Bouncing back: Jack Bobridge claimed his third gold medal in the Elite Men's 40km Points Race in Adelaide after crashing out of the national road championships. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

HE was blown off his bike earlier this month at the national road titles in Victoria but at the track cycling championships in Adelaide Jack Bobridge simply blew his opponents away.

Just three weeks after hitting the bitumen in a nasty crash which forced him out of the Tour Down Under with a wrist injury, cycling hotshot Bobridge has ridden off with three gold medals at the track nationals in a stunning start to his Olympic year.

Bobridge picked up his third medal of the Australian track championships in Adelaide by repelling a determined field in a hotly contested 40km points race late last night.

He was part of a small group which managed to lap the field with the London-bound cyclist beating NSW pair Jackson Law and Jackson-Leigh Rathbone for the gold.

His win followed on from Bobridge's victories in the team pursuit and scratch race earlier in the meet.

Bobridge, a member of the new Australian professional team GreenEDGE, is considered one of Australia's leading contenders for gold on the track at the London Olympics.

In another extraordinary performance at the track nationals, a former pole vaulter has claimed the Kierin crown.  Matthew Glaetzer, just 19, won his first-ever senior crown in beating a field which included reigning world champion Shane Perkins.

You can see the original article as it appeared in thetelegraph.com.au here

Kahl Bobridge, father and manager of Evanston cycling star Jack, with Member for Wakefield Nick Champion at the turning of the sod for the Jack Bobridge Track.

CYCLISTS had better hope the Jack Bobridge Track turns out a bit smoother than Jack's start to 2012.

Bobridge was set to ride in this year's Tour Down Under, but as reported last Thursday on barossaherald.com.au, the 22-year-old had to withdraw after a crash in the National Road race titles in Victoria last Tuesday.

Jack was also unable to attend the sod-turning ceremony of the shared cycling and walking path to link Tanunda and Gawler, which has been named in his honour.

Kahl Bobridge, Jack's father and manager, was at the ceremony and said Jack was extremely honoured and humbled to have the new track named after him.

Bobridge said his son had been cleared of any broken bones from the crash, but was still suffering ligament damage and is now focusing on keeping his fitness.

"He has got a lot coming up, he has the Australian track titles and within a week of that he has to fly to London for the World Cup, then he will come back and prepare for the world titles in early April, where he will defend his two world titles," Bobridge snr said.

"He is very disappointed he couldn't ride in the tour and he would have loved to be here today.

"This is where he first started training and basically grew up in his older years, so he was a bit disappointed, but he is tough and he will get over it.

"I am sure he will be back for the opening when the track is finished."

From Tanunda, the track goes past Jacobs Creek Visitor Centre, through Rowland Flat and Lyndoch, and from there it follows the rail corridor towards Gawler, before joining up with the Tapa Pariara (Gawler Urban Rivers shared path).

The track will cost $5.44million to build, with $4.81million of that coming from the Federal Government.

Member for Wakefield Nick Champion said the path would not only be good for local people, but also become another draw card for tourism in the region.

"Ultimately, if we can get some big loops around the local area, that will be a big benefit not just to locals getting out on their bikes, but also to regional tourism, which is really a big economic driver," Mr Champion said.

Barossa mayor Brian Hurn said the track will encourage cyclists to visit and stay in Gawler, the Barossa Valley and other places along the extended cycleway.

"It will provide a tremendous platform for new investment in experiences including food and wine tourism facilities along the way," he said.

Mr Hurn said the Barossa will soon be recognised as one of Australia's most cycle friendly regions.

The Jack Bobridge Track is set to be completed by December this year.

You can read the original article in "The Barossa Herald" by clicking here

GreenEDGE's Jack Bobridge looking the worse for wear after his horrific fall in the Nationals. He has grazed knuckles, stomach and forearms and a suspected fractured wrist. Picture: Sarah Reed.

