Canberra is on the crest of a cycling wave led by the sons and daughters of local sporting royalty

Through the feats of Michael, Peter and Deane, the Rogers family is legendary in the sport of cycling in Canberra.

With this pedigree, it should come as no surprise to see the Rogers name continuing to be prominent in the sport through the performances of Cameron Rogers.

The son of Peter Rogers and former champion triathlete Raleigh Tennant, Cameron is part of the next wave of young cyclists coming through the ACT system.

ACT Academy of Sport Endurance head coach Glenn Doney has witnessed first-hand previous generations of Canberra cyclists with podium finishes on the world stage.

He believes 18-year-old Cameron has the attributes of a champion as he continues to work his way back from a crash earlier this year that forced him off the bike for five months.

He sees that Cameron “definitely has the ability to be calm under pressure”.

“He is extremely resilient. He handles change well and doesn’t panic. He also has great sprint repeatability. As we say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Glenn explains.

Pedigree is a common term around the Canberra cycling community. It’s also worth pointing out that Cameron has a younger brother, Luke, coming through the ranks as well. Luke was selected as an ACT representative in the under-15s category for this weekend’s AusCycling Junior Road National Championships and came 15th in yesterday’s race (23 September).

Then there’s 16-year-old Eddie Mungovern, the son of champion cyclists Denis and Alison Mungovern.

Eddie won silver this year in the under-17s National Mountain Bike titles but also competes in road cycling.

Glenn Doney believes Eddie also has the makings of an elite cyclist in whatever discipline he chooses.

“Eddie has a very quiet disposition. He’s incredibly focused. You can see the same professionalism that made his mum and dad champions in Eddie. He has great attention to detail.”

Claudia and Ed Marcks, the daughter and son of Olympic Rowing gold medalist Megan Marcks and leading rowing coach Gordon Marcks, are emerging as potential champions in cycling.

Nineteen-year-old Claudia won bronze in the Oceania under 23s individual pursuit and was part of the Australian line-up that won gold in the team’s pursuit.

Glenn Doney believes she is another cyclist on the rise, having been selected for an Australian cycling camp.

“Claudia has the traits of her parents – great attention to detail. She is a very powerful cyclist while her younger brother Ed, who is 16, is also doing well. He has shown great versatility on the bike.”

The generation of young Canberra cyclists making their mark also includes the likes of World Junior Time Trial Champion, Oscar Chamberlain, and Youth Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Lauren Bates.

Then there is former South Coast cyclist Hayden Stevens, now with the Canberra Cycling Club. Hayden won gold in the ACT/NSW under-17s road series.

Add to this list Jindabyne cyclist Georgia Gardiner who raced as the under-17 representative for the ACT at the 2023 AusCycling Junior Road National Championships yesterday, placing 25th.

“I can feel the wave is building,” says Glenn Doney, “Over the next five years, we will be seeing a lot of great riders from the Canberra region who are capable of doing some extraordinary things on the world stage.”