Kersten and Meares headline Australian team for Sydney

Olympic gold and bronze medallist, Anna Meares, 22, and Ben Kersten, 24, who last week claimed four gold medals at the Australian Championships will headline the Australian 'Cyclones' team for the final round of the 2005/06 UCI Track World Cup Classics series at Sydney's Dunc Gray Velodrome March 3 to 5.

It will be the final hit out for Kersten, Meares and Victorians Shane Perkins, 19, and Sean Finning, 21, before they line up in the Commonwealth Games ten days later in Melbourne. They will be part of a 193-rider field from 35 countries in what promises to be a big series finale.

Kersten will contest the keirin and teams sprint events with Perkins joining him for the teams sprint and entered for the match sprint competition. Meares will feature in the women's sprint, the event she claimed gold in at the Australian Titles. Finning, who now rides with the South Australia.com - AIS team, was the 2005 Australian Champion in the points race and seventh in the event at last year's World Championships and is expected to make a strong showing in Sydney in the points race.

The Cyclones also boasts a host of gold medallists from the recent Australian Track Cycling Championships. 2003 junior World Champion and newly crowned Australian elite points race champion, Miles Olman, 19, from Queensland will add his weight to the teams pursuit line up and team with fellow South Australia.com - AIS team member, Simon Clarke,19, for the Madison.

Kristine Bayley, 22, who upstaged Commonwealth Games champion, Kerrie Meares, to win the 500 metre time trial last week will contest the event in Sydney as well as the sprint and keirin.

Junior rider, Tess Downing, 17, who was crowned Champion of Champions at the Australian Titles after an amazing week of success will race in the points race and individual pursuit. The Victorian teenager took out the U19 points race title in Adelaide despite crashing midway through the race. She got back on her bike and continued racing but was later taken to hospital suffering concussion missing the ceremony for gold and her naming as the Champion of Champions.

Australian Cyclones for Sydney World Cup March 3 - 5, 2006

Simon Clarke (Vic - 18.07.1986)
Richard England (Vic - 09.07.1981)
Sean Finning (Vic - 22.01.1985)
Michael Ford (Vic) 23.04.1986)
Grant Irwin (Qld - 22.08.1984)
Ben Kersten (NSW - 21.09.1981)
Joel Leonard (Vic - 22.07.1981)
Miles Olman (Qld - 23.02.1986)
Shane Perkins (Vic - 30.12.1986)
Skye Lee Armstrong (NSW - 01.01.1987)
Kristine Bayley (WA - 22.06.1983)
Tess Downing (Vic - 10.05.1988)
Belinda Goss (Tas - 06.01.1984)
Anna Meares (Qld - 21.09.1983)

For more information on the 2006 Sydney Track World Cup see www.cyclingnews.com/sponsors/sydneytrackwc/