Cycling Queensland

Jack Bobridge will leave London with a feeling of unfinished business and may yet return to the track for a shot at gold in Rio in four years time.

The 23-year-old dual Olympian, who was fourth in the team pursuit in Beijing, won silver alongside Michael Hepburn, Rohan Dennis and Glenn O’Shea in the same event yesterday behind the rampaging Great Britain team.

Bobridge will spend the next few years plying his trade as a professional on the road before making a concrete decision on his Olympic future but the lure of a golden redemption on the track looms large.

“Obviously it’s something that’s crossed my mind over the past year or so,” Bobridge said.

“I think my decision to go to the road would have been a lot easier if I’d come away with one better here for the gold.

“I had such big hopes since Beijing to come here and win on the track. At the same time, it’s also pretty disappointing from Beijing to here that the individual pursuit got taken away from the track program.

“But now we’ve walked away with the silver it definitely leaves a hole on the track for me. I feel like I haven’t fully completed what I set up to do on the track.

“I think for the next year or two at least I definitely have to go full time road and see what I can do and where I fit in but I definitely wouldn’t, and I haven’t, ruled out Rio yet (on the track).

“I might have to come back and make that transition back to the track.”

Bobridge believes in this day and age he didn’t think it was possible to ride on the road and track successfully at the same Olympic Games – meaning he will have to make a choice at some point.

“Back in the day, eight years ago or something, it could have been possible but now the preparation for the track is so different for the road. It’s a lot more power based and a lot different to the roadies.

“I think now, and definitely for me in the next four years it isn’t possible.”

Bobridge said 2013 would be a year in which he tries to establish a role on the road with Australian owned and operated team GreenEdge. He also said it was difficult not to be inspired by Great Britain’s Bradley Wiggins who won the time trial just weeks after claiming the Tour de France.

“I haven’t really had time to settle into the road program and see where I fit in and where I am going to fall into,” he said.

“I think next year I’ll start with the classics and go from there. Once I get a full road season under my belt next year I’ll have more of an idea where i’m situated and where i’m going to go.

“Obviously the great Bradley Wiggins has shown it’s possible to convert from pursuiting to riding Grand Tours.

“He’s definitely an inspiration. He always has been. He’s a fantastic bike rider and definitely over the past year he’s shown that it is possible for the trackies to jump off and really turn into Grand Tour riders.

“So something like that, over my career, and i’m not saying it’s going to happen overnight, or even in the next four years, is where I’m aiming.

“I’m still pretty young and he’s a lot older than I am, so even if it’s from now onwards, or even after Rio, I’d look up to what he’s doing and hopefully one day be able to do the same.”