Cycling: Sprinters still to find answers

National track coach Terry Gyde is buoyant about the chances of medals in the endurance events on the track at Melbourne but feels the sprinters have "thrown a few curve balls" at the selectors.

"On the endurance side of things the riders have confirmed everything we needed," Gyde said. "We wanted Hayden Roulston to come here and put his hand up and he did. We wanted Greg Henderson to come here and show his class and he did. Richard Bowker and Anthony Chapman we had questions over and they came here and answered them.

"But the questions we've asked of the sprinters have thrown a few curve balls back at us. Liz Williams getting beaten in the sprint by Fiona Carswell makes you have to think again and of course we're looking at Anthony Peden."

Williams at least had a national keirin title to fall back on, though there is no women's keirin at the Commonwealth Games. In the final last night she pipped Otago's Katri Laike for the win.

Gyde said they would wait until after the LA World Cup meet before deciding the make-up of the team.

One of the events the selectors aren't sure about is the men's sprint team, one of the feature events on the track. The selectors have set a tough benchmark for selection that dictates if they do not think a rider or team has a chance of a top-four placing, they won't be going.

At the moment Gyde said Scotland and England were way ahead of everybody else in the sprint but Australia, whose key riders Shane Kelly and Ryan Bayley have been badly out of form this season, could be vulnerable.

"Having said that we've got to be going a second-and-a-half quicker to be competing with them."

In the individual sprint, Seddon qualified in Moscow, but Auckland veteran Justin Grace had too much experience in the best-of-three final in Wanganui, beating him in the first round and having Seddon disqualified in the second.

"We'll probably race two in Melbourne," Gyde told the Herald on Sunday.

While Gyde said there was no bolter to emerge from the squad, he was pleased with the progress of Auckland youngster Paddy Walker, Sarah Ulmer's heir apparent.

"Perhaps she can win a medal in the individual pursuit. We're trying to get her to 3m 38s. If 3m 38s is good enough for a medal we'll be thrilled with that but I think that will have her tapped out."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY