Cycling: World champion out of Classic

HAMILTON - The prospects of Aucklander Susy Pryde winning the four-day Waikato Women's Cycle Classic rose last night following the withdrawal of world champion Lithuanian Diana Ziliute.

Ziliute will be missing from the start-line this morning because she is still recovering from a bout of pneumonia which forced her out of the Tour de Snowy in Australia last week and the World Cup race in Canberra on Sunday.

However, such is the depth of the 120-strong field that two former world champions remain in Italian Alessandro Capellotto and Barbara Heeb, from Switzerland.

All three world champions were in the Classic last year which was won by American Mari Holden, who is again in the field.

Also making Pryde's job hard will be the Australian pair of Tracey Gaundry and Anna Wilson, who won the Tour de Snowy and the World Cup race, respectively.

Pryde finished fourth in both the Tour and the World Cup race and will be well suited by the rugged Waikato terrain during the 410km, six-stage Tour.

Pryde went close to a fairtytale win last year but she lost ground in the final time trial and slipped back to fifth.

Also in her favour is the decision to drop the time trial from this year's Classic, though race organiser Stephen Cox denied it was a move to increase the chances of a New Zealand win.

Pryde will need plenty of support from her team-mates if she is to win. The Commonwealth Games silver medallist's team-mates are fellow Kiwis Vanessa Cheatley and Kirsty Robb and Americans Dede Demet and Kendra Wenzel.

The tour starts with a deceptively hard 10.8km stage this morning, followed by an 85km stage in the afternoon.

Stage three has several tough climbs in its 111.5km journey and on Thursday riders have a 103km ride to Tokoroa.

The Classic concludes with two stages back into Hamilton on Friday. - NZPA