Cycling: Henderson takes centre stage in Spain

The ability of Kiwi cyclists Greg Henderson, Heath Blackgrove and Julian Dean to 'find' the wheels of their opponents could be the key to their success at the world road champs in Madrid this week.

After the withdrawal of Sarah Ulmer with a viral complaint, interest will centre on track star Greg Henderson's performance in the road race.

With just a three-man team, though, BikeNZ high performance manager Mike Flynn said it was vital the team got themselves in position to use the wheels of the other nations to draught them.

"It's clear that those three will have to utilise one or two other country's wheels to give themselves a chance of a result. Physically they might be in the form of their lives but they'll need help."

Henderson raced in Australia yesterday in the Grafton to Inverell Classic. His form on the road for US team Maxxis has been excellent.

"He has been quite sensational. For him to maintain the consistency of his form from the track to the road has been a really, really positive sign," Flynn said.

"He's really looking forward to competing at the road championships and it'll be difficult because we'll only have three starters compared to all the major countries, who'll have nine riders. He's going to have to have the ability to have another country's wheel, and he does that extremely well."

Henderson is managing the difficult balancing act of competitive cycling on the boards and on the road. He told track cycling website www.fixedgearfever.com that 95 per cent of his training was done on the road and he didn't get on to the track until one month out from competition.

"Road complements track but not the other way around," Henderson wrote.

It is this factor that Flynn said has made Henderson's transition slightly easier than Ulmer's.

"Greg's specialty on the track is the mass-start events, whereas Sarah [Ulmer] is the timed event so Greg's transition is probably a little easier... he can come in off the road reasonably quickly a la the [Stuart] O'Gradys and the [Bradley] McGees."

Julian Dean's form has been harder to assess. He pulled out of the tough Vuelta a Espana last week after showing some form on the flat stages.

"He was around the mark," Flynn said. "I think he's coming back into form."

Dean, who rode brilliantly for a top-20 finish on the road at the Athens Olympics, is recovering from a smashed elbow and said on his website that he had struggled a bit in the Spanish tour.

"A case of almost being there but not quite. The physical capacity I need just isn't quite there yet at this level."

That makes tactical decisions tougher. Normally it would have been a given that Henderson and Blackgrove's job would have been to put Dean in a position to challenge late in the race.

"That is a question that needs to be discussed between those three," Flynn said. "We may have a plan but depending on the course and what teams they might feel have the ability to get them over the line, will determine the tactics on the day."

New Zealand team Men's road race - Heath Blackgrove, Julian Dean, Greg Henderson. Women's road race - Tammy Boyd, Toni Bradshaw, Johanna Buick, Michelle Hyland, Joanne Kiesanowski, Melissa Holt. Women's time trial - Melissa Holt.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY