ALICE Culling has stamped her name as one of the country's brightest up and coming talents on the bike after excelling at the Cycling Australia Junior Track National Championships in Melbourne last week.
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The Ararat cyclist returned home with a national gold medal after playing a pivotal role for Victoria in the under-17 team pursuit.
Culling rode alongside team mates Alana Field, Sarah Gigante and Georgia O'Rourke in the final of the 3000-metre event, upsetting the strong New South Wales side, which went into the race as the favourite.
Culling told The Ararat Advertiser claiming gold 1.68 seconds ahead of the NSW team was the proudest moment of her cycling career.
"We have worked 12 months together training full on and then to take home the gold was just so good," she said.
"All the preparation we did in the past year was for that race, so we had everything down pat. We knew everyone's style of riding and everything went to plan.
"It was 12 laps of just flat out racing, it is a bit of blur really. We were taking in turns the whole time, on schedule and above schedule for a while and then got the gold."
Alice was cheered on in the crowd by father Harold and the rest of the family.
"I couldn't sit still, I tell you!" Harold said.
"I actually bruised my hand banging on the wall, we were all pretty excited.
"She has done bloody fantastically, we couldn't be more proud."
Later in the week, Culling again found herself in medal contention after qualifying fourth fastest in the individual pursuit and advancing through to the bronze final again Tasmanian competitor Morgan Gillon.
As a bottom age cyclist in the under-17 division, Culling was again giving her opponent a 12 month head start, but spectators at the DISC Velodrome wouldn't have been able to tell as little separated the two cyclists over the 2000 metres.
The Marian College student said she was just beaten to the line by Gillon, but was still very pleased with her performance.
“They are all top age and it was only 0.53 of a second she beat me by, we were neck-and-neck the whole way, but she just got me in the end,” she said.
“I was still quite proud, to be fourth in Australia - It is not a bad title, I must say.”
Culling finished the Nationals with a 10th overall placing in the under-17 sprint race and a 12th placing in the points event.
The team pursuit gold was the Ararat and District Cycling Club member’s second national medal after claiming bronze in the under-15 individual pursuit in 2014.
Harold Culling said his daughter’s Victorian coaches were thrilled with the results she produced throughout this year’s competition, with her endurance and work-rate praised.
“The coaches are extremely happy with her, they couldn’t have asked for more,” he said.
“She did everything she was out there to do and it showed in the fantastic results.
“Victoria won the overall aggregate at the Nationals by 30 points which is unbelievable, that just shows what a very strong team it was.”
Culling will have a two week break from competition to recover before recommencing her training with Victoria in preparation for the 2016 Cycling Australia Junior Track National Championships. She will also begin to turn her attention to the road season.
