Meet the junior cyclists set to represent Illawarra on the national stage

Rising through the junior ranks Gabriel Jakovsen, Lucy Allen and Charles Alcock have each earned their place for different reasons, head coach of the NSW team Mick Marshall said.

"What Lucy, Gabrielle and Charles have accomplished is a pretty big deal, having been selected to represent the state at the championships in Brisbane later this month, they'll be part of an elite team," he said.

Allen and Jakovsen have already competed on a national level in the Under 15 division, with Allen coming home with gold in the Individual Pursuit and silver in the Scratch Race.

"She's a great advertisement for female cycling, she's progressed down the pathway and is a very strong competitor that trains really hard and is a great advocate for the sport," Marshall said.

"She's a real happy character, always smiling and laughing but when she gets on the bike she's a bit of an assassin."

Having spent the last ten years riding and the last two training for competitions, Allen said she was looking forward to her first year in the Under 17 category.

"The girls are going to be older and stronger which makes it extra fast and tougher competition but I really like the challenge of pushing yourself and training up for a big event," she said.

"All I'm really hoping for is to get some new personal bests, improve my strategy and meet new people."

Alcock has been nicknamed the "slow burner" by Marshall, who said while he's the quiet achiever in the team, he'd been working really hard to improve his technique.

"He's a really great teammate and he tries really hard to hone his craft in the sport," Marshall said.

"He's another one who goes above and beyond for his fellow team mates and is an all around solid athlete that really deserves his place in the team."

Alcock said he's looking forward to the experience of competing with the best riders in Australia in what will be his first outing at nationals.

"I really enjoy cycling, not just because I've gotten good at it, but because when you put in a lot of training and see it all pay off, it's a rewarding experience," he said.

Marshall said while Allen and Alcock's strengths lay in endurance, Jakovsen's is in speed.

"He's one of those riders that's a Jack of all trades and is very good in all genres but he's mostly really, really fast and a great racer," he said.

Jakovsen said he loved the "thrill" and the friendships that come out of competing around the country, more so than winning.

"It's the thrill of hitting a corner fast, the G-force you get going around it that feels great," he said.

"You're racing people who are a lot bigger with more strength than you, so just thinking about it smartly and concentrating on building those skills and getting used to a whole different track will be my focus."

Joining the team as assistant coach is Chloe Heffernan, a former Illawarra junior and state medallist.

Heffernan said she's excited for the team and to see all their hard work come into action at Nationals, with the trio to attend training camps over the next two weekends in preparation for the four-day competition in April.

"I know when I was a junior I got to go away with teams like this and I learned so many skills, both on the track and off," she said.

"In our training we tell the kids to strive for PBs, medals are just bonuses. We just want to see them having fun, learning lots and working well as a team.

"There'll be a lot of preparation in the lead up, with extra coaching and help coming from our club coach too, Tom Dawson."