Cycling: Pain pursues Shanks

Alison Shanks on her way to world championship silver yesterday. Photo / Gerry McManus, BIKENZ

Alison Shanks still hasn't totally come to the terms with the fact she won't be able to ride for a gold medal in the individual pursuit at next year's London Olympics.

Yesterday she came within 0.029s of recapturing the world individual pursuit title she won in 2009, when she was pipped by American Sarah Hammer in the gold medal ride-off in the Netherlands.

Shanks has long been considered one of the best individual pursuit riders in the world but both the men's and women's events were taken off the Olympic programme for London, robbing New Zealand of two of their better chances of medalling next year.

Shanks will continue to ride the individual pursuit but her focus for the next 16 months will be the teams' event.

"Yes and no," Shanks said when asked if she had overcome the disappointment of not being able to ride her specialist event. "It comes and goes in waves. It was always going to hurt. I went to Beijing and came away with that horrible fourth. It was my first Olympics and to not have the chance to go back [and compete in the event] is going to hurt.

"But we have a fantastic squad around us now and I have the opportunity in the teams' pursuit. Come London, we will be a force to be reckoned with."

The New Zealand team of Shanks, Jaime Nielsen and Kaytee Boyd claimed bronze on Friday morning (NZT) but were disappointed not to get the opportunity to ride for the gold medal after a frustrating ride in qualifying.

They went more than a second faster than the US who claimed silver in the medal rides. They have missed out before at pivotal events and at London there will be no second chances.

"It's something we need to work on," Shanks said. "It's race-day experience and being able to execute a plan.

"We just went out there [on Friday in qualifying] and went too hard. It's learning to be able to control that. We have done that at World Cup events, so we are definitely learning from all of this."

Nielsen finished fourth and Lauren Ellis eighth in the individual pursuit, proving there is good depth in the women's endurance programme.

Shanks was philosophical about missing out on a second individual pursuit world title. The Dunedin rider led world record holder Hammer for all but the final lap of their 3000m final before the American unleashed a blinding finish.

"When you get as close as that, it's pretty gutting," she said. "So the first reaction is pure disappointment, but I think also I have to be very happy with the ride I executed. Sarah was the better rider today. She went faster.

"I put everything out there on the track today, so I can't be too disappointed."

Shane Archbold was fourth after the first day of the men's omnium, a six-discipline event, while Tom Scully didn't finish the men's 40km points race.