Cycling: Peden's dreams in tatters after disqualification

8.45am

MANCHESTER - New Zealander Anthony Peden's hopes of a Commonwealth Games cycling medal in the men's sprint crashed in sensational circumstances Tuesday night when he was disqualified from a repechage for obstructing another rider.

Peden, who thought he had made the quarterfinals, was being interviewed by media when the National Cycling Centre announced he had been relegated to third after judges studied video footage of the race.

The former Australian was livid when he heard the news and team-mates advised him to try and stay calm.

"That will look good on TV," he said.

"I don't know what was wrong, no one's told me," he said before asking media to stay clear.

The judges said Peden, who was desperate to trump Australian arch rival Sean Eadie in tomorrow's final, had cut off England's Andy Slater half way through the three-lap race.

New Zealand team manager Bryan Simmonds said he would seek a review of the decision but was not confident.

"We'll look at the video and we'll talk to them (judges) and if we can convince them he didn't impede they might reverse it but I wouldn't put money on it," Simmonds said.

It was a disastrous result for Peden, who now has to concentrate on the team sprint.

However, he did aid his own demise when he was beaten by Barbadian Barry Forde, who qualified directly for tomorrow's quarters.

Peden, who emerged fourth fastest from qualifying, stumbled when Kuala Lumpur bronze medallist Forde took the three-lap tactical dogfight by a bike length, forcing Peden into a repechage.

Simmonds said Peden had two chances in each round and losing to Forde hadn't helped.

The Wanganui-based rider was eyeing a gold medal showdown with Eadie, his rival since their teenage days in Sydney.

The thickly-bearded Eadie lay down the gauntlet in qualifying by setting a Commonwealth record and showing his facial hair had no effect on his speed.

Eadie streaked around the indoor velodrome in 10.145sec, erasing compatriot Darryn Hill's mark of 10.258sec, recorded at Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Aucklander Justin Grace, seven months into his comeback to international cycling after a six year break, bowed out in the other repechage, won by Josiah Ng Onn Lam of Malaysia who sprinted clear on the first lap and held on.

Nathan Seddon's exit from the competition was also full of drama with the New Zealander clashing heads with Marco Librizzo and eventually bumping him to the ground as the Scotsman tried to block the New Zealanders' line in order to help teammate Craig McLean progress.

Librizzo forced Seddon high on the bank and the New Zealander twice butted him with his helmet.

When Seddon sought to dive underneath to stay within range of McLean, the pair collided and Librizzo tumbled.

Track officials disqualified Librizzo but Seddon gained no advantage as McLean took the re-run repechage. He eventually dipped out in Grace's repechage.

Earlier Grace and Seddon qualified ninth (10.513sec) and 14th (10.762sec) fastest respectively -- both with personal bests.

New Zealand's individual pursuit riders found the going too tough, with Hayden Roulston, Heath Blackgrove and Hayden Godfrey failing to make the semifinals.

Godfrey was the quickest of the trio and set a new personal best of 4min 25.898sec.

However, he was still well short of new Commonwealth record holder Luke Roberts, who obliterated the mark set by Australian team-mate Brad McGee at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games by more than 10sec in a staggering ride against current New Zealand champion Roulston.

Roberts' new Commonwealth benchmark is 4min 19.967sec for the 4000m endurance race.

Roulston was a shade outside his personal best of 4min 27.567sec and Blackgrove, who was 10th in the road time trial, recorded 4min 35.468sec, also a personal best.

- NZPA

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