Hepburn on top in pursuit

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Queensland's Michael Hepburn won gold in a thrilling elite men's individual pursuit final against South Australian Rohan Dennis at the 2012 Subaru Cycling Australia Track National Championships at Adelaide's Super-Drome.

The pair, who were half of Australia's 2011 world champion pursuit team, staged a nail-biting duel that saw Dennis (Jayco-AIS) almost a second up on Hepburn at the three quarter mark of the 16 lap race. But the GreenEdge rider held his nerve and stuck to his schedule wiping out the deficit and surging clear to win in a time of 4:17.481. That was almost three seconds faster than Dennis whose 4:20.004 earned him the silver medal.

"It's very important to me - the individual pursuit is an event that I've always had a strong passion (for) and I have big ambitions in this discipline," an ecstatic Hepburn said after donning the Australian champion's jersey. "This and the team pursuit are my two big goals and it's really nice to get the crown tonight."

"After this morning's ride I was fairly confident and even throughout the final I was fairly confident, " said Hepburn. "I've seen Rohan ride a fair bit and I know how he rides. He tends to go out quite quick, whereas I'm the opposite, I like to race the person over the last two kilometres.

"Full credit to Rohan, he's just had a great result in the Tour Down Under, he's only had a few days to recover, " added Hepburn.

In 2009, Hepburn set a world record in the under 19 3000m pursuit on the same track and later the same year won the junior world title. Graduating to the senior ranks in 2010, Hepburn claimed back to back team pursuit world titles but also has his sights set on individual glory.

"If you look at the current team pursuit squad, obviously Jack is the standout in the individual pursuit and Rohan has done some really good rides as well, " Hepburn explained. "(But) I'm starting to do some good rides and it's an event we all take very seriously - it's still a world championship event." Hepburn added.

Dennis, who finished second in 2011 to Bobridge, was making no excuses after the race.

"I felt it - in saying that, he's a top-class rider," said Dennis. "I wouldn't take the win away from him just because I did the Tour Down Under as he was always going to be a hard competitor.

"He's not easy to beat anyway, even when I am on form, all credit to him.

"I was probably putting too high expectations on myself, but sometimes that works," Dennis added.

Queensland's Mitchell Mulhern took the bronze medal (4:23.857) over South Australian Alexander Edmondson (4:31.229).

Earlier in the evening session on day one Sydney's Kaarle McCulloch, 24, claimed her third straight 500m time trial crown just hours after her silver medal ride in the team sprint. McCulloch showed no signs of fatigue, covering the first 250 metres in 19.447 and completing the two laps in 34.244.

"I am pretty happy with that as this event is still quite important to me, it's the event I won my first Australian title in as a junior, and I always really want to do well in it," said McCulloch of the time trial which is no longer in the Olympic Games program.

"I thought I could have done a little bit better, but I think that was wishful thinking. I think the heat got to me a little bit today, but my personal best is 34.208 and I did a .244 then, so I can't be too unhappy.

"I am looking forward to the sprint now, and as all my training is geared to the team sprint, I don't feel any pressure in the sprint.

"Hopefully I can go out and ride a good time, get through to the final and give Anna a good run for her money," McCulloch said.

Canberra's Catherine Culvenor (35.616) took the bronze medal, while South Australia's Rikki Belder (35.283), who teamed with Anna Meares to win gold in the team sprint, placed third.

In the under 19 individual pursuit, Victorian Alexander Morgan, 17, bolted out of the gates to lead by four tenths of a second after the first kilometre of his race against Tirian McManus (NSW). McManus managed to narrow the margin to seven hundredths of second at the halfway mark, but Morgan found something extra in the third kilometre and pushed his lead out again. A fast finishing McManus fought back but it was not enough and the Victorian won the gold medal in his time of 3:19.909. McManus claimed silver in 3:20.918.

"I am pretty tired, but pretty happy with how it all worked out in the end," said Morgan, who claimed the team pursuit world title at the UCI Junior Track World Championships last August with Jack Cummings, Alexander Edmondson and Jackson Law.

"I got so nervous before the start, and kept trying to tell myself that everyone else was in the same boat.

"So I am happy to come through with the win, particularly after coming second last year and after a hard few months of training." Morgan said.

In the ride for the bronze medal, West Australia's Trent Derecourt (3:23.485) defeated Queensland's Nicholas Schultz (3:26.786).

West Australian Kelsey Robson, 16, set an All Comers and Championship record on her way to winning gold in the women's under 19 2000m individual pursuit over dual 2011 junior world champion Taylah Jennings (QLD).

Only four tenths of a second separated the pair in qualifying but in the final it was all Robson who led at every time check to run away with the win, crossing the line in 2:24.788, three seconds faster than Jennings who recorded 2:27.830.

"It was really a game of tactics as she goes out really fast and I go out really slow, so I just had to back it up in the second half of the race, and it worked out really well," said Robson after claiming her first Australian title. "I am so excited, as a first year rider you don't expect to get a gold, you just do it for the experience. So this is just really great."

Tasmania's reigning team pursuit junior world champion Georgia Baker (2:29.409) defeated Queensland's Alexandra O'Dea (2:31.113) in the bronze medal ride.

Less than an hour later, Jennings bounced back to win gold In the women's under 19 scratch race. Much of the early pace set early by West Australian Elissa Wundersitz with Jennings timing her attack perfectly at the bell lap to sprint home ahead of Queensland team mate Alexandra O'Dea. South Australia's Jessica Mundy was third.

"It was disappointing qualifying first and coming second in the individual pursuit final to Kelsey, but she did a great job and I was happy with my time," said Jennings. "So I put it all in that scratch race there and it was a really good race and I really enjoyed it.

"I have pretty high expectations of myself and it would have been nice to have done better in the individual pursuit but I still have four races left, so I am not worried," she said.

In the final event of the night South Australia successfully defended their team sprint title when Nathan Corrigan, James Glasspool and Matthew Glaetzer defeated the New South Wales trio of Mitch Bullen, Andrew Taylor and Peter Lewis.

Corrigan out the home team narrowly in front after the first of three laps but Andrew Taylor blitzed the second lap to give New South Wales a lead of two hundredths of second with 250m to go.

A parochial crowd propelled Glaetzer over the final lap for a finishing time of 45.087 seconds, 0.020 faster than their rivals who clocked 45.315.

Victorians Shane Perkins, Jason Niblett and Jaron Gardiner (45.984) claimed the bronze medal ahead of WA's Scott Sunderland, Jonathan Bathe and Aaron Cooper (46.191).

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