DEVONPORT has landed a coup by getting Cycling Australia to release local champion Amy Cure from her national duties for its carnival on December 29 and 30.
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Devonport made a direct approach to CA head coach Kevin Tabotta who agreed to the request.
Devonport will stage Australia's richest female wheelrace, worth $7000, and was disappointed when originally told that the nation's three top-ranked women - Annette Edmondson, Isabella King and Cure - would be unavailable because they had to attend a training camp.
"We thought it was important that the best riders be available to ride our carnival and considering Amy is from the North-West we wanted her to be here," Devonport official Rod Walker said.
He said that since 2004 Devonport had worked to increase the profile of women cycling and considered last year to be the best so far. "We have worked really hard on obtaining sponsorship and how disappointing it is that most of our scratch riders will not be able to ride at the carnival due to other commitments," he said.
"It would be ideal to have our local world champion Amy Cure riding."
Cure won the Devonport Wheel off 60 metres in 2008 just as her international career was taking off.
The 21-year-old will ride off scratch in the Devonport Wheel and if she wins will join fellow North- West Coaster Belinda Goss as the only two-time winner.
Cure is due to ride in the inaugural women's national madison title with Perth's Georgia Baker in Melbourne tonight and will return home to Penguin next week.
Devonport is the only carnival in which Cure will compete before she heads back to her national training camp in Adelaide.
Tabotta said CA strongly supported the Christmas carnivals, but warned it would get tougher to accede to all requests.
"There is never any conscious decision to not support an event but unfortunately they just can't do everything and things change from year to year," he said.
"Athletes and coaches sit together and devise plans each year around the main international goals and they try and fit in what is possible, but ensure that performance in the world championships and Olympic and Commonwealth Games are the first priority.
"I know Amy and Nettie Edmondson have been great supporters of the carnivals."
