IT’S more than the sprinting and chasing ability of their opponents that German star Leif Lampater has to worry about when he teams with Swiss ace Franco Marvulli in this Sunday night’s Bendigo International Madison cycling classic.At last night’s launch of the athletics and cycling carnival at Bendigo Art Gallery, Lampater said he had never seen a track like the D-shaped circuit at Tom Flood Sports Centre. Lampater has starred on the steeply banked velodromes across Europe and around the world.“I have never seen a track like it,’’ Lampater said of the Bendigo circuit.“It’s flat, a D-shape, so it’s interesting,’’ he said of striving to win the McCaig Airconditiong-backed madison, in association with Fujitsu.Lampater’s countrymen Roland Gunther and Erik Weispfennig both conquered the track.Gunther’s first start in Bendigo was capped with a victory with Michael Grenda in 1991, and then a year later with Bendigo’s Andy Stirling.Lampater will gain some valuable insights about how to race on the track from Sydney Olympics madison gold medallist and dual Bendigo champion, Scott McGrory in the lead-up to Sunday’s contest.“The Bendigo Madison is always spectacular and there are so many variables,’’ McGrory said.The internationals will be one of 16 teams trying to deny Eaglehawk’s Glenn O’Shea and Geelong’s Leigh Howard of back-to-back wins.The reigning champions will take on the likes of Western Australia’s young guns Cameron and Travis Meyer in the 200-lap showdown.“Leigh and I have raced four World Cup madisons in the past year and learnt a lot,’’ O’Shea said last night.“Winning last year was a major highlight of my career. It began a chain reaction for the rest of the year,’’ said The Advertiser Southern Cross TEN Sports Star of the Year for 2007-08.At the launch, organising committee chairman Warren Sinnott revealed five-time champion Brett Aitken would not pursue a record-breaking win this year.“Brett’s teammmate, Jack Bobridge has been ruled out because of a knee injury,’’ Sinnott said.“We just did not have enough time to find a rider of similar quality (to Bobridge) to team up with Brett at such short notice.“It’s disappointing, but that’s racing.’’Among the contenders in Sunday’s race will be Bendigo’s own Tim Decker, David Pell, Jarrod Moroni, Kyle Marwood and Peter Ladd.A late call-up for his hometown race, Ladd will team with Japan’s Kouji Yoshii.One of the youngest riders in the field will be 17-year-old Luke Durbridge from Western Australia, teamed with another of the west’s best, Michael Frieberg.Cycling action begins on Friday night when the RetireInvest criteriums are raced in the CBD.A 10-lap race for the women will start from Howard Place at 6.30pm and be followed by the men’s 30-lap duel.