KEY POINTS:
Christchurch riders Jocelyn Rastrick and Fiona Carswell could be the surprise package of the New Zealand team competing in the three-day World Cup track cycling round in Manchester beginning tomorrow.
Rastrick and Carswell will race in the women's 500m team sprint, introduced into international track programmes this year.
A podium finish could book them a ticket to the world championships in Spain next month.
New Zealand coach Terry Gyde said from Manchester yesterday the pair had clocked 35s at a meeting on the Invercargill indoor velodrome about two weeks ago.
"That was better than the bronze medal time at the Los Angeles World Cup round last month so we decided to bring them to Manchester and see how they go.
"If they can snatch a podium finish in Manchester on Sunday, we could well field them in the world championships."
The women's team sprint in Los Angeles was won by the Netherlands in 34.255s with Australia second (34.761s) and Cuba third (35.531s).
Australian sisters Anna and Kerrie Meares will start favourites for the event.
Anna Meares is the Olympic 500m time-trial champion and improved on the world record she set in Athens on her way to victory in the same event in the Australian round of the World Cup as well as winning the sprint and team sprint on home soil.
New Zealand interest will mainly centre on Hayden Roulston in the men's points, scratch and madison races, Alison Shanks in the women's individual pursuit and Catherine Cheatley in the women's points and scratch races.
With Greg Henderson racing for his German T-Mobile team in the Tour of California, Roulston's madison partner will be Tim Gudsell.
Peter Latham, Marc Ryan, Gudsell and Jesse Sergent will form the team's pursuit line-up with Ryan also contesting the individual pursuit.
Manchester will host a record 274 entries with various countries building up for the world championships.
The field is studded with Olympic and world champions, and competitors will fight it out for World Cup medals and world championship qualification.
Australia (powered by double Olympic champion Ryan Bayley and the Meares sisters), Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and France look to be the strongest teams.
After Manchester, most of the NZ team will travel to Valencia in Spain to prepare for the track world championships in Palma from March 29 to April 1.
- NZPA
