Cycling: World leader joins women's road race

By Suzanne McFadden

The undisputed world No 1 women's road cyclist, Lithuanian Diana Ziliute, will line up in New Zealand's first World Cup race.

Ziliute, who won every women's road title going last year, will head the Lithuanian national team in the 102km World Cup race in Hamilton in March.

Ziliute came to New Zealand early last year, riding in Stephen Cox's women's cycle Classic around the Waikato.

It was the start of an unbeatable season - winning the world championship title, the World Cup title and earning the No 1 world ranking for 1998.

Another former world champion, Swiss rider Barbara Heeb, is already in Christchurch, training with her European professional team for the start of the world circuit in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cox is predicting 70 international riders will turn out for both the four-day Street-Skills tour, starting on March 9, followed by the World Cup race, on March 14.

The New Zealand race is the second of eight events on the World Cup calendar this year. The first one is in Canberra a week before.

Fourteen overseas teams have taken up invitations for the doubleheader events in Hamilton.

Cox said a handful of other world and Olympic champions were expected to sign up in the next week.

New Zealand's No 1 road rider, Susy Pryde, has been given an exemption from her American professional team to return for the races.

Australian Anna Wilson, who won gold in the Commonweath Games time trial, is also a certain starter.