It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Josh Ludman who finished in prime position on two international stages as well as being named NSW Junior Road Champion.
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The 18-year-old Nowra Velo Club rider has been racing competitively for only two years and has already amassed a plethora of accolades, starting back with the local club in 2020.
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Josh recently competed at the Inernational Junior Tour of Ireland, finishing the challenging event in eighth position overall, with a total of five top ten finish positions across the six days of racing.
Soon after arriving back in Australia, Josh carried the momentum into a victory at the St George club race and followed up with a top tier performance to take out the NSW Junior Road Championship.
It didn't take long before Josh was back on foreign soil, this time Korea as a part of the NSW based Rauland Development Team.
Josh joined six other riders from the Rauland team to compete at the Korea Tour de DMZ, guided by team manager and Olympic bronze medalist, Brett Dutton.
This event took place over five days, four of which saw the athletes race over an average distance of 104 kilometres, with one day featuring 145 kilometres of riding along with two major climbs.
Josh secured a 10th place finish in the first day of racing, which would set the tone for the days ahead. While he finished 20th on day two, all other positions were top 10 after with a fourth place finish in the 145 kilometre stage.
The riders faced adversity, battling constant rain over the last two days which made conditions even harder.
Josh finished the event in overall eighth position, another mammoth effort from the young rider.
The event was dominated by a team from the Netherlands, with the Dutch riders winning every stage, finishing in the top position overall at the conclusion of the five days.
These Dutch riders will now travel to Australia for the World cycling championships in Wollongong in three weeks time to race the under 19 junior events on that program.
The overall winner from this event is Max Van Der Meulen ahead of his team mate Menno Huising and Jack Makokon (USA) with Josh Ludman in eighth position as well as the leading Australian rider and also the first of his Rauland team.
Josh will now return home for a short period of relax and recover ahead of his next challenging adventure.
Sam Baker
Sam Baker is Journalist with the South Coast Register on the South Coast of NSW. He also contributes work to The Batemans Bay Post, Milton Ulladulla Times, Southern Highlands News and Illawarra Mercury. Email: sam.baker@austcommunitymedia.com.au Phone: 0472 904 583
Sam Baker is Journalist with the South Coast Register on the South Coast of NSW. He also contributes work to The Batemans Bay Post, Milton Ulladulla Times, Southern Highlands News and Illawarra Mercury. Email: sam.baker@austcommunitymedia.com.au Phone: 0472 904 583
