Teya Rufus taking ‘one step at a time’ as World Cup crown beckons

24 Apr 2024 | 01:39 PMBy: AusCycling

The UCI BMX Racing World Cup reaches its climax this weekend, as the 2024 winners will be decided at Rounds 5 and 6 in Tulsa, USA.

Thanks to a strong start to the year, Australia is poised to come away with riders on the overall podium across all four categories.

Hopes will be especially high in the Under 23 Women. With three wins from four rounds, Teya Rufus (Maryborough BMX) sits atop the standings on 617 points, ahead of countrywoman Bella May (Frankston BMX) in second place on 504 points.

Rufus told AusCycling she aims to keep a business-as-usual approach in Tulsa, although she admits to feeling the burden of expectation.

“Yeah, I’m currently leading the World Cup series, so I’m definitely feeling a bit of pressure. I wouldn’t want to change my approach though, and (I’ll) just focus on what I can do with my week and with racing,” Rufus said.

“Tulsa is definitely very tight and technical. I rode here around this time last year when I came over with the Australian high-performance team. I had a few good sessions and was supposed to race my first USA BMX Pro National, but I crashed on the first straight and broke my wrist, so some bad memories here.”

The 17-year-old has freshened up her training after her successful summer Down Under.

“Since the Brissy World Cups I’ve spent a little bit of time in Adelaide. It was good to get some change in routines after a big couple of months prepping for Rotorua and Brisbane.

“While I was training in Brisbane, I did a few sessions with Jayce Cunning at Hinterland BMX which was lots of fun. I’ve been spending a bit of time working on bike control and track speed, and Sam (Willoughby) has been working me pretty hard in the gym to build power.”

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Although the UCI World Championships are just a few weeks away, Rufus has her focus firmly on Tulsa, where the presence of major rivals, such as the USA’s Ava Corley, will present a new challenge.

“There’s definitely a strong bunch of girls racing this weekend and I know it will be good to see where I’m sitting in the pack before Worlds. But I guess I’m just taking this trip one step at a time and not really worrying about Worlds just yet.

“The field for this weekend is pretty different to the field in NZ and Australia, and will be very different again for World Champs, as we will be splitting up into Junior and U23.”

Teya Rufus — **Rufus won back-to-back World Cup rounds in Brisbane earlier this year (Photo: Michram Industries)**

Elsewhere in the World Cup, Saya Sakakibara (Southlake-Illawarra BMX) is in prime position to win back-to-back Women Elite titles, with the 24-year-old currently in first place on 1860 points ahead of Zoe Claessens (SUI) on 1273 points.

A strong showing in Tulsa would also put Lauren Reynolds (Bunbury BMX) in line for a top 10 finish. Reynolds is currently in 10th place on 596 points.

Izaac Kennedy (Nerang BMX) sits fourth in the Men Elite standings on 927 points, just 21 points off the podium and within striking distance of series leader Cedric Butti (SUI) on 1245 points.

Three podiums this year, including a win in Brisbane, has Oli Moran (Manning Valley BMX) in top spot in the Under 23 Men on 554 points, with New Zealand’s Bennet Greenough the nearest rival on 473 points. No less than seven Aussies feature in the top 13 positions in that category.

As if there wasn’t already enough on the line, these World Cup rounds will have an added level of significance. They are the penultimate opportunity for riders to earn Olympic points and help Australia gain additional quota spots for Paris 2024.

Selections for Paris are set to be made after the World Championships in mid-May, which will be the final Olympic qualifier.

Here are the Australian riders entered in Rounds 5 and 6 of the UCI World Cup in Tulsa.