Cycling: Auckland cyclists well ahead on points

Canterbury won more senior gold medals, but the Auckland centre had more to celebrate as a team on the last day of the national track championships in Wanganui.

Auckland finished with the Cycling New Zealand Points Shield, accumulating almost 100 more than their nearest rivals.

Auckland earned 187 points compared with Canterbury's 91. They were followed by West Coast North Island (65), Southland (51), Waikato (45), Otago (23), Mid-South Canterbury (6) and Nelson-Marlborough (1).

Last year, Auckland were edged out of the trophy by Canterbury, and the manager of this year's Auckland team, Ron Hoogenberg, attributed their huge winning margin to better organisation and good juniors coming through the ranks at the centre.

Auckland were particularly dominant in the age-group racing, an area of the championships which was singled out by national track coach Max Vertongen.

"For the first time in a long time, we have strength coming through in numbers," Vertongen said.

"There are some exciting juniors."

Vertongen said New Zealand could have up to 12 track riders in a 27-strong team for the Commonwealth Games in July-August.

Included in that could be an entry in the team sprint after Justin Grace, Matthew Sinton and Nathan Seddon put in a national trial on Saturday morning, recording 48.390s.

"The sprint team put their hands up. That was a good time in the conditions," Vertongen said

The trial had been scheduled for Friday, with Anthony Peden included, but rain foiled those plans and Peden was due in Sydney for the New South Wales state championships on Saturday night.

Vertongen predicted a strong and young team for Manchester.

One of them should be Fiona Carswell, 23, after she won three events.

Vertongen singled out another Canterbury rider, Hayden Roulston, as the outstanding young male of the meet, as well as his fellow national teams pursuit squad member Heath Blackgrove.

Blackgrove rode "exceptionally well" to lead Mid-South Canterbury to bronze in the teams pursuit.

Roulston's Canterbury team caught Otago to take the teams pursuit title, and he then played a supporting role for team-mate Hayden Godfrey to win the 15,000m scratch race in a time of 18m 10.156s.

Otago's Glen Thompson was second and West Coast North Island's Dayle Cheatley third.

The national selectors are to name their Games squad on March 18.

- NZPA