Cycling: Ulmer vows to do her share

By CHRIS RATTUE

Sarah Ulmer is concentrating on defending her individual pursuit title, but has vowed to put every effort into winning the points race as well.

New Zealand's gold medal hope takes to the National Cycling Centre track - next to the main stadium in Manchester - on Wednesday morning in the points race, which brought her silver in Kuala Lumpur four years ago.

Qualification for the 3000m individual pursuit - which should be a formality - is on Thursday night, and she will also will line up in Saturday night's road race, only 13 hours after the pursuit final.

Ulmer held her own media conference yesterday at the elite Manchester girls' school where the New Zealand team has a satellite base.

Ulmer said being named flag bearer and leading the team at the opening ceremony had been "one of , if not the highlight, of my career."

"It's definitely given me a buzz," she said.

"The team here is so cool - the feeling in the New Zealand camp.

"I guess the Commonwealth Games is not quite as huge compared to the Olympics, where everyone is a little bit on edge and overawed by the whole Olympic thing.

"This is a really cool place to be before a competition.

"But then you can feel a million bucks the day before and not even win a medal, or you can feel like total custard the day before and it might happen on the day."

Ulmer was affected by illness requiring an operation before the Sydney Olympics, where she finished fourth in the pursuit.

Other top riders there were quick to tag the 26-year-old Aucklander as world champion material.

She considered pulling out of the points race in Manchester, but only because of the risk of crashing.

"I'm not really focusing on the points race to be honest. It's just an added event for me and more of a blowout before my major event," said Ulmer, who won the pursuit bronze as an 18-year-old in Canada.

"You expect to be fit enough to handle a race like that and bounce back the same, if not better, because of it.

"I'll be giving it 100 per cent and there's a day between the points race and the pursuit. I certainly won't be backing off.

"We haven't had any meetings on team tactics with the road team, and I've just been focusing on the track.

"I'll be in a support role, although if an opportunity arises that has me doing anything other than that, I'll be taking it, if it's for the good of the team."

Ulmer said the standard of women's cycling in the Commonwealth had "increased so much" since the Malaysian Games.

"It would be very difficult to win medals in all three events," she said. "I'm definitely feeling a bit of pressure, but it's what I do with it that counts."

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