Crunch time for Kiwi cyclists

NZ’s leading track cyclists, including world pursuit champion Alison Shanks, gather in Invercargill this week for the national championships. Photo / Getty Images

The heat goes on New Zealand's leading cyclists at this week's national track championships, with selection up for grabs for the world championships and Commonwealth Games.

The three-day championship on the lightning fast boards of the ILT Velodrome starting on Thursday will provide the final test for selection to next month's world championships in Copenhagen.

Head coach Tim Carswell said he is expecting some powerful performances in Invercargill this weekend which will make the task to select a team for Copenhagen the most difficult yet.

Performances this week and at the world championships will also provide the major platform for the team for October's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, which will be finalised in April.

Two of the bronze medal-winning team pursuit will be missing this week with Jesse Sergent of Feilding and Sam Bewley of Rotorua given dispensation as they have riding obligations for their professional teams. Sergent is competing in the Tour of Qatar for Trek Livestrong while Bewley heads to Europe for Lance Armstrong's new Radio Shack team.

There will still be plenty of competition in the pursuit ranks from Olympians Marc Ryan of Timaru, Wes Gough of Waipukurau and Peter Latham of Te Awamutu, with plenty of interest in the track competition debut from Wellington's Jack Bauer, the national road champion.

World champion Alison Shanks of Dunedin should be too classy for her opponents although there will be a fierce battle among the growing numbers of candidates to join her in the burgeoning women's team pursuit including national road champion Rushlee Buchanan of Te Awamutu, fellow world track medallists Lauren Ellis of Ashburton and Jaime Nielsen of Hamilton and Kaytee Boyd of Auckland.

New Zealand's fast improving sprint programme will also come under the spotlight with recent Beijing World cup gold medallist Eddie Dawkins leading the way against triple world junior champion Sam Webster and fellow-World Cup teammates Adam Stewart of Christchurch and Simon Van Velthooven of Palmerston North.

The 2008 world omnium champion Hayden Godfrey of Christchurch is a doubtful starter after receiving injuries when he was hit by a vehicle while training, while the outstanding Invercargill rider Tom Scully has been given a quieter load at the championships.

"Tom has been racing virtually non-stop since October. While he has come on incredibly well, we needed him to put in a solid block of endurance training if he is to get through the big load ahead and this was the only opportunity," Carswell said.

Scully, who has won five World Cup medals in Melbourne and Beijing, will compete in the scratch race.

The competition begins with all time trials on Thursday, the keirin, individual pursuit and points races on Friday, and team pursuit, sprint and scratch race events on Saturday.

- NZPA