Endeavour Hills cyclist Jack Cummings is quickly making a name for himself in the sport after an outstanding performance at the Australian Junior Track Championships.By Marc McGowan
A DEMANDING training schedule reaped rich rewards for Endeavour Hills cyclist Jack Cummings late last month at the Australian Junior Track Championships in Sydney.
Cummings, 14, picked up three medals at the national showcase, announcing once again that he is one of the county’s brightest prospects in the sport.
The Carnegie-Caulfield Cycling Club rider’s medal haul began with a bronze in the 500-metre time trial on the first day of the championships before scoring a pair of silvers in the 2000-metre individual pursuit and five-kilometre scratch race.
The performance follows an 11th placing in the individual time trial as a bottom-age athlete at the National Junior Road Cycling Championships in August.
“From my state championships times, which qualified me and decided where I was ranked, I was quite high, but my times were not exactly that quick,” Cummings said.
“I came to nationals and my times improved heaps.”
While his stunning results made it a memorable experience, Cummings also thrived on the professionalism at national level.
“The atmosphere was way different compared to the state championships – the nationals feel much more official,” the year-nine Mazenod College student said.
“Not that many kids get that kind of opportunity – I have to be thankful.”
Cummings does some sort of training every day of the week bar Thursdays and mixes in his road and track training all-year round.
Over summer, his training regimen under coach Hilton Clarke involves more speed-based work, whereas his winter program sees him riding hundreds of kilometres.
“When I do track, I do a little bit of road, and when I do road, I do a little bit of track,” Cummings said.
“I focus more on what’s going on in that part of the season.
“Track is more about how fast you can pedal and having that kick at the end to sprint, and road is about riding up hills and holding hard paces before you go for it at the end.”
Cummings is now enjoying a well-earned break before turning his attention to the road season.
After being a part of the Victorian team at the Australian Junior Track Championships, he has plenty of motivation to be just as successful on the road.
“You’ve got to have some natural talent and then pretty much build on it through commitment and just training harder and harder,” Cummings said.
“I don’t have a preference for track or road – they’re both great.”
Cummings’ ascension to the top may receive an unexpected boost, with Clarke hoping to get his pupil into the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) in the near future.
“I’m starting to do stuff at the VIS, but I’m not fully in there yet,” Cummings said.
“You’re meant to go to junior worlds (before receiving a VIS scholarship), but my coach is talking about putting me in before that.
“He thinks I’ll make junior world champs, but it will probably be another four years because it’s only under-18s.”
