Heiko Salzwedel returns to Australia for new criterium series
Heiko Salzwedel, road cycling coach for the Australia Institute of Sport (AIS) will be returning to Australia as an opponent in December for the New South Wales (NSW) Grand Prix of Cycling, a five-race series debuting this year from December 8 to 12.
Prolific Australian race organiser Phil Bates launched the new five-round criterium series, built around the existing Cronulla Grand Prix, the one-day race which is now the finale of a five-day series. The inaugural edition will
take place over five consecutive days starting on December 8, with the Cronulla GP concluding the series on December 12.
Salzwedel will be developing a Russian national team for the event as part of the long build-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games. The women’s Russian team will be led by Evhenia Romanuta, who will face stiff competition in the form of Cronulla GP defending
champion Rochelle Gilmore, the Commonwealth gold-medallist already confirmed for the five-day series.
“It was very satisfying to win the gold medal in [New] Delhi but now all I’m thinking about to tell you the truth is Phil Bates’ races and to try and win not only Cronulla but a couple of the other races,” said Gilmore at the series launch. “The competition
will be tough: I know Phil will get in all the best riders from around Australia and also international riders. We’re not laying back and relaxing – it’s the start of our summer and we’re taking it very seriously.”
Salzwedel ran the AIS from 1990 to 1997, where he worked with Kathy Watt, Robbie McEwen, Cadel Evans and Matthew White among others. After that he moved on British cycling, coaching Bradley Wiggins to domination of the track and Mark Cavendish to domination
of the road. He then joined Danish cycling for the long-term development of their 2008 Olympic team. Now he has returned to Germany for the first time since the 80s to do the same for his home country.
Alexei Markov will be leading Salzwedel’s six-man men’s team, supported by Ivan and Evheny Kavaliev, Alex Serov, Valery Valynin and Alex Khatunzev. The 31-year-old team leader races with Katusha and has a strong Olympic record that
includes a silver medal in 1996 at only 16 years old. Serov, Markov’s Katusha teammate, is a five-time World Cup winner and has won several stages in the Tour of Britain.
Team Sky is expected to present a strong squad for the race with a staff of several locals riders and leadership from Chris Sutton and Greg Henderson. Confirmed for the event are Australians Simon Gerrans, Matthew Hayman, Cameron
Meyer and Jack Bobridge, as well as South African Robbie Hunter.
“It’s great to have a big series of international races back,” said Sutton. “It was great to have one criterium but now we’ve got five which is great. In New South Wales I think this is what we need for backing and development
– it’s going to be great.”
The series will begin with a twilight race in Bathurst, followed by round two in Parramatta Park. The third round will be raced under lights in Gosford on Friday night before the two weekend races, a beach-side race in Coofee on
the Saturday and the existing Cronulla GP on Sunday, will be raced in front of cameras in the afternoon.
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