KEY POINTS:
Wanganui cyclist Catherine Cheatley has grabbed the yellow jersey in the Joe Martin stage race in the US state of Arkansas.
Cheatley, racing for her professional American Cheerwine team, was second in yesterday's opening 4km time trial stage by one second. She was also second in the second stage, a 98km road race in Fayetteville, ahead of the time trial winner, Mackenzie Woodring, who finished sixth to concede the yellow jersey to Cheatley.
The New Zealander clocked 10m 29s in the time trial and was given the same time of 2hrs 52m 47s as teammate Laura van Gilder who won yesterday's stage.
There are another three stages - a 103km road race and a 4km time trial today. The final stage is an hour-long criterium tomorrow.
Cheatley has been in a run of good form. In early April, she was second in a round of the US criterium series in Athens, Georgia, and was fourth in the Sea Otter Classic criterium in Monterey, California.
Third in the points race at last year's track world championships in Spain, Cheatley is battling for one of three women's road racing berths in the New Zealand team to the Beijing Olympics.
"She's hopeful of getting one of those road spots which will give her a points race ride in Beijing," her father-in-law and former national coach Ron Cheatley said. "Everything she is doing is geared towards that but she has to prove she's back in form after the setback she had."
Ron Cheatley was referring to her disappointing 21st placing in the points race followed by a 10th in the scratch race at the recent world track championships in Manchester, England.
Late last year, Cheatley underwent an operation to enlarge a vein in her left thigh and was clearly underdone in Manchester.
"Her road racing programme is filled to the end of July but she's hopeful that she will be there when they name the road team at end of the month or in early June. Then she can change her programme a bit to do some track work in preparation for a shot at the points race."
At the moment, Cheatley and Christchurch's Joanne Kiesanowski, who rides for the Cervelo Lifeforce professional team, appear to be the leading candidates for two of the road berths in Beijing.
- NZPA