Injury has forced South Australia's world champion cyclist Jack Bobridge out of the Santos Tour Down Under.

The world track champion hurt his left arm and wrist after crashing in his time trial ride at the Australian road championships on Tuesday.

Scans have not shown any breaks, but GreenEDGE team management have decided not to risk further damage in the Adelaide race.

Bobridge is a popular rider and his absence will be a blow to his the event and event.

GreenEDGE are yet to decide who will take his place in their seven-man team for the TDU which starts on Sunday.

Yesterday Bobridge had been hopeful of competing in the event bur also realised the risk of doing further injury.

"It's a massive year. It would be silly to push through and do more damage," Bobridge said of riding in the TDU.

"This week is important to me being a home (Adelaide) boy but I've got to be smart as well."

With track nationals, a London World Cup, home world titles and Olympic Games in the next six months, Bobridge, 22, may take a cautious approach with his wrist injury.

He is a key cog in Australia's attempt to win Olympic gold in teams pursuit in a challenge from Great Britain, New Zealand and Russia.

The road to London starts with the national track titles in Adelaide from January 26-29.

Bobridge was riding at 55km/h when a wind gust from a passing B-double truck ripped his bike from under him in Monday's national time-trial championship at Learmonth in Victoria.

"It happened before I knew it and I went straight down," he said. "It was a pretty heavy fall but more of a shock - the first kilometre and I was on the ground.

"I took most of the impact on my hand and it's pretty sore but not as bad as I thought it was going to be."

Initial X-rays cleared him of any breaks but he will have further scans today on his swollen wrist amid fears of a hairline fracture.

A decision on if the dual world champion and individual pursuit world-record holder rides his home Tour next week will not be made until tomorrow.

You can read the full article as it appeared in "The Advertiser" by clicking here

Jack Bobridge recovers in his Adelaide hotel room yesterday after a close encounter with a semi-trailer. Picture: Mark Gunter Source: The Australian

Just days before making his international debut for GreenEDGE at the Santos Tour Down Under, the world track time trial champion is laid up in an Adelaide hotel licking his wounds, nursing a suspected broken left wrist.

GreenEDGE general manager Shayne Bannan yesterday named Matt Wilson, a former winner of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, and Baden Cooke, a former green jersey winner of the Tour de France, as potential replacements for Bobridge should he fail a fitness test today.

"I've cut up pretty rough," Bobridge told The Australian before being interrupted by a visit from the ASADA drug testers. I'm sore and stiff all over and, as you can see, I've lost a fair bit of bark."

Bobridge, one of the rising stars of Australian cycling, was blown off his bike by a passing semi-trailer while racing against the clock in the national time trial at Ballarat on the last day of the Australian road titles.

While initial scans cleared the 22-year-old of any broken bones, swelling in his left hand, wrist and elbow have not subsided.

"The arm just blew up like a balloon after I hit the deck on Tuesday," he said.

"There's not a lot of give in bitumen when you hit the deck at 55km/h.

"The doctors want to take more scans to make sure and certain that there are floating bits of broken bone in the left wrist.

"And they can't do more tests until the swelling goes down."

Bobridge had been named in the GreenEDGE team to contest the opening race of the UCI WorldTour calendar in South Australia.

"I was selected for the Santos race to ride as a team helper and, to be honest with (sporting director) Matt White and to myself, I won't start just for the sake of competing, then having to step off my bike a few kilometres into a week-long race," he said.

"Unless I'm capable of holding the handlebars, I'm not going to risk the team's chances of stage wins."

Bannan described the incident involving Bobridge and the semi-trailer as "shocking bad luck".

"But thankfully he came off OK. It could have been, much, much worse," Bannan said. "It is a relief the initial scans cleared him of any broken bones.

"But that's not to say there isn't some small fraction and we've ordered a fresh round of X-rays.

"At this stage, he's got to be a doubtful starter for what is his home state race."

You can read the full story in "The Australian" by clicking here