Cycling: Scoring error may have cost NZ gold

New Zealand cycling officials are poring over a tape of the points race after suggestions that a scoring error may have denied Hayden Roulston a gold medal.

BikeNZ endurance coach Terry Gyde yesterday received a video of Friday's race after English television commentator and cycling expert Phil Ligett raised fears that Australian winner Sean Finning was wrongly awarded a 20-point bonus that should have gone to teammate Peter Dawson.

Finning won the gold with a score of 137 but if the error is confirmed he would have actually tallied 117 - two less than silver medallist Roulston.

BikeNZ media officer Ted Jones was not sure what avenues were open to appeal if there was evidence of a discrepancy. "We're checking to see if there was a mistake but at this stage we're not too excited about it."

New Zealand cycling official Graham Sycamore was the chief judge overseeing the track programme.

Jones said Sycamore had not been alerted to the possibility of an error.

Gyde is expected to finish reviewing the tape today.

If the result is switched Finning would still take the silver ahead of Welshman Geraint Thomas, who scored 110. Dawson would improve to 90 but still finish sixth.

Meanwhile, in another potential blow for New Zealand's gold medal hopes in Sunday's men's and women's road races, Roulston has been struck down by a viral infection and has not trained since finishing the points race.

- NZPA