West Australian Luke Durbridge has been named to make his Olympic debut, replacing Jack Haig who suffered an injury in the Tour de France.
Durbridge is a five-time national champion across Time Trial and Road Race, and the 30-year-old has also claimed stage victories in the Giro d’Italia (Team Time Trial wins in 2014 and 2015) and stage and overall winner of the 2021 Festival of Cycling in Adelaide.
Currently riding the Tour de France, the 30-year-old joins 2020 Tour de France podium finisher Richie Porte, 2018 and 2019 Time Trial World Champion Rohan Dennis and Durbridge’s professional cycling teammate Lucas Hamilton to contest men’s road race.
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The event will cover a 244km course including 4,865m of elevation, starting in Tokyo’s Musashinonomori Park incorporating incredible views of Mt Fuji.
Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team Ian Chesterman welcomed Durbridge to the Team.
“Congratulations to Luke on making his Olympic debut,” Chesterman said. “Today’s selection is a great achievement for a rider who has competed at an elite level for more than a decade.
“With five national championships from 2012 to 2020 and fantastic results across the globe, Luke has shown he will be a strong addition to the road cycling team.
“Injuries are a cruel part of sport and I want to wish Jack all the best in his recovery, I know Luke and the rest of the cycling team will represent Australia with pride.”
Simon Jones, Australian Cycling Team’s Performance Director, said Australia has a great depth across the road cyclists.
“As ever, the selection was made difficult by the depth of talent available in the Australian men’s road ranks, and the withdrawal of Cameron Meyer for personal reasons and Jack Haig for medical reasons,” Jones said.
“We have selected from riders available who can provide world-class support on what is an extremely challenging hilly Olympic road race course profile. Luke brings a wealth of experience to the team and we look forward to seeing him in Japan where he will form a strong Australian outfit with Richie Porte, Rohan Dennis and Lucas Hamilton.
“We wish Cam and Jack all the very best, and we hope every rider in the Tour has a safe and successful passage through the remaining stages.”
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