Cycling: Elite riders in sprint to guarantee Games spot

Today's start to the week-long New Zealand track cycling championships in Wanganui will be quiet, but should provide an early indication of whether track sprinters have heeded a message.

The Lion Foundation-sponsored event, which is also doubling as a Melbourne Commonwealth Games trial, has drawn the biggest entry in many years .

National track sprint coach Tim Carswell has a very strong interest in tonight's major event - the elite men's sprint preliminaries.

As well as top sprinter Nathan Seddon (Otago) - the only man to beat the very hard Games qualifying time of 10.5s - Carswell is keen for a team sprint combination to be included for the Games, even to the extent of a fourth man to cover the possibility of injury or sickness.

But sprinters will have to produce high-quality efforts in Wanganui to force the issue.

That is unlikely to include breaking the Games times - probably only possible on an inside track - but at least something close would help.

Seddon produced a 10.4sec ride at Moscow in the World Cup a couple of months ago.

He will have the best opposition New Zealand can produce tonight and tomorrow, when the sprint finals will be held. Carswell is pleased about that.

"Everybody's here, which is great. Even the likes of Anthony Peden has come in again and he wants to ride the kierin in Melbourne.

"I would like to see a team sprint if possible and I would like to see four because you don't like to leave yourself in a position where you have to rely on just three.

"So four's ideal and it's what I'm hoping we'll be able to take."

Carswell said these nationals are important for everyone, in all track events. Clearly some riders have been earmarked and are in heavy training aiming at a peak for Melbourne.

Others still have to cement a spot - and all of them have to prove they are on the right track.

- NZPA