Cycling: Road riders keen for Delhi

The New Zealand track cycling team expect a medal haul at October's Commonwealth Games but the men's road team will go with equally high expectations.

Professional riders Hayden Roulston, Greg Henderson and Julian Dean have all indicated their availability to race in Delhi, increasing the odds New Zealand will claim the first medal in a road race since Mark Rendell won gold at Victoria in 1994.

Roulston won silver and bronze at the Beijing Olympics on the track but is better known these days as a domestique for the powerful HTC-Columbia road team. He is expected to ride his second Tour de France this year.

Henderson has made a successful transition from the track and is in line to be Team Sky's top sprinter at this year's Tour. He won the opening stage at this year's Paris-Nice and was third at January's Tour Down Under (he also won the Cancer Council Helpline Classic, a warm-up for the main tour).

Dean has been on the professional tours for more than a decade and last year was the only rider in the peloton to start and finish all three grand tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espa a). The 35-year-old has competed in the last four Olympics but at only one Commonwealth Games. He collected bronze in the men's team pursuit in 1994.

"It would be absolutely outstanding if all three went to the Commonwealth Games," said BikeNZ high performance director Mark Elliott.

"It would give us so many options to play with tactically. Those guys know how important the Commonwealth Games is for New Zealand's sporting history and the New Zealand sporting public so will be out there to win."

The only thing besides injury which would prevent the trio's participation is the fact the Commonwealth Games come at the end of a busy season.

All three are expected to race in this year's Tour de France and have also indicated their intention to compete in the road race world championships in Melbourne on the eve of the Commonwealth Games.

"They have all indicated they are keen to be involved," Elliott said. "But it comes down to how they are going at the end of the year. They could be firing but they could also be toasted after a tiring season."

BikeNZ will name an extended Delhi squad at the end of the month.

They will be allowed to take 27 riders to Delhi but the success of their track programme in recent times, and particularly the unexpected success of the young sprinters, will put a squeeze on selectors meaning some riders will compete both on the track and the road. A maximum of six riders can compete in the road race.

Sam Bewley, Jesse Sergent and Peter Latham are the most likely to cross over. All three are part of the exciting men's pursuit team but are also riding professionally on the road.

"These boys will all have huge road programmes this year and specifically target track later on," Elliott said. "We wouldn't have expectations on them [in the road race] apart from supporting roles.

"The quality of cycling in the country at the moment is such that we could take a bigger team It's a really exciting time for the sport."