Cycling: Cash threat to improvement

Revitalised New Zealand track cycling coach Max Vertongen hopes funding constraints will not hinder the accelerated development of a novice squad ahead of the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

An inexperienced New Zealand team collected two gold medals and a silver at a World Cup meeting in Colombia at the weekend, helping prompt Vertongen to seek an extension to his involvement with the team to next year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Vertongen had retired after the Sydney Olympics, but agreed to help out after Cycling New Zealand failed to find a successor to him and coaching guru Ron Cheatley, who also quit after the Games.

Encouraged by the performance of the men's team pursuit (gold), Greg Henderson's winning romp in the points race and a silver to Hayden Godfrey (individual pursuit), Vertongen now hoped the achievement could be built on.

However, it was unlikely the pursuit squad, who had not trained together until arriving in Cali, would be back together until a month before the world track championships in Belgium in September.

Although the squad had already qualified, Vertongen would like them to compete at World Cup level again, but finance was a problem.

"Ideally, we would send them here, there and everywhere, but it's a funding issue. These guys just don't have the money."

He said further exposure to the cut and thrust of international competition was essential.

A smaller team will race the next leg of the five-round World Cup series in Poland in a fortnight.

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Meanwhile, New Zealand could not add to their medal haul on the final day yesterday. Joanne Kiesanowski finished eighth in the women's points race, and Henderson and Lee Vertongen placed sixth from 16 nations in the madison teams event.

Anthony Peden, still nursing extensive bruises and grazing, made the final of the keirin where he finished a creditable fourth.

- NZPA