Frislie to race in Germany

FEDUNI WestVic Academy of Sport athlete, Graeme Frislie will compete in the 2019 UCI Junior World Track Cycling Championships in Germany next month.

Having been crowned the Under 19 National Champion in Brisbane earlier this year, 18-year-old Frislie will race around Frankfurt’s velodrome at an average of 50 to 60kms an hour on his carbon fibre BT Ultra track bike.

Growing up in an active family, Frislie enjoyed watching the Tour de France. This was an inspiration when he jumped on a road bike and started racing, initially with Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club.

In comparison to simply riding on the road, Frislie said the feeling of speeding around a velodrome came more naturally to him.

“It’s fast paced. You’ve got to be on your toes at all times, and always got to be thinking,” he said. “At the start on the road, I wasn’t great, but on the track I really enjoyed it and kept going back.”

Now, as an experienced track cyclist, Frislie’s training schedule these last school holidays was focussed and heavy.

“I’ve been going into the VIS, to the gym at Albert Park, twice a week, and track sessions twice a week at Darebin. Then, probably about another 12 to 15 hours on the road throughout the week,” he said.

“We’ve got four weeks left so the main training phase ends soon. We’ve been in a really hard month now, leading up to it.

“We had an eight-day camp in Adelaide with the whole Australian team, five weeks ago. That was really good to meet everyone and get that team comradery, which is probably more important than anything else.”

Ballarat Renault and Carworks has provided Frislie with a scholarship in partnership with WestVic, to support him financially throughout his training and the trip to Germany.

He said he’s extremely grateful to the dealership for their investment in his first overseas race meet, and always thankful for the constant support of his parents, Bacchus Marsh Grammar and the WestVic Academy.

“I’m looking forward to being immersed in the culture, being in a new environment and having fun with it. I just need to keep focused on myself and put out 100 Per cent.”