![Georgia Baker with her Tasmanian Athlete of the Year award. Picture by Alastair Bett Georgia Baker with her Tasmanian Athlete of the Year award. Picture by Alastair Bett](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/sxTb9M93X6i4XPK2ScNNcP/b0fffc4c-401d-41bc-aa9d-40234e52384f.jpg/r0_0_5400_3600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Georgia Baker believes her first year of combining track and road cycling was largely responsible for her being named Tasmanian Athlete of the Year for 2022.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Perth rider had a standout year in both disciplines, winning gold medals in each at the Commonwealth Games before attending their respective world championships.
"It's my first year trying to do both the road and the track and personally I think it's going really well," said the 28-year-old triple Commonwealth champion.
"I think the road definitely complements the track and it's been one of the best years I've had on the bike so I think moving forward that's really promising for the (2024) Olympics in Paris.
"For me personally I think it's definitely the physical side, I'm getting my aerobic capacity from the road, and that's helping with the longer distance events on the track. But I also think mentally it's really refreshing. I have my road team and I have my track team and I can just be around different people and I love both disciplines which is really refreshing for me."
Beating off stiff competition from fellow Commonwealth Games champions Ariarne Titmus, Eddie Ockenden and Josh Beltz, Twenty20 world champ Matthew Wade and rowing world champs medallist Henry Youl, Baker was delighted to claim Tasmania's top sporting honour.
"Looking at the other finalists, I didn't think I'd have a foot-in, so I'm really happy."
Having started cycling aged 14 through a Tasmanian Institute of Sport talent identification program, Baker has spent half her life in the sport, being coached by Ron Bryan and Matthew Gilmore.
After an Aussie summer of racing, Baker will return to Europe in February, basing herself in Girona, Spain, for another season with her WorldTour road team BikeExchange-Jayco.
"I'm hoping to do the classics in Belgium then the longer stage races, hopefully the Tour de France Femmes in its second year, world champs and then before we know it, we'll be in an Olympic year. I think things are going to move pretty quickly," she added.
"I'm really confident with how things are going and just enjoying riding my bike, which is really important. I think that's where I get my best results when I'm happy on and off the bike."