Almanac Olympics: An Olympic Cycle – The Journey

In 2013 I approached Tim Decker (Coach of Cycling Men’s Endurance) and Kevin Tabotta (Director High Performance) at Cycling Australia about filming a documentary on the Men’s Team Pursuit in their preparation for Rio Olympics 2016.

 

Initially I wanted to follow a single rider, his story was interesting, CA recommended I follow the entire team and not an individual athlete. Their story was far more compelling; the journey to select 4 riders from a probable list of 12 cyclists as the team regroups from a Silver Medal at London 2012 targeting excellence and success in Rio and Tokyo.

 

I was fortunate to be accepted into Tim’s world, allowing me total access at Championships, team meetings and training camps. I was also invited to attend three days of their final Olympic camp in Mexico, two weeks before Rio and was made to feel very much a part of this team’s journey.

 

The final squad of 5  for the Team Pursuit, Alex Edmondson, Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn, Sam Welsford and Callum Scotson and Glenn O’Shea for the Omnium are all exceptional cyclists, collectively they are extremely impressive, capable of breaking the World Record.

 

They are current World Champions, defeating Team GB on their home track earlier this year. Reports out of UK suggest Team GB will break the World Record at Rio, but will it be fast enough to win?

 

The video shown here is an edited version of the Australian Cyclist’s journey, an extract of the total documentary that is still in production. The film is not complete as their destiny in Rio is to be determined.

 

A Gold Medal would be their crowning moment for the efforts, preparations and sacrifices made. In this event, the Team Pursuit, the barest margins are vital, the smallest gains significant.

 

Where will this journey take them?

 

An Olympic Cycle – The Journey from David Parker on Vimeo.

About David Parker

A keen observer of all things sport and a Swans tragic, David likes to dabble in sporting documentaries including the Max Bailey doco for Fox Footy. David is currently filming a documentary on the Australian Cycling Men's Team Pursuit squad as they prepare for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

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