Cycling: Henderson's bid ends in disappointment

7.45am - By CHRIS BARCLAY

ATHENS - Greg Henderson and Hayden Roulston expressed frustration after finishing seventh in their event.

The New Zealanders managed to take an all important lap on the field to stay in touch with the leaders but only scored points on one of the 10 sprints.

When they made a late bid to be the first team to take two laps -- and therefore win the gold -- they were comfortably contained.

"I felt we were among the strongest out there and we took a lap quite easily but after finishing second at the world's last year they don't give us 50m any more, it's just one of those things," Roulston said of the closer attention the duo are now paid.

"We tried to get another lap but maybe it was a little bit too late. It was in sight of the finish and everyone was going a little harder.

"We're a little bit disappointed, but that's racing. It didn't swing our way."

Gold medal-winning Australians Stuart O'Grady and Graeme rode a masterful race, collecting points in seven sprints -- 22 in all -- plus taking an early lap to put the pressure on.

Swiss duo Franco Marvulli and Bruno Risi were second on 15 points while Great Britain's Rob Hayles and Bradley Wiggins took a hard-fought bronze with 12 points -- a fine achievement considering Hayles crashed early on and later had to change his bike.

Meanwhile, Brendon Cameron again proved he knows Olympic track cycling champion Sarah Ulmer's capabilities inside out by predicting she would struggle in the women's points race here today.

After Saturday's gold medal, world record ride in the individual pursuit Cameron, her boyfriend and coach, cautioned a repeat performance was not on the cards at the Olympic Velodrome in the 100-lap tactical joust -- the penultimate event on the track programme.

Because her training regime was specifically focused on the 3000m pursuit Cameron said she would lack the stamina to pace herself for and recover from the 10 points-gaining sprints.

However, Cameron may have underestimated the effect the 25km race would have on the 28-year-old, who was in distress after finishing in sixth place.

Never looking comfortable throughout the journey, an exhausted Ulmer threw up in a bin in the New Zealand pen after dismounting and needed 10 minutes to regain her composure before the trademark chirpyness returned.

"I think it could well be my last points race," Ulmer admitted.

"It was positively awful. It's not a cop out but I don't train for them and if I can't train for them properly I probably shouldn't race them."

"I've trained to go 3-1/2 minutes in one gear. This is stop-start."

Ulmer was inactive early in the race as the 20-strong field were content to play cat and mouse.

Every potential break to take a lap and a 10-point bonus was run down including one initiated by Ulmer with 38 laps remaining.

The New Zealander took off with support from Briton Emma Davies but they could not reel in a watchful bunch, although Ulmer did bank five points for winning the seventh sprint.

"I just didn't have the ability to keep it up," she said.

After sitting back to regroup for the eighth, Ulmer -- then placed seventh -- made a final lunge for the podium when she took off in a bid to take the penultimate sprint.

Ulmer made a break, but when Olga Slyusareva flashed by her in the shadow of the line, an unlikely gold was taken out of the equation as the Russian wrapped up the race by recording 19 impregnable points.

She also scored a point on the last sprint to win by six.

Ulmer needed to win the last sprint and hope higher placed rivals faltered, but she finished near the end of the field to finish with eight points. Italian Vera Carrara also scored eight but took fifth by finishing first on the final sprint.

Slyusareva, who won bronze in the road race, was twice demolished by Ulmer in the pursuit, but proved today the points race was her forte.

Happy to keep a watching brief until the halfway mark, Slyusareva could only be denied by falling off -- a fate suffered by Colombian Maria Luisa Calle Williams on the last lap.

Calle Williams was in the silver medal position but dropped to bronze when she crashed, gifting Mexican Belem Guerreri Mendez second with 14 points, two more than the unlucky South American.

Ulmer had no qualms about missing out.

"The right people won. It was good to have three points race riders win it -- often in chicks' (women's) points races there's a random flyer and they'll take a lap and win."

In contrast to Ulmer's laid back attitude, the madison duo of

- NZPA