Hosking bids for spot
TOP- RANKED Australian women’s cyclist Chloe Hosking is appealing the controversial selection call for the world road championships. Her official challenge spearheads the opposition after Australian cycling selectors decided not to send a full women’s elite team to the September 16-24 worlds in Bergen, Norway.
As the No. 3 nation, Australia could have entered seven women, but only five were named.
Hosking is the world No. 11 and the only Australian in the top 20. While the course may or may not suit her strengths as a sprinter, Hosking’s appeal constitutes a test case against the decision not to field a full women’s team in Norway.
It is understood another woman has also lodged paperwork for an appeal, but it is unclear whether that will go ahead.
Hosking’s appeal could be heard as early as today.
Tiffany Cromwell, another rider to miss out on worlds selection, made several comments about the issue and Hosking posted a link to the cyclingnews story. “Well said @tiffanycromwell,” Hosking tweeted.
Even veteran Mathew Hay- man, a member of the Australian men’s elite team for the worlds, has voiced concern about the decision.
New Cycling Australia high performance director Simon Jones said the contentious selection call was all about performance.
“From what I can see looking at the events in the single road races or the big races we don’t have a clear athlete that we can back 100 per cent with a full team,” he told the cyclingtips website.
“And on that basis — and on the only basis that I think which is performance first — we felt that was best.”