Three races, a world title, new team and another global showpiece selection represented a hectic week for Felicity Wilson-Haffenden at the UCI Road World Championships.
The 21-year-old’s victory in the women’s under-23 individual time trial headlined the record selection of four Tasmanians at the eight-day championships in Montréal.
Wilson-Haffenden added to her previous gold medals in the same event as a junior in 2023 and last year’s mixed relay team time trial by storming home on the 20.3-kilometre course to win by 28 seconds.
The following day Wilson-Haffenden, of Glendevie, and Launceston’s Georgia Baker were in the Australian team which finished just outside the medals in the mixed relay team time trial.
Along with Mackenzie Coupland, Conor Leahy, Michael Matthews and Cameron Rogers, the Aussies clocked a time of 52:12.76 over the 40.6-kilometre course to finish fourth, 40.48 seconds behind champions Italy with France finishing second (+8.63) and Switzerland claiming the bronze medal (+19.90).
Wilson-Haffenden also played a key role in the 134km under-23 road race. The Australian Cycling Team reported that she was “riding the front all day” with her chase work enabling teammates Talia Appleton (fifth), Coupland (10th) and Emily Dixon (12th) to remain involved until the end. Wilson-Haffenden rolled in 43rd, 10:58 behind Slovakian winner Viktória Chladoňová.
Baker, who turned 32 on the second day of the championships, did not finish the 180.1km women’s elite road race won by Dutchwoman Demi Vollering while Hobart’s 18-year-old state and national mountain bike champion Annie Kleywegt did not finish the 80.4km junior road race.
Devonport’s Ollie Sims did not start the 174.2km men’s under-23 road race. The 20-year-old joined Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team as a trainee earlier this year.
Also this week, Wilson-Haffenden and Baker were named in the Australian team for the UCI Track World Championships at China’s Shanghai Chongming Velodrome in October.
Wilson-Haffenden is the only Aussie selection yet to experience an elite track worlds and is part of an unchanged women's endurance squad (also featuring Sophie Edwards, Claudia Marcks and Alyssa Polites) that delivered six medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, including team pursuit, scratch race and elimination race golds.
This year's track world championships opens the Los Angeles Olympic qualification period. Rankings will be tallied after Shanghai and continually updated through to April 10, 2028.
Both Tasmanians had prepared for action in Montréal with impressive second-place finishes in warm-up races at nearby Gatineau.
Wilson-Haffenden finished 43.42 seconds behind winner Marlen Reusser in the 20.4km Chrono Féminin de Gatineau time trial on September 16. The following day Baker, riding for Liv AlUla Jayco, narrowly missed out to another Swiss winner, Steffi Häberlin, in a 121.3km one-day race.
Just a day after claiming her third rainbow jersey, Wilson-Haffenden announced she was switching her Women’s WorldTour team, saying she was “beyond excited” to be joining Fenix-Premier Tech after three seasons with Lidl-Trek.
“I have a lot of respect for the team’s racing style, and I believe that, with their support, this is the perfect environment for me to take the next step in my career,” she added. “I can’t wait to get started and see what we can achieve together.”