49) individual pursuit and gold in the team pursuit. At the nationals he set an Australian record for the flying 200m, won the individual pursuit and was third in the points race.
• (***) Geoff Stoker scored a golden hat trick at the track world titles in Manchester. He won individual honours in the Masters 5 (50-54) class 500m time trial and sprint. His third gold came in the team sprint with compatriots Chris Murray and Gavin White. He won the same three events at the national titles.

Cycling Australia Coaching Award

• Hilton Clarke was a deserved winner of this award in 2011. In 2012 he has continued to set the standard in coaching some of Australia's finest junior riders. At the junior track worlds in New Zealand Clarke's athletes won nine medals, including three gold and a clean sweep of the men's sprint podium. His coaching talents are also directed at grass roots level in metropolitan and regional Victoria.
• Peter Hutchinson has some solid talent in his stable of riders including junior Tennille Falappi who in 2012 scored medals in the team sprint, 500m time trial and sprint at the Oceania Championships. At the junior track nationals Kiara Dundas placed second in the sprint and was fourth in the time trial. Hutchinson has in the past worked closely with National Sprint Academy coach Sean Eadie and has applied the processes and philosophies learned to develop his athletes.
• Sian Mulholland coordinates and delivers all coach education in the ACT and is a valuable source of information for many other coaches. She has introduced innovative approaches and projects including psychological profiling to assist national coaches to deal with athletes away from their normal training environment. She coaches Para-cyclists Brandie O'Connor and pilot Kerry Knowler who placed fourth in the kilometre time trial at the world championships and won three national titles.

Cycling Australia Coaching Program of the Year

• The BMX Program flourished in 2012 under the guidance of Head Coach, Wade Bootes. It moved into the new AIS facility on the Gold
  Coast and used the Chandler track to fine tune preparation for a highly successful international campaign. Sam Willoughby won the world title, World Cup series and Australia's first Olympic BMX medal. Caroline Buchanan topped the table of World Cup rankings and was unbeatable in the time trial Superfinals. At the end of the season Australia is the top ranked BMX nation in the world.
• The Para-cycling Program, led by Peter Day, scored six gold, four silver and four bronze medals at the Paralympic Games with five world records along the way and personal best performances by every rider in the team. Our Para-cyclists also netted an impressive eight world titles on the track and numerous World Cup wins this year on the road. The program's focus on developing new talent and helping existing athletes improve their performances paid dividends in 2012.
• The Track Sprint Program delivered amazing results in 2012. At the world titles in Melbourne Australia won the men's team sprint for the first time in 16 years, placed second in the women's team sprint and Anna Meares won two gold medals and set two world records. At the Olympic Games Kaarle McCulloch and Meares collected bronze in the team sprint, Shane Perkins clinched bronze in the men's sprint and Meares put into action the plan she and coach Gary West had hatched to win the sprint gold medal.
• The SASI Cycling Program, headed by coach Tim Decker, enjoyed a stellar year. The program celebrated a haul of medals at the track nationals in Adelaide, won the junior men's road race at nationals and SASI scholarship holders were well represented in the Australian team for the Olympic Games.

The following awards & trophies will also be presented on the night.

• Cycling Australia Media Award
• Keith Esson Award
• Subaru National Road Series Awards
  • Amy Gillett Foundation NRS Champion (Male & Female)
  • SBS Television NRS Champion Team (Men's & Women's)
• Subaru Australian Club Premiership
• Norm Gailey Trophy - Champion State
• Australian Sports Commission Volunteers of the Year Awards