Cycling: Bay world champs step up a gear in Colombia

Waipukurau teenager Regan Gough. Photo / Diane Manson

Hawke's Bay world champions Regan Gough and Luke Mudgway have been named in Cycling New Zealand's endurance squad for the UCI World Cup event in Colombia next month.

It will be their first taste of international competition at this level. They won gold in the Madison at the August junior world championships in Korea.

In addition to this gold Gough, the Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools Sportsperson of the Year for the past two years, won gold in the points race, silver in the individual pursuit and bronze in the team pursuit with Mudgway, Southland's Nic Kergozou, another member of the Cali-bound team, and South Canterbury's Jack Ford.

Cycling New Zealand's head coach Dayle Cheatley said the team had sufficient qualifying points to cement their spots in all key events for the World Championships.

"Our points allow us the opportunity to give some of our development riders a taste of international competition as we look longer term to the Rio Olympics and beyond," Cheatley said.

"The High Performance programme has a strategy not only to focus on our current top performances but an investment into our development to ensure we have sustainable programmes to 2016 and 2020. There are some excellent young prospects coming in to the team for Cali which is exciting looking ahead for our sport."

Only Southland's Cameron Karwowski, Aucklander Myron Simpson and Waikato's Racquel Sheath remain from the endurance squad for the last World Cup event in Cali last July.

With Karwowski expected to contest his second World Cup omnium Simpson is likely to link up with Gough, Mudgway and Kergozou. The squad go into camp on January 3 and leave for Cali a week later.

The endurance squad is:

Men: Regan Gough Luke Mudgway (both Hawke's Bay), Nic Kergozou (Southland), Myron Simpson (Auckland), Cameron Karwowski (Southland).

Women: Racquel Sheath (Waikato), Pip Sutton (Waikato), Holly Edmondston (Waimate), Bryony Botha (Auckland), Kirstie James (Waikato).