Cycling: NZ sees opportunities in coming changes

Triple junior world champion Sam Webster showed there is plenty of potential in New Zealand track cycling, even though a move is afoot to ditch some Olympic events regarded as our strongest.

Webster debuted in the elite ranks on Friday at the Oceania championships in Invercargill, taking a silver medal behind Australian Olympian Daniel Ellis in the sprint after winning the first in the best of three races. Ellis is ranked in the top 10 sprinters in the world.

Webster's plan to beyond the Olympics coincides with a possible change to the London 2012 track cycling programme which would see BikeNZ shift some of its focus from endurance to sprint events.

International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid has proposed several changes at London. The men's and women's individual pursuits, men's points race and madison would go in favour of a women's team pursuit, women's keirin, women's team sprint and an omnium for both genders.

The IOC is expected to pass the changes next month. While the UCI moves look like they might strike at the heart of New Zealand track cycling - Sarah Ulmer's gold medal in Athens came in the individual pursuit - BikeNZ is treating the situation as an opportunity rather than a challenge.

They are hoping to establish New Zealand's first professional track cycling team specialising in sprint events under the guidance of junior world championship coach Justin Grace and Andy Williams.

Webster and Ethan Mitchell will be central to that team. Funds are being sought so the team can compete on the World Cup circuit and other international events.

The biggest effect of the change on the New Zealand team, however, will be the scrapping of the individual pursuit. New Zealand have developed a world-class endurance programme and the men's 4000m individual pursuit was seen as one event New Zealand could medal in at London.

Hayden Roulston picked up silver in Beijing and Jesse Sergent has emerged as one of the world's best, while Alison Shanks won this year's women's individual pursuit world title.

The proposal has drawn criticism because it would skew the track programme in favour of sprint events. Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins, double Olympic champion in the individual pursuit, recently said that it would be the "death knell" of endurance cycling.

BikeNZ high performance manager Mark Elliott agrees it's a shame but is not particularly worried. He believes the changes might enhance medal prospects.

"We are a small group, so we can adapt, and we are already a year ahead of some countries when it comes to a women's team pursuit."

That seemed to be the case in the team pursuit events last night. The Beijing Olympics' bronze medal winning men's team pursuit combination set the track alight with an eye-catching performance. The quartet of Wes Gough, Sam Bewley, Marc Ryan and Jesse Sergent smashed the New Zealand record on the way to winning the men's 4000m team pursuit at the ILT Velodrome. It was the third quickest time that any New Zealand team pursuit has recorded, with only their two rides at the Beijing Olympics faster.

They clocked three minutes 58.689s - more than a second faster than they achieved on the same track at the nationals prior to the world championships earlier this year.

A rejigged New Zealand women's quartet - missing world individual pursuit champion Alison Shanks - also set a new national record in winning the final of the 3000m team pursuit. The trio of Kaytee Boyd, Lauren Ellis and newcomer Rushlee Buchanan clocked 3m 26.658s.