Durbridge pulls out of track cycling

Reigning world champion Luke Durbridge is an early casualty as the powerful Australian track cycling squad prepares for the London Olympics.

Durbridge has pulled out of the men’s track endurance squad ahead of the April 4-8 world championships in Melbourne and will concentrate on road racing, where he also has a strong future.

The signs were not good for the 20-year-old West Australian when he did not ride in the 4000m team pursuit at last month’s World Cup round at the London Olympic velodrome.

The Australians won the event to confirm their favouritism for the world titles, where they will be defending team pursuit champions.

“We just decided he probably wasn’t going to make the worlds team and therefore the Olympic team,” said men’s track endurance coach Ian McKenzie.

“So instead of prolonging it and trying to do the worlds camp and then missing it, (there) was the decision to cut it there and he moves on with the road.

“It was pretty clear – if it wasn’t clear, we wouldn’t have made the decision.

“At the speeds we anticipate we’ll need to go to win in London, his physiology just doesn’t quite have the make-up for that.

“If the TP was over 20km, he’d be fine.”

Durbridge was a member of the quartet that won the team pursuit at last year’s world championships.

South Australian rising star Alex Edmondson took Durbridge’s place for last month’s crucial pre-Olympic event in London.

Durbridge confirmed his road potential in January when he won the elite men’s time trial at the Australian road championships.

He beat three-time world time trial champion Mick Rogers and defending Australian champion Cam Meyer.

Durbridge is also the reigning world under-23 road time trial champion.

Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis, Michael Hepburn and Edmondson rode the team pursuit in London, while Glenn O’Shea, Meyer and Mitchell Mulhearn have also been in the mix for the event.

“We’ve still got six guys coming in for the worlds camp, so that’s enough to cover us,” said McKenzie.

He would not confirm which of the seven squad members would not be going into the pre-worlds training camp.

While disappointed, Durbridge told the cyclingnews website he accepted the decision.

“Ian and I have worked closely together for a while and he knows what I can and can’t do so he was honest by saying my best chance of progressing is on the road, not track,” Durbridge said.

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