Young titleholder in attempt to raise bar
Cairns cyclist hoping his passion will carry him into senior riding ranks
RAW talent and a desire to constantly work hard to improve his athletic performance are pedalling Luke Azzopardi towards success.
The 16-year-old Cairns cyclist and reigning under-17 junior road state champion trains for 8-10 hours each week, which increases to up to 15 hours each week in the lead-up to competitions.
Next month, the Far North cycling star will travel to the Queensland State Road Championships at Mount Alford, where he will compete in a higher category for the first time. It marks a move into the next phase of his amateur cycling career.
“As it will be my first year as an under-19, the state championships will be more for the experience, rather than chasing results,” Azzopardi said.
“To watch how the style of racing changes between age groups and the different set of riders will be valuable for future years. Any result will be a bonus,” he said.
“Every event I compete in is an achievement for me as it shows the dedication of not only myself, but my family and coach, pays off.”
Although Azzopardi competes in all types of races including time trials and criteriums, he said the road race was “definitely” his preferred event, as it “requires as much mental dedication as it does physical”.
“The unpredictable nature and constant changing of tactics makes it exciting,” he said. “Each event offers a different set of challenges and suits a different style of rider. My presence of hills means that the road race is somewhere I can feel I can make an impact.”
Azzopardi said he would love to be able to race professionally in the future, but that it “requires a lot of dedication and hard work”.
“Professional riders sit a world above others and as much as I would like to get there it is not always possible. If I was given the opportunity I would definitely take it.”
Away from competitions, Azzopardi said he loved the freedom of being on a bike.
“It gives me the ability to escape for a couple of hours and be by myself,” he said.
“It gives me time to think and clear my mind.
“The challenges it presents and the good pain it produces is also something I enjoy. The ability to go for an hour ride up the Gillies (Highway) and then fly down faster than the cars in less than half the time makes it worthwhile.”
THE CHALLENGES IT PRESENTS AND THE GOOD PAIN IT PRODUCES IS ALSO SOMETHING I ENJOY ... TO GO FOR AN HOUR RIDE UP THE GILLIES (HIGHWAY) AND THEN FLY DOWN FASTER THAN THE CARS MAKES IT WORTHWHILE ...
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PUSHING ON: Reigning under-17 junior state champion Luke Azzopardi is headed to the Queensland Road Championships at Mount Alford.