Aussies won't let defector rivalry distract them

Leigh Hoffman, a key member of the Australian track cycling team, is focused on performance rather than a hyped rivalry with former teammate Matthew Richardson. Richardson, who previously rode with Hoffman and won Olympic bronze together, defected to England after the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

"We'd never experienced something like that," Hoffman said of Richardson's departure. "You grow up racing with someone and you think you're both Aussies and then he's not. That's life. It is what it is."

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We'd never experienced something like that. You grow up racing with someone and you think you're both Aussies and then he's not. That's life. It is what it is.

Hoffman, who is now a leader for a new-look Australian sprint unit, believes the intense nature of track cycling means athletes are accustomed to racing against former teammates. "We'd be racing with each other in the team sprint, and every other event you race as an individual anyway," he explained. "So even if he still represented Australia, I'd still have to come against my own teammate and aim to try and beat him."

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We'd be racing with each other in the team sprint, and every other event you race as an individual anyway. So even if he still represented Australia, I'd still have to come against my own teammate and aim to try and beat him and he'd be aiming to try and beat me. It's kinda life in track cycling.

The Australian team has undergone significant turnover, with Richardson's defection, the retirement of Matthew Glaetzer, and Tom Cornish's move to endurance events. Hoffman now leads a young squad including Danny Barber, Ryan Elliott, and Tayte Ryan. While they are eager to beat England, Hoffman stressed the importance of not getting distracted by any single opponent, including Richardson.

"I'm excited to beat everyone in the world, he's just another domino to fall, hopefully," Hoffman stated. "The Australia-England rivalry goes back very far with the Ashes and all our other sports. It's always a big one."

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I'm excited to beat everyone in the world, he's just another domino to fall, hopefully. The Australia-England rivalry goes back very far with the Ashes and all our other sports. It's always a big one.