Cyclesport Victoria

A full house was a buzz at the Darebin International Sports Centre (DISC) for the 114th running of the Austral Wheelrace.

The action was electric, and the quality of racing exceptional - including two of Australia's great medal hopes at the upcoming World Track Championships and London Olympic Games - Annette Edmondson and Glenn O'Shea.

The inaugural Women's Austral Final was brilliantly won by Annette Edmondson, riding off scratch. Edmonson launched a brilliant attack with two laps remaining to catch and subsequently pass the outmarker group on her own. It was arguably the most outstanding performance of the evening, and bodes well for her medal prospects at the upcoming UCI Track World Championships. Edmondson also took wins in the Victorian Scratch Race Championship and Women's Invitational Keirin on the night.

The 114th Austral Wheelrace Final was won convincingly by Luke Parker (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club), riding off 90 metres.  Parker was followed by Sam Crome (Bendigo CC, 90m) and former world champion Franco Marvulli (Switzerland, 30m) in an exceptionally fast time of 2:02.81. The high pace of the race proved too much for the backmarkers and pre-race favorite Glenn O'Shea.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped make tonight's event such a tremendous success.

We'll see you all at next year's edition of the Austral!

All the results for the evening can be found here