Cycling: Dawkins breaks NZ record

A record-setting Eddie Dawkins is pipped by rising star Zac Williams in the sprint. Photo / Dianne Manson

A record-setting Eddie Dawkins was upstaged in the individual sprint at the BikeNZ Cup in Cambridge today.

The team sprint world champion broke a New Zealand record in the morning but bowed out of the event in the afternoon to rising Auckland star Zac Williams.

In qualifying Dawkins set the fastest time in New Zealand by a Kiwi, clocking 9.873 seconds to respond to the challenge of Australian Jacob Schmid, who earlier had become the first person to crack the 10-second barrier at the Avantidome.

"The track is definitely quicker today but, given we are just back from a break after the Commonwealth Games, it was unexpected," Dawkins said. "The crowd were great this morning and Jacob set the mark. It's great to go under that and get my best time in New Zealand."

The time was under his previous best of 9.908s, set at the Oceania Championships in Invercargill last year, although his fastest sea level time of 9.818s was set earlier in the year in Glasgow.

But, despite his speed, Dawkins then fell in the quarter-finals to Williams, who had earlier upset another team sprint world champion in Ethan Mitchell.

Williams showed that effort was no fluke when he repeated the dose against Dawkins, who won the first in the best of three quarter-final rides. Williams answered the call to dominate the second ride and then made a critical jump in the decider and held off the final charge by Dawkins.

"There's a lot of fast riders here this week so it is going to be a tough battle in the match racing," a defeated Dawkins said.

Another promising Kiwi, 18-year-old Regan Gough, impressively won the men's 40km points race. Gough, who won two junior titles at the recent world championships, put a lap on the field early and went on to win with 46 points from Aaron Gate on 32.

Australian Ashlee Ankudinoff continued her winning way to claim the women's 10km scratch race, rolling over fellow Aussie Rebecca Wiasak with leading Kiwi Jaime Nielsen in third.

In other racing, Australian Caitlin Ward was fastest qualifier in the women's sprint in 11.368 ahead of New Zealand champion Stephanie McKenzie (11.498), while Manawatu's Emma Cumming was fastest in junior women in 12.008.
Outstanding Southland prospect Nick Kergozou was fastest in
qualifying in the junior men sprint in 10.631, progressing through to tonight's semifinals with Lewis Eccles (Taupo), Sam Buckner (Christchurch) and Cody Simpson (Manawatu).

Auckland's Bryony Botha won the junior women elimination while talented Palmerston North rider Campbell Stewart took out the junior men.

The event at the Avantidrome is the first to offer qualifying points towards the 2016 Rio Olympics. Tonight's action features the deciding races in the sprint competition, junior women, junior men and elite men scratch races, elite women points race, finishing with the madison.