KEY POINTS:
After a sterling ride in the heats of the 4000m individual pursuit at the world track cycling championships in Manchester this morning, New Zealand champion Hayden Roulston feels he can challenge for gold in Beijing.
Roulston smashed his national record by three seconds when he clocked four minutes 18.334 seconds in the heats, buying him a ride-off for the bronze medal.
The Ashburton rider, who has not ridden the event regularly, was not able to replicate that performance in the bronze medal ride-off two hours later.
He was beaten by Russian champion Alexei Markov who was in command from the start, eventually winning by 2.6 seconds.
"This time last year, I wasn't on the radar for the individual pursuit and to come here and do a reasonably good ride in the second race (after a two-hour break), I've still got a lot to be happy about," Roulston told Radio Sport.
Having been among the first riders on the track and to have set the benchmark with a 4:18 for the competition was something pretty special, Roulston added.
"I knew a long time ago that I had it in me (to do this time) and I got a lot more in me.
"It is just a matter of taking the right steps and with another couple of steps, I'll be right there on top of the dais, I hope."
However, Roulston's performance will not earn him automatic qualification for the Olympics on points although New Zealand will earn an individual spot if the team pursuiters qualify for Beijing.
World champion Bradley Wiggins of Britain beat off the challenge of top qualifier Jenning Huizenga of the Netherlands in the final, clocking 4min 18.519sec.
In the heats, Roulston finished ahead of a host of top cycling names including Australia's Tour de France star Bradley McGee, who was fifth fastest, world junior champion Taylor Phinney of the United States and Antonio Tauler Llull of Spain.
The big New Zealander started conservatively but rode two consecutive 1min 02sec kilos and held on with a final 1min 04sec for the last kilometre in a superb performance.
Timaru's Marc Ryan, currently sixth on the World Cup standings, was 15th fastest in a solid 4:24.775.
Christchurch's Hayden Godfrey was the other New Zealander in action today, finishing a competitive ninth in the 15km scratch race, a shakedown for his main event, the omnium.
Roulston and Ryan back up tomorrow morning for the men's team pursuit where they will team up with Sam Bewley and Westley Gough.
In the women's individual pursuit qualifying also tomorrow morning, New Zealand's Alison Shanks will face Ukraine's Lesya Kalitovska who won the Los Angeles World Cup round in 3min 39.917sec.
Shanks last month went under Sarah Ulmer's national record by 2.5seconds with a time of 3min 36.405sec.
- NZPA
