Cycling: Today Oceania, next week the world

Rising New Zealand cycling star Peter Latham sees the Oceania championships as a stepping stone to bigger things.

The championships begin in Wanganui today with three days of track events, followed by road events at the weekend. Riders from Australia, New Caledonia, Guam and Tahiti are among the 220 entries.

Latham, who won the under-23 time-trial bronze medal at the world championships in Spain in September, heads to a World Cup meet in Manchester with the national team after the Oceania championships. The aim is to qualify for the world championships in France in April.

"We are using the Oceanias as a stepping stone to the World Cup in Manchester the weekend afterwards," said Latham. "We are really just looking to find our feet, as a lot of us haven't been on our track bikes since the world champs."

The New Zealand team for the World Cup includes Marc Ryan, Tim Gudsell, Hayden Godfrey, Latham, Jason Allen and Anthony Chapman - the core of the team who attended this year's world championships.

Paddy Walker, Catherine Sell and Liz Williams will race in the women's events in Manchester.

"We're looking to qualify for all events at the world champs in April in Bordeaux and if we can keep up the same results as we got at the beginning of this year, then we've got pretty high expectations," Latham said.

"I'm really excited with the team pursuit - not only did we get fourth at the world champs [in Los Angeles] this year, we were only three seconds off the winning time ... It means we're right there in terms of getting the gold.

"I guess in terms of the Commonwealth Games [in Melbourne in March], England and Australia were first and third at the world championships. They are two of the best teams in the world, so we have got our work cut out for us.

"But that's our goal ... to win the team pursuit."

Latham, 21, of Te Awamutu, said he would have to decide which discipline to specialise in - road or track.

"At the moment I can do both. I don't know if I'm going to be riding the road at the Commonwealth Games but I'd certainly stick my hand up if they would like me to."

Latham, who will race in the team and individual pursuit as well as the scratch and points race in Wanganui, said he had not ridden the individual pursuit for 2 1/2 years. "It'll be nice to do well, so I'll be going as hard as I can."

The Oceania championships will also feature Australian Ryan Bayley, who won gold in the sprint and keirin at last year's Athens Olympics, as well as New Caledonian sprint star Herve Gane.

- NZPA