Cycling: Shanks off pace for time trials

Alison Shanks is using the 500m time trial and road time trial as preparation for the individual pursuit. Photo / Brett Phibbs

There was no medal for Alison Shanks on the opening day of the track cycling, but the Dunedin rider will consider it a useful exercise.

Shanks rode the 500m time trial at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex and finished a creditable sixth.

As was probably expected of a rider who is used to pedalling longer distances, Shanks' time at the end of the first of two laps was not the quickest, posting 21.219s. By the finish however she had passed England's Anna Blyth with her 36.565s.

Her lead lasted about a minute, as the next rider, Scotland's Jenny Davis, went under her time by .149s. With the big guns still warming up in the infield, it was obvious Shanks was not going to be standing on the dais.

The race was an Australian one-two, with defending champion Anna Meares (33.758s, a Games record) beating Kaarle McCulloch. Wales' Becky James won bronze.

Shanks was using the 500m time trial to get some racing on the track ahead of her specialist event, the individual pursuit, on Friday. She will also race the road time trial in the second week of the Games.

It was the first time the 2009 world pursuit champion had ridden this event at a major meet.

The 27-year-old turned to cycling five years ago after a promising career in both netball and basketball for Otago.

Just a year into her cycling career, she finished a whisker away from bronze at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, a result she repeated at the Beijing Olympics.

In the qualifying rounds of the individual pursuit, an event that finished late last night, Peter Latham finished fifth. He missed out on a race for the medal rounds but there was better news for New Zealand's other riders.

Sam Bewley was set to race Australia's Michael Hepburn for bronze after qualifying fourth.

Feilding's Jesse Sergent guaranteed himself at least silver after qualifying second. He was pitted against impressive Australian Jack Bobridge who smashed the Commonwealth record in qualifying, completing the 4000m in 4m 14.845s.

That broke Bradley McGee's 4m 16.358 set at Manchester eight years ago.

Sergent's 4m 16.751 was outside his personal best 4m 15.988 set in Copenhagen this year.