IT has not taken long for Winthrop teenager Tyler Lindorff to establish a name for himself among Western Australia’s elite young cycling talent.
After just 18 months in the saddle Tyler has earned both a coveted WA Institute of Sport (WAIS) scholarship and the only junior berth in NSW-based National Road Series team JML Racing.
The 16-year-old discovered his love of the sport when he began riding recreationally with father Brad in late 2014.
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READ NOW“A lot of my mates got into cycling around the same time so I started riding with them and not long after that I decided I wanted to race,” Tyler said.
“I joined the Peel District Cycling Club (PDCC) and I wasn’t every good to start with – my first race was in D-grade and I came fifth or sixth.”
The Kennedy Baptist College student stuck with the sport and quickly began making strides, catching the eye of PDCC member and Commonwealth Games team pursuit gold medallist Peter Dawson.
Under Dawson’s tutelage Tyler launched an impressive 2015 State titles campaign, finishing fourth in the Under-17 criterium, second in the road race and third in the time trial – good enough to earn selection to the WA squad for nationals where he claimed 12th in the time trial before being struck down by illness.
The offer of a WAIS scholarship followed in April and Tyler now trains at the institute four times a week while racing on weekends.
He only began track cycling in November but has already claimed two firsts, two seconds and a third in State events this season.
“I prefer road racing because it is where I started and my long term goal is to make a World Tour team like ORICA GreenEDGE and compete in events like the Tour de France,” Tyler said.
“Of course, on the track if I had the opportunity to go to something like the Olympics I wouldn’t say no that either.”