Canberra cycling’s next generation attacks world road titles in Wollongong

Seventeen-year-old Canberra cyclists Oscar Chamberlain and Cameron Rogers have been competing against each other in local races since their early teens.

They’ve now progressed that rivalry to greater heights.

In January at Buninyong, Cam edged out Oscar to win the National Junior Men’s Road Race. In April, Oscar reversed the result in taking out the Oceania title ahead of Cam.

It will go to the next level from this Sunday (18 September), with both selected for the Australian team for the UCI World Road Cycling Championships in Wollongong.

Oscar heads into the championships with plenty of form having won one of the biggest races of his career with victory in the E3 Saxo Bank Classic in Belgium following a three-way sprint to the line.

After the win, he spoke about his love of this style of racing.

“I like hard racing, and a sprint at the end of a hard race suits me,” he said.

Oscar will line up next year in the junior program, racing full-time with French team AG2R Citroen. But he has one more year in the under 19s before heading to the under 23s. And his incredibly supportive parents, Belinda and Andrew, are there to make certain he has every opportunity to reach his goals.

Cam, who turns 18 later this year, will head to the under 23s in 2023.

It’s been a disrupted season for Cam. After winning a race in Europe, he came down with an illness and then broke his wrist.

His father Peter, who raced in Europe as a professional for seven years, said both young riders had a healthy respect for each other.

“From under 13s they were neck and neck,” Peter said.

“They’ve grown up racing each other. They are good mates but both with their eyes on the same prize.

“They both put a lot into it. They have great respect for each other.”

The UCI World Road Cycling titles will be a family affair for the Rogers clan with Cam’s uncle Michael, former world champion and head of Road Cycling and Innovation at the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), also in Wollongong.

Cam’s mother, Raeleigh, a champion triathlete ensures there’s no shortage of sporting prowess on hand.

“[But] he’s had enough advice,” Peter said. “He gets advice when he needs it. I do it subtly.”

The selection of Oscar and Cam in the Australian team, along with fellow ACT cyclists Dylan Hopkins in the under 23s and Michael Matthews in the open men’s elite, further enhances Canberra’s reputation as a breeding ground for champion cyclists.

The UCI World Road Cycling Championships run from Sunday 18 September to Sunday 25 September and will feature 1000+ riders from more than 70 nations. Head to their website to find out more.