ARARAT cyclist Alice Culling continued her stellar form on the track with a win at the 117th Austral Wheelrace Carnival and Australian Madison Championships at Melbourne’s Hisense Arena on Saturday night.
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Culling won the Junior Women’s Austral race.
A crowd of about 4000 people attended Victoria’s premier track cycling event.
The Ararat teenager stormed home to finish ahead of team-mates Georgia O’Rourke and Ally Ogden in the handicap race.
Culling started off 65 metres, with O’Rourke at 75 metres and Ogden at 85 metres.
Culling said she was thrilled with the win.
‘‘I was feeling quite confident going into it,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s a really good race, a really quick race.
‘‘I wasn’t too nervous – I’m used to the racing now so I don’t get to nervous.
‘‘We all got off the mark pretty quickly and worked together until the end.
‘‘At the last lap I sprinted off and managed to win it.’’
Culling has enjoyed a fantastic year both in track and road events.
In February, she helped Victoria claim the Ray Godkin Shield at the 2014 Cycling Australia Junior Track National Championships in Sydney.
Culling won bronze in the junior women under-15 2000-metre individual pursuit.
She said it was a thrill to win the Junior Women’s Austral.
‘‘It’s a pretty prestigious race in Victoria – people travel from everywhere to come and race in it,’’ she said.
‘‘There was a really big crowd, it was great.
‘‘I’d like to thank my pusher, Matt Opperman, and my mum and dad for everything.’’
The Ararat cyclist said she hoped the win would help her chances of being selected to represent Victoria again at the junior track national championships.
‘‘The selector was there and saw the race,’’ she said.
Culling said she had a pretty big agenda this summer leading into the Victorian Junior Track Championships on January 31 and February 1 next year.
‘‘I’ve got Christmas carnivals from the day after Boxing Day,’’ she said.
‘‘That’s four days of straight racing, and then it’s off to Echuca and Adelaide.’’