Sydney World Cup attracts 48 nations

The opening round of the UCI Track World Cup Classics being staged in Sydney from November 30 - December 2 has attracted the largest World Cup field ever with more than 400 riders from 48 nations entered to contest 17 events over three days of racing. With nine months to go before the Olympics, track cyclists throughout the world are interested to score some points in order to qualify for the world's biggest sports event held in Beijing next year.

Australia will be represented by a host of Olympic, Commonwealth and World Champions, as well as some of the country's greatest young talent. Cycling Australia today announced the 'The Cyclones' National Team to race in Sydney, with Australia also being represented by the newly formed professional outfit, Team Toshiba, and riders in both the T-Mobile and Drapac Porsche professional teams.

Six of Australia's reigning Olympic Champions (Ryan Bayley, Graeme Brown, Peter Dawson, Brett Lancaster, Anna Meares and Luke Roberts) will be in action along with Commonwealth Games road race Champion Matthew Hayman, who is returning to the track for the first time in more than a decade. Reigning points race World Champion Kate Bates will also be in Sydney and five of Australia's Junior World Champions (Jack Bobridge, Leigh Howard, Travis Meyer, Tom Palmer and Josephine Tomic) will experience their first senior World Cup competition. Tomic, 18 years of age, already owns three rainbow UCI Junior Women's World Champion jerseys and was interviewed by Cyclingnews last August.