Agnoletto, McCaig lock in podium finishes at the Austral Wheel Race

Blake Agnoletto (40m) came agonisingly close to the top step for the second year in a row after a strong ride in the men's 2000m handicapped Austral on Saturday night at the Darebin International Sports Centre.

The 20-year-old Bendigo District Cycling Club rider finished the race in third spot, behind Oliver Bleddyn (60m) (Norwood) in second and world pro tour rider Kel O'Brien (Scr) (St Kilda) who claimed his second-career Austral victory.

In addition to the Austral, Agnoletto then teamed up with Bleddyn for the men's elite madison over 50km (200 laps) which they finished in second place with 60 points, again just shy of O'Brien and Graeme Frislien who claimed the crown on 62 points.

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Joshua Duffy (Launceston) and Kurt Eather (Dubbo) rounded off the podium in third with 43 points.

Upon reflection, it was another year of being oh so close to the top step for Agnoletto, but overall he was pleased with his performances.

"We were really happy with our ride in the madison, but losing out by just two points did sting a little bit," Agnoletto said.

"Overall I am really happy with the progression and I am keen to keep moving forward."

Ahead of the two-day cycling event Agnoletto knew the competition was going to be tough as several of the sport's best were in action which included O'Brien, Frislie, Lucas Plapp, Jensen Plowright and many more.

"Especially in the madison we were proud of our efforts seeing as Graeme is now a podium ready rider and Kel is a world tour athlete, it always hurts to come second, but it's a great learning experience.

"Hopefully next year we can get it right."

Fellow Bendigo rider Alessia McCaig was among the elite women's competitors and also secured a podium finish,

McCaig put on a top ride in the sprint but finished just shy of the top step behind Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand).

"It was a really tough race and I certainly learned plenty from the way that Ellesse rides," McCaig said.

"I brought out all my tactics which unfortunately didn't pay off, but overall I am happy with how I raced.

"I did my best and was happy with how the weekend played out.

"It was all a step in the right direction."

Norwood's Breanna Hargrave rounded off the women's podium in third.

Now that the Austral is behind them, both are now focused on the next few months which includes several track and road events.

First up for Agnoletto is a couple days of rest before he gets back into a solid training block ahead of The Bay Crits from January 1-3 in Geelong, followed by Road Nationals in Ballarat from January 6-10.

McCaig also has a busy schedule which includes a track event in Adelaide in mid-January before getting stuck into an intensive training block for the Brisbane track nationals in March.

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