Cycling: Medal opportunity for Shanks

Alison Shanks. Photo / Wayne Drought.

This used to be the sort of day that got Alison Shanks' competitive juices flowing. Now it's more like an interesting diversion.

Shanks races in the individual pursuit today. There's an opportunity for a world championship medal, even if a questionable decision from cycling's governing body has robbed it of some of its lustre.

With her individual pursuit career primed for take-off after a good performance at the Beijing Olympics, the UCI dumped it from the Olympic programme, belieiving other events had more spectator - read television - appeal (those that have had to sit through all six of the omnium disciplines are liable to be bemused by the rationale).

Instead Shanks has had to satisfy herself with Commonwealth Games gold in Delhi two years ago and has since thrown herself into anchoring the team pursuit.

They finished a slightly disappointing fourth last week behind Canada, Australia and the record-smashing Brits.

Shanks has mentally flicked the switch back to IP again, even if only for a day.
"It's very much been a secondary focus being Olympic year," she said of her favourite event.

Shanks had to wait until late last night to find out where her major competition was coming from. Several of her former sparring partners, like Canadian Tara Whitten and defending champion Sarah Hammer, have entered the omnium and much will depend on how they backed up from that gruelling event.

"It'll be interesting to see the depth of the field," Shanks said.

The Dunedinite was philosophical about the fourth place she, Lauren Ellis and Jaime Nielsen earned in the team pursuit. While it appears likely that the Australians and Brits will leave only bronze to fight for in London, Shanks is holding out hope that her team can shave important seconds off the 3.19.847s they set here.

Great Britain won in a staggering world record of 3m 15.720s.

"We've definitely got a bit to do to get into that gold position," she said. "We're not very far off bronze and to be honest we had maybe a perfect ride for three-quarters [in the bronze medal ride] and then we fell off it. I think we can still take a bit of confidence that we didn't have the perfect ride and yet we are still going faster."

Shanks said the team needed to get stronger and all three needed to deliver even laps. To that end they will shortly go into camp in the US, before decamping to Bordeaux, France.

"The training intensity in the next four months is going to be huge. You live and breathe it."