Tassie track cyclists for 'world cup' as Olympics draw near

Selected for Australia's team pursuit line-ups Wilson-Haffenden, 18, and Duffy, 23, were in Launceston for a 10-day camp with their teammates for the UCI track nations cup which is on March 15-17.

The selection for Wilson-Haffenden marks the latest milestone in a quickly increasing list following a stellar 2023.

The Hobart-born, Launceston-based cyclist became national, Oceania and world champion in the time trial category following some prolific performances last year, before signing her first professional contract with American team Lidl-Trek through to 2026.

But her attention is focused on track cycling for the time being, as she joins the Australian team for the second nations cup of 2024, after Adelaide hosted the first round in February.

"It'll be my first time representing Australia in the elite category, so I'm really excited," she said.

"You've got the road racing and the time trials as well, but track is the Olympic focus.

"Every kid grows up dreaming of being an Olympian and winning an Olympic gold medal."

With Hong Kong and the third and final round in Canada outlined as huge events for riders vying for selection to the Paris Olympics, Wilson-Haffenden admitted she was daring to dream, but her more realistic goal is for Los Angeles 2028.

"I'm always in a rush. I want to get to the top as fast as I can," she said.

"But realistically LA '28 would be a really great goal and there's a few other 18-year-olds also in the squad at the moment, so I think we have a really exciting team for Paris and then for LA."

Grounding her expectations of herself has been helped by senior members in the Tasmanian cycling community, including Richie Porte and Georgia Baker.

"It's a bit of a reoccurring thing, I've been told to slow down, be patient and I think that I'm lucky to have riders like Nicole (Frain), I've got Georgia Baker and then the rest of the Australian team," she said.

"They say the same thing, 'I'm in a rush', and then slowly I've realised patience might be a bit of a virtue I have to learn.

"I'm really lucky to have have those people as role models."

Duffy, who was born in Brisbane, moved to Tasmania aged seven, attended St Finn Barr's Primary School and St Patrick's College and joined Launceston City Cycling Club, will also return to the national team after missing out in South Australia.

The selection comes after a "rough few months" in which the Adelaide-based athlete was ill for a lengthy period and suffered an unavoidable drop in fitness and loss of form.

"It always is a struggle to come back from that sort of stuff, just stepping back on the bike and not being where you were is quite difficult," he said.

Having to regather his fitness away from the group was also a challenge, but Duffy said since "about a week ago" he feels at his best.

That wasn't soon enough for the first track nations in Adelaide, as he was made to watch from the sidelines.

"Missing out on Adelaide did hurt for sure. It was circumstances out of everyone's control but it still hurts. It's a home world cup," he said.

"I really wanted to do that and to not be at my best and not be ready for that did hurt so I want to go out to Hong Kong and make sure I put my best foot forward and be one of the best come Paris."