Cycling: Eighteen into nine a tough ask for Olympic Games team selection

Hayden Roulston is not a guaranteed selection. Photo / PHOTOSPORT

They've got the resources, yet they've never been hungrier.

That is the riddle surrounding Cycling New Zealand's high-performance men's track programme, as they round the bend into Olympic year.

Up to 18 riders are vying for nine positions at Rio. All are either former world elite champions, junior champions or Olympic medallists. It will arguably be the most difficult team selection across the entire Games programme because New Zealand will be a medal contender in all five disciplines - the team pursuit, omnium, keirin, individual and team sprints.

Results leading to the Rio selection will be ranked after February's world championships and the team selected according to which discipline rates as the best gold medal prospect. At last year's world championship, the team pursuit took gold, the team sprint silver, Eddie Dawkins earned silver in the keirin, Aaron Gate was fifth in the omnium and Sam Webster was sixth in the individual sprint.

The depth is further highlighted by the return of double Olympic medallist Hayden Roulston from the road. Despite his pedigree, the 34-year-old is far from a guaranteed selection.

The way the UCI governing body system is structured means his road credentials could help in swapping him between disciplines to best use the nine spots, but many of the 18 candidates also have strong road racing careers.

Four Olympic medals (one silver and three bronze) have been earned by Kiwi men on the track since Beijing in 2008. That number could double at Rio on the current reckoning. Add further medal prospects in the women's team pursuit, world champion time triallist Linda Villumsen and London silver medal-winning BMXer Sarah Walker.

New Zealand has become a factory for producing riders who star in the velodrome and progress to international road careers.

The country's track programme is coveted in the pedalling world. It has an all-purpose training hub in Cambridge, which includes the Avantidrome, and will receive $17.4 million over the Rio Olympic cycle, second to rowing among New Zealand high-performance sports.

Head track coach Dayle Cheatley says the maxim behind the depth and sustainability is "friendly competitiveness". An open mind is mandatory in a selection framework where athletes, particularly in the keirin, individual sprint, omnium and road, might be expected to double up if the team pursuit and sprint are deemed the likeliest medal pillars.

"All athletes understand priority will be given to the best medal outcomes. We are under no illusions that tough decisions need to be made in piecing together the framework. It's a good problem to have with the quality across those [men's endurance and sprint] squads.

"We will combine international results, training history and how much each rider's skill-set makes the team go faster. We have a fair idea, but sometimes you can surprise yourself or the athlete as to how good they are elsewhere."

The team sprint of Sam Webster, Ethan Mitchell and Eddie Dawkins looks relatively settled but the team pursuit, despite being world champions, presents the most competition. A surfeit of junior talent is rising to challenge the incumbents and past Olympic medallists like Roulston, Bewley and Marc Ryan.

Ryan was injured before February's world championships and Regan Gough, who turned 19 this month, was confirmed in his spot just hours before the event. He reduced the average age of the winning team to 20.

Gough, a cousin of Olympic medallist Westley, says Cambridge has provided the perfect training base to build a campaign for those not on professional overseas contracts.

"I can actually see [the velodrome] from my house. We're lucky to have that facility with the track, gym, physio and medical staff all close. It might have revolutionised sport in New Zealand and hopefully we can help it pay dividends."

The New Zealand track team fly to Cali, Colombia, this week for the next World Cup (October 30-November 1). The following World Cup is in Cambridge (December 5-6) followed by Hong Kong (January 16-17) before February's world championships in London.