Turncoat Olympic cyclist Matthew Richardson set to AGAIN infuriate Aussie fans after complaining about ‘unfair’ attention for defecting to Great Britain

Matthew Richardson, who won Commonwealth gold for Australia at the Olympic velodrome in London, has said he now dreams of lifting his first major cycling crown in British colors on the same track.

The sprinter, who made such a splash by switching his allegiance to his British homeland after the Paris Olympics where he won three medals for Australia, is preparing for an emotional weekend as GB ‘home’ rider during the two-day final of the UCI Champions League event for family and friends.

Richardson told AAP on Wednesday that after the initial deluge of negative headlines about his ‘defection’ to Team GB, he now felt half of the reports supported his move.

And locked in a Champions League battle royal with Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen, the flying Dutchman who took him to gold at the Paris Games in this weekend’s final, Richardson explained his excitement about returning to the Lee Valley velodrome with a new loyalty to the national team.

When asked if he felt it would be a very different feeling from winning the Commonwealth sprint gold there two years ago, if he were to triumph for a second time in the Champions League sprint series on Sunday’s second day of competition , the 25-year-old said, “Yeah, that’s definitely the feeling I’m chasing

‘I always thought, ‘what if I won the Commies when I was English?’ ‘What if I had won the Champions League that first year when I was British?’ How crazy a feeling, how special a moment would that have been?

Cyclist says that half of the messages he sees about his defection are positive

“So that’s the feeling I’m chasing. I’m only five points behind (Lavreysen in the Champions League sprint rankings) and it’s all to play for.

“I’m preparing a bit like I would for any other race, but it would be incredible to win, just like all the moments I’ve thought about in the past.”

Dual nationality Richardson honed his cycling career in Perth after moving with his family from the English city of Maidstone at the age of nine. Lee Valley is about 60km from his hometown, which is why Richardson almost considers it his ‘home track’.

“I don’t think it will feel that strange,” he shrugged, asking how different it might feel from his Commonwealth exploits in 2022, when he struck double gold in the sprint and team sprint for Australian cycling, which , furious about his move, has now handed him a lifetime ban.

‘I think the cheers will be louder every time I race on that London velodrome. I have grandparents, cousins ​​and uncles and just family, friends who come to watch, a lot of support, but I always have that when I go racing in London.

“So the contrast with the Commies will feel pretty much the same in terms of family support, but the cheers will hopefully be a little bit louder.”

Richardson caused outrage in Australia over his decision to defect and race to Britain

When asked how he dealt with the negative publicity and social media backlash he’s received since his post-Paris move was announced, he shrugged: “I mean, I’m quite used to it now.

‘I find it interesting, in many reactions there are now people who defend me. I felt in the beginning when I made the trade that it was just a lot of negativity, whereas now it’s a real 50-50 split where people say something stupid and then someone backs it up with facts or just defense . .

“But I would say it was almost like ‘rinse and repeat’ from the first time I encountered it. Even though it’s come up a little bit again, it’s just the same sound as the first time.”

AusCycling has banned Richardson for life from representing Australia, citing his conduct before he defected, including withholding information about his transfer and requesting that he take AusCycling property to Britain.

Last week, Richardson said inews that he thinks some of the criticism he has received has been unfair.

‘I think the attention on me has been quite unfair. “I’m not the first to drive for another country after representing Australia, but because of my success I was more prominent,” Richardson told inews.

‘I am so grateful to AusCycling for their support when I rode for them. I never attacked them and only spoke positively about them.

“This isn’t about having a future that I didn’t have in the Adelaide program because I’m happy with what I’ve achieved.

‘But there is nothing that makes me doubt my decision. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I started racing.”