‘Part of the nature of track racing now’: Sophie Edwards on balancing road program ahead of Track Nationals

It’s only March, but 2023 has already delivered a full-on start for the Australian Cycling Team’s Sophie Edwards (Adelaide University Cycling Club).

She began her season at the Santos Tour Down Under, before hopping across to the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, where she featured prominently in the breakaway.

A week later, the 23-year-old triumphed in the longest race on her calendar, the 160-kilometre Lochard Energy Warrnambool Women’s Classic.

From there, Edwards’ focus has shifted to much shorter events on the velodrome, especially the 4,000-metre team pursuit. Last month, she and her Australian teammates finished fourth at the UCI Track Nations Cup in Jakarta, securing points towards Olympic qualification.

You’d be forgiven for thinking she was trying to make up for lost time after breaking her wrist before Christmas.

“I spent the majority of December on an ergo on a stationary bike inside, slowly moving to riding outside with a full-brace splint,” Edwards told AusCycling in an interview.

“At the start of December, I was worried I would not even have a road summer season. So, to not only race Tour Down Under and Cadel’s and be pretty active there, but then win the Warrny, it’s been pretty cool.”

Switching mid-season between road and track is nothing new for endurance cyclists, but it’s not easy to adapt to the demands of each.

The very best can thrive across both disciplines – look at the likes of world champions Elisa Balsamo and Lotte Kopecky, for instance. Closer to home, we’ve seen Alexandra Manly and Georgia Baker win road races before flicking over to the track from time to time.

Edwards loves competing in both domains.

“It’s definitely been a challenge, learning to race well on the road and back it up on the track, but it’s something I really enjoy,” she said.

“I love the variety: getting to work in different teams on the road, then coming back to the track environment feeling fresh and ready to work together.

“I think we’re finding a good balance now, and it’s just going to have to become part of the nature of track racing from now on anyway, with a lot of the best track racers in the world also performing on the road, too.”

Since returning from Jakarta, Edwards has spent the past few weeks in Adelaide preparing for her next block of track competition. First are the AusCycling Track National Championships in Brisbane, where Edwards has previously won the omnium and team pursuit.

She says winning a green-and-gold jersey is a goal for any Aussie cyclist.

“Having the chance to be the national champion is something that’s so special to everyone there that’s racing,” Edwards said.

“Even though sometimes we might not hit the national championships in our peak form for the year, it’s really good to race and see all the upcoming talent, race against them, and try to get a national jersey on our backs by the end of the week.”

South Australia have perennially set the benchmark in women’s team pursuits. This year, Edwards will be joined by fellow Australian Cycling Team athlete Chloe Moran, plus young riders Alli Anderson and Ella Sibley. Breanna Hargrave and Nicola Macdonald complete what is still a formidable squad despite the absence of Maeve Plouffe and Amber Pate.

“Starting TrackNats off with a really strong result in the team pursuit would be great for the team, especially with new up-and-coming riders racing alongside the likes of Chloe and I. It’s always a really good experience to bring together a state team and race there,” she said.

After Nationals, there’s no let-up in her busy cross-discipline schedule.

She'll immediately return to Anna Meares Velodrome for the Oceania Track Championships, which offer valuable points towards Paris 2024.

As the National Road Series leader, Edwards will compete at the Tour de Brisbane before jetting off to Canada for a Track Nations Cup. After that, she’s planned a block of road racing in Europe with her trade team, ARA Skip Capital. It won’t be long before the first UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.

“At the moment I’m just focusing on the small things, like trying to get some really strong performances across both the team pursuit and bunch racing,” Edwards said about her goals.

“I’m heading over to Europe for at least two months this year with ARA Skip Capital and I’m excited to have a real crack at some of the UCI racing over there, too, and see where my racing on the road can go this year.”

For tickets and information about the 2023 AusCycling Track National Championships, visit the event page.

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Feature photo: John Veage