KEY POINTS:
The battle to be the best time trial cyclist in the country is shaping up to be a four-way battle in the absence of defending champion Marc Ryan.
Gordon McCauley, the 2006 Commonwealth Games time trial bronze medallist, wants to represent New Zealand in this event in the Beijing Olympics next year and has, in the past few months, been focusing his energies on the 40km national time trial championship in Upper Hutt today.
But McCauley will have to fight off challenges from fellow international Hayden Godfrey, up-and-coming rider Logan Hutchings, who moves up into the elite class from the under-23s, and an "unknown", Queensland-based Glen Chadwick, who this year rides under a New Zealand licence after years as an Australian.
"I'd say the two strongest guys will be Logan Hutchings and Glen Chadwick," McCauley, from Counties-Manukau, said yesterday.
"I was a teammate of Glen's in the Giant Asia team a few years ago and he's pretty good, very good in fact.
"But it's no secret that I want to ride the time trial in Beijing - so the time trial has more importance than the road race on Saturday for me, put it that way.".
Otago's Hutchings was seventh in the time trial at the world under-23 championships in Salzburg, Austria, last year.
Christchurch track specialist Godfrey, however, said he was tired of coming up short in the event - in the past three years, he has finished second twice and third once.
"I'm preparing specifically for the track world championships in Majorca at the end of March so it suits quite well to all the road racing," he said..
"I'm looking forward to the time trial because that's what my training has been focused on."
He feels McCauley is the pre-race favourite, saying the cyclist has been training specifically for it.
Only 15 will start in the elite men's time trial, 20 in the men's under-23s (40km) and 16 in the women's event over 25km.
Otago's Alison Shanks should retain the title she won in October in Palmerston.
However, Timaru's Josie Giddons and Yvette Hill-Willis, of Counties-Manukau, who finished second and third behind Shanks, will be hard put to repeat their performance.
Many European-based internationals who opted out of the October race have entered and Shanks will be pushed by riders such as Toni Bradshaw (Counties-Manukau), Dale Tye (Nelson), Rushlee Buchanan and Brie Gudsell (Wanganui).
The road race for the three classes will be staged on Saturday.
* Hayden Roulston has returned home to nurse injuries suffered in a high-speed training crash but it's unclear whether he will be fit to compete in two big events.
Roulston suffered severe abrasions and lacerations to his right hand and right side of his body after falling at high speed during a training run in Christchurch.
He had been set to defend his national road championship title in Upper Hutt then lead a New Zealand team at the Tour Down Under in South Australia next week.
- NZPA
