CYCLING: Bunbury cyclist Brad Linfield has continued his rise up the Australian cycling ranks with a third place finish in the national under-23 road race in Ballarat two weeks ago.
The 132 kilometre race saw 10 riders left in the leading group with one kilometre to go.
A number of riders spent the last lap riding aggressively but none succeeded in breaking away from the leading group.
In a sprint to the line Linfield crossed in third place, mere metres behind winner Caleb Evans from New South Wales and runner up Robert Power from Western Australia.
“Going into the race I was feeling really good and hoping the opportunity to win would present itself,” Linfield said.
“As a cyclist I am a good climber and there was a good hill in the race which I thought would suit me.
“Having a sprint finish didn’t play to my strengths but I can still be really happy with the result.”
Two days after the Ballarat race Linfield learnt of his selection in the UniSA team for the Tour Down Under.
The week long race in Adelaide is the first stop on the world cycling calendar and has grown since 1999 to become the biggest cycling race in the southern hemisphere.
“I knew that a good ride in the national race would give me the best chance to be selected in a team for the Tour Down Under,” Linfield said.
“Being a world tour event you have to be invited to ride on one of the participating teams.”
Linfield said he was enjoying the ride but had to withdraw from the race ahead of the final day after being struck down with tonsillitis.
“Riding in the tour was an awesome experience and it was such a shame I couldn’t finish the race,” he said.
“I was planning on riding in the Herald Sun Tour of Melbourne in a fortnight but I have had to withdraw from that as well to come back to Bunbury to have my tonsils removed.”
Linfield will travel to Italy in March and is hoping to succeed in races throughout the European summer.
“I am hoping to be recovered and back at my best by the middle of the year,” he said.
“My goal in the next year or two is to try and qualify for a world tour team, such as Orica-GreenEDGE, so I can ride the biggest races on the professional circuit.”
