Izaac Kennedy podiums at World Cup despite missing bike

Despite losing his bike and clothing in transit, Izaac Kennedy has rallied to third place in the opening round of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup over the weekend.

The podium finish was the highlight in a set of promising results for the Australian Cycling Team in Turkey, raising expectations for the season ahead.

When his luggage failed to arrive in Sakarya, Kennedy’s team sponsor Chase Bicycles came to the rescue, assembling a bike to his specifications in France and flying it to the event in time for Friday practice.

After being eliminated at the semi-final stage in Round 1, Kennedy found his rhythm in Round 2, finishing in the top three throughout the preliminary rounds on his way to the decider.

In the final, the former national champion recovered from a sluggish start, making his move on the second straight and eventually holding on for third behind France duo Joris Daudet and Romain Mahieu.

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Despite the podium place, the Queenslander said he was looking forward to putting a difficult week behind him.

“I’ll take it. Maybe not as happy as I would be for a third; I didn’t ride that well all weekend, and just didn’t really feel like myself out there. But I’ll take it. A third’s a third,” Kennedy said in a post-race interview.

“(It was a) good result in the end and a good way to finish it off, so good to get home now, put some work in, and hopefully get my bike back. Even though this one’s pretty much the same, it’s always hard on different equipment. All in all, not a great weekend but salvaged a third, so (it’s) pretty good.”

Australia was also unlucky to miss a podium in Round 2 of the Elite Women. Saya Sakakibara and Lauren Reynolds each finished inside the top three in their preliminary races. However, both riders found themselves caught in the pack in the final, settling for fifth and sixth respectively.

Rounds 3 and 4 of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup will take place in Papendal, the Netherlands, on June 24–25.

Round 2 Final | Replay

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Main image: UCI BMX Racing