Tasmanian cyclists at world champs and Youth Commonwealth Games

In a massive week for the state, six Tassie riders are competing in world championships in Scotland with another contesting the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Caribbean.

However, the state's finest made a painful start, falling foul of unfortunate accidents on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.

In the junior women's road race in Glasgow, the 2021 Launceston Wheel winner Felicity Wilson-Haffenden was caught up in what AusCycling called "an awful crash" while leading the peloton.

Despite sliding off on a fast corner and tumbling across the road, the Hobart Wheelers rider was able to finish and will be assessed for her injuries before Thursday's individual time trial.

The 18-year-old, who won national junior titles in the road race and time trial earlier this year before adding gold and silver in the same events at Oceania Champs, finished in 65th place, +15:41 behind French winner Julie Bego.

Meanwhile, Launceston's Sam McKee also had a fall in the 15-kilometre time trial at the Trinbago Commonwealth Youth Games.

Originally selected for track races in Trinidad, the 18-year-old Launceston City Cycling Club and Team BridgeLane member was a late call-up for the road events held in the shadows of the iconic Brian Lara Stadium.

Riding through an untimely tropical downpour, McKee was washed out on a corner and could not complete the event. He will also contest the road race (at 3am on Tuesday Tastime) before switching focus to the track at Trinidad's National Cycling Velodrome in Couva.

At this year's national championships, McKee won the under-19 scratch race and came second in the individual pursuit. He is also leading the national under-19 road series.

Officially called the VII Commonwealth Youth Games and running from August 4-11, the Trinbago Games feature seven sports and more than 1000 athletes.

The only other Tasmanian on the 76-strong Australian team is Ulverstone's Jack Latham, 17, who will feature when triathlon events debut on Tobago Buccoo Beach.

Tasmania has a rich pedigree at the Commonwealth Youth Games. At the last event in the Bahamas in 2017, Hobart's Madeleine Fasnacht won time trial gold and road race bronze.

McKee and Wilson-Haffenden will be teammates at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Cali, Colombia, later this month.

Launceston's Josh Duffy had kicked off Tasmanian involvement at the world champs, finishing ninth in the scratch race.

A Launceston City Cycling Club teammate of McKee, the 23-year-old said it was a demanding start to this schedule.

"Pretty tough race, it wore me down," Duffy said. "It felt a lot harder than what the average speed says.

"But top 10 at world champs you can't really complain. I wanted to win it, but top 10's OK.

"I feel I set myself up pretty well but in all honesty I just ran out of legs with a lap to go. I felt like I was coming good but ... it just wore me down."

Duffy returned to the track in the team pursuit where Australia ultimately lost the bronze medal ride to New Zealand.

A bronze medal-winning team pursuit member at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, Duffy lined up with Kelland O'Brien, Conor Leahy and Sam Welsford to qualify in fourth place.

The Tasmanian's place was taken by Oliver Bleddyn as Australia then lost to Denmark but he returned at the expense of Leahy for the bronze medal ride.

Georgia Baker also narrowly missed a medal in the women's team pursuit.

Perth's 28-year-old triple Commonwealth Games champion teamed up with Chloe Moran, Sophie Edwards and Maeve Plouffe to qualify seventh and then defeated Germany, with Alex Manly coming in for Edwards, to record a fifth place finish.

In addition to Wilson-Haffenden, Duffy and Baker, Launceston trio Sam Fox, Cam Ivory and Hamish McKenzie are also competing in Glasgow where Tasmanian Institute of Sport mentor Matthew Gilmore is coaching the women's elite track team.

Fox arrived in Scotland celebrating the news that he has secured a new team contract.

"It's official! I'll be racing under the Lapierre Mavic Unity banner for 2023-24!" Launceston's two-time national mountain bike champion announced on social media.

"I honestly can't believe this opportunity, and I'm going to seize it with both hands.

"A huge thanks to the team for their belief in me, I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it!"

Fox, who turns 23 on Tuesday, was warmly welcomed by the team who described him as having a "young and promising profile on which Team Lapierre Mavic Unity wishes to invest".

It added that Fox will gradually join the team by the end of the calendar before returning to Australia for the mountain bike season during the European winter.

Team manager Céline Hutsebaut wants Fox "to be able to express himself freely" with the team's logistical support.

Fox finished sixth in the mountain bike cross-country race at last year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where he also came 48th in the road race. He has been riding for Team BridgeLane in 2022-23 and came 20th in the Australian Road Race championship.

The former Trevallyn Primary, Riverside High and Launceston College student has been a regular competitor at junior nationals and contested junior worlds in 2017 and '18.

Racing since 1997, Lapierre Mavic Unity is part of the UCI elite division of the 15 best cross-country mountain bike teams in the world.

Chasing podiums on the World Cup circuit, national, continental and world championships, the team boasts four world, one Olympic and 30 national titles.

Meanwhile Launceston's Liam Johnston kept Tasmanian cycling in the global spotlight with a podium stage finish and 16th place overall at the Tour of Alsace in France.

The 21-year-old was third on the 138-kilometre final stage from Ribeauville to Cernay to confirm ninth place in the youth classification and 11th in the points.

"I spent seven weeks doing the biggest block of training I've ever done to see what I could do in this race and I'm so stoked to have been in the mix all race," Johnston said on Facebook.

"I finally feel like I belong at this level and have some idea of what it takes to win these races."

The Trinity Racing team member will race the Arctic Race of Norway later this month, saying he was disappointed to miss out on the higher-profile Tour de l'Avenir.

"Although I was originally on the l'Avenir team, I'm no longer as it is 100 per cent rider funded and I just can't justify nor afford the cost. Instead I'll be going to Norway.

"It's disappointing that AusCycling don't prioritise development of young riders and instead continue to pour the budget into the track program. I would've loved to do l"Avenir and I think I could've done well but I still look forward to the racing coming up."

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