Cycling: NZ riders begin last shot at Olympic qualification

1.00pm

The pressure to qualify for the Athens Olympics is being wound up a cog for New Zealand's cycling team.

The squad are in Sydney for the fourth and final round of the world cup circuit which also acts as the last opportunity to qualify for the world championships in Melbourne this month and ultimately to qualify for the Olympic Games.

For Christchurch rider Hayden Godfrey the high stakes are beginning to pinch as racing starts today at the Dunc Gray velodrome.

"The pressure is really on for some now. This is it," Godfrey told The Press newspaper from Sydney yesterday.

"There are a lot of people still trying to qualify so getting this world cup and world champs over and done will be kind of a relief.

"Then a (NZ) team will be named and then we can concentrate on the Olympics."

Godfrey will ride in the team pursuit where New Zealand is strongly placed for direct entry to Athens.

They are ranked No 1 in the world cup standings and a finish in the first five in Sydney would ensure the New Zealander's a flight to the Games.

But it is the fourth different line-up for the team pursuit after a fourth and fifth place in Manchester and Moscow and the silver medal in Mexico. Godfrey said he had no concerns about the frequent changes of the pursuit team with a 10-day camp in Adelaide helping the side gel before the Sydney world cup.

Godfrey is also expecting this meet to be the toughest of the four world cup rounds.

"A lot are still trying to qualify which is why there are 43 countries here. It guarantees a pretty hard world cup."

Other New Zealand riders seeking Olympic qualification include Sarah Ulmer.

Automatic entry to Athens can be obtained by Ulmer in her favoured individual pursuit if she can maintain the top-two ranking she holds in the world cup points listing.

She competes in the pursuit tomorrow but will also contest the points race tonight and the scratch race on Sunday. Hayden Roulston and Dunedin's Greg Henderson will race the madison, the event where they won silver at the world championships last year, but do not expect to be in top form until this year's championship event in Melbourne from May 26.

The world cup madison final is on Sunday.

New Zealand team: Hayden Godfrey, Marc Ryan, Peter Latham, Matt Randall, Greg Henderson, Hayden Roulston, Anthony Peden, Jono Hamlin, Daniel Beatson, Sarah Ulmer.

- NZPA