A FIVE-STRONG Bendigo and District Cycling Club contingent will represent Victoria at next month's Cycling Australia National Junior Track Championships in Brisbane.
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The all-female group, which comprises a mix of riders with previous national championships experience and first-timers, includes Belinda Bailey, Jasmine Eddy, Milana Freer, Haylee Jack and Ruby McLean.
Their selection continues Bendigo's dominance of the state junior track team in recent years after seven riders represented Victoria at each of the past two championships in Brisbane last year and in Melbourne in 2018.
Together the quintet makes up a quarter of the 20-member Victorian team for the championships, which will be staged at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane from March 18 to 22.
The track championships will be the first for Freer, who last year represented her state at the Junior Road National Championships, on the Gold Coast, while Bailey, Jack and McLean will be contesting their second track nationals.
The most experienced of the five riders, Eddy will be lining up for her third track nationals and would like nothing better than add to the silver medal she won in the individual pursuit in 2018.
"Our team pursuit team is looking fairly strong and is a good chance of medalling," she said.
"I am just hoping to do well in general.
"The third time around for me, I'm still nervous, but maybe not as much now I have more experience under my belt."
Eddy, who will compete in the under-17 division alongside Bailey and McLean, urged her younger team-mates to 'enjoy the experience' and 'have fun'.
A satisfying state championships for Eddy included a bronze medal in the individual pursuit and a fourth in the team trial.
"I was pretty happy with that, I haven't had much time on the track, I've mostly been training on the road," the 15-year-old said.
"To get a medal on the track, I was pretty satisfied."
For McLean, the nationals can't come soon enough after her preparation for the state titles was hampered by a knee injury.
"It was a pretty rough preparation coming back from injury, but I have been training very hard and did medal in two events, which were the time trial and the sprint, and placed fourth in the keirin," she said.
"I was off for six months after injuring the knee, so it's been great to get back. (The break) taught me a lot as I really missed riding and realised how passionate about it I am."
McLean, who is contesting her second national track championships, won a silver medal in the sprint at her last appearance in 2018.
"I know it's going to be hard to medal again, but I'm going with an open mind and will be trying my hardest and hoping to enjoy the experience," she said.
"I think our team is really strong, especially the Bendigo girls.
"All five of us are very close, so it's nice that we will be striving for success together."
Fourteen-year-old Jack heads to the nationals on a high after winning four gold medals at the recent state championships in the individual pursuit, 500m time-trial, 200m flying and the keirin.
Her preparation continued to gather momentum last week when she won the under-15 club championship at Bendigo.
"I've been training for about 10 weeks now for the state and national titles," Jack said.
"Last year was definitely the toughest racing I've ever done; I definitely think I'm better prepared this time.
"I'll be trying to get into the top five (in my events) and possibly the top three. A medal would be nice."
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