Cycling: Need for indoor tracks highlighted

New Zealand track cycling has an urgent need for international-standard indoor velodromes if the national championships which finished at Mosgiel on Saturday night are any indication.

While the six-day programme of racing was completed, two days were severely affected by the weather - and if it rains you do not race around a 42-degree banked concrete track.

Another day's competition was held in midwinter-like conditions, hardly the ideal situation for setting fast times to compare against international standards and press for national selection.

Invercargill is on the way to building an indoor velodrome, but there have been delays over the selection of the wooden track surfacing and how much work local tradesmen will do before the German company which specialises in the work takes over.

It was originally scheduled to be operating next summer but that seems doubtful.

The sport also needs an indoor velodrome in the upper North Island, where the sport is strongest. New Zealand cannot host any international events because of the lack of a suitable 250m to the lap indoor track.

Thirteen months ago the Oceania Championships were held at Wanganui, but events had to be postponed or cancelled because of the high winds which made racing at speeds over 45km/h too dangerous.

The visiting Australians found it hard to control their ridicule over the situation. Plans to put a roof over Wanganui have been discussed but have never come to fruition.

The Manukau Velodrome built for the 1990 Commonwealth Games is the wrong size. It is now very bumpy and does not have a roof.

Any city considering an application to host the Commonwealth Games will need an indoor velodrome for track cycling, in which New Zealand has a good record, to be part of a future Games.

With the team for this year's World Championships already selected and away training at high altitude in Mexico, the Mosgiel event was mainly a look to the future.

A strong squad - including a team pursuit - seems certain to be selected for the Junior World Championships to be held in Austria in July.

While Canterbury's Adam Stewart is likely to be the only male sprinter selected, a large number of candidates put up their hands for the endurance squad with the leading contenders being Darren Shea (Canterbury), Logan Hunn (Auckland) and Sam Bewley (Waikato).

Among the women, Bridget Broad should be selected along with fellow Aucklander Malindi McLean who pushed her hard in the sprint events, while Waikato's Rushlee Buchanan should get the nod for the longer distance races.