How Good Is Alex Edmondson

Alex Edmondson has talent to burn and the potential to become one of the new stars of Australian cycling.

At 11, Alex Edmonson took up the sport. At 17, he won two junior gold medals and broke a world record. At 18, he was on his way to the London Olympics. A year later, this rising rider has talent to burn and the potential to become one of the new stars of Australian cycling.

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What's His Story

It’s been a meteoric rise for Alexander Jude Law Edmondson in the past few years by any margin: from schoolboy cyclist to riding in the Oceania Track Championships, racking up medals at Track World Cups and the Junior World Championships, and then finishing first at the Australian Nationals. Being named as a bolter in the five-member Aussie cycling track team for the Olympics was the real icing on the cake for him and while he might not have hit the track in London, the future is bright for this endurance rider.

Growing up in Adelaide, it was sibling rivalry that prompted Edmondson to start cycling as a child. His older sister, Annette, was selected for a South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) talent identification program, inspiring Alexander to try track cycling. After winning $100 in a novice race, he was hooked. “I haven’t looked back since,” he says. Edmondson has followed in his sister’s footsteps and the pair was the first brother and sister to represent Australia in cycling at an Olympics. Annette won bronze in London and Alex cites the “friendly” competition between them as a big advantage: “It’s one of the best things for us. We can push each to their furthest point.”

Edmondson’s list of achievements is already impressive ‒ gold and silver in the senior madison and the team pursuit at the 2011 World Cup, silver in the team pursuit at the 2012 World Cup, two golds at the Junior World Champs and the 2011 SASI Junior Athlete of the Year gong. His selection in the Olympic team might have surprised some, but not his coach of five years, Tim Decker.

“Alex is a young man with energy to burn and it takes him a long time to wear out, which can be a great advantage in training and racing and in life in general,” Decker says. Graeme Zucker, the vice-president of Edmondson’s local club, Central Districts Cycling Club, agrees. “At the next Commonwealth Games and World Championships, he’ll be one of our driving forces in the team pursuit and the individual races as well.”

Who's He Like?

Not riding in London was devastating for Edmondson, but he’s learned from the experience and set his sights on the next Olympics. After that, the rider nicknamed “Edmo” wants to join the professional road circuit in Europe: “It’s everyone’s dream to ride in the Tour, but you have to be realistic. It’s a long way away.”

What stands Edmondson apart on the track is his mental strength and determination. He has a will to win and a strong team ethic that’s uncommon in a rider of his years. Edmondson’s best is yet to come. “The only thing Alex needs to work on is his level of knowing what his limits are, because he hasn’t reached them in a lot of ways yet,” Decker says.

Zucker believes Edmondson has what it takes to eventually make the transition from the track to the road. “He has enough drive. He’s a good sprint finisher; he can ride hills with the best of them. As a strong team man is where I think he’ll succeed.” Zucker says the young South Australian reminds him of the build and mentality of cycling legend Stuart O’Grady: “You can liken him to that type of person. Stuart is very strong-willed and determined.”