Cycling: Strong team named for world track champ

Alison Shanks. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Intense competition for places has resulted in one of New Zealand's strongest teams ever to the world track cycling championships in the Netherlands next week.

Four cyclists missed out, after the team was named today following the squad's final camp in Invercargill.

Beijing Olympian Wes Gough in the men's squad, 2010 national road champion Rushlee Buchanan, Levin's Gemma Dudley and Auckland's Myron Simpson - all members of last year's world championship team - were dropped.

Head coach Tim Carswell said th strength of the team was built around the pursuit combinations, with the women led by Commonwealth Games gold medalist Alison Shanks, along with the World Cup winning pursuit teammates Jaime Nielsen (Hamilton) and Lauren Ellis (Hinds), and Kaytee Boyd (Waiuku).

The men's group is headed by Radioshack Pro Tour riders Sam Bewley (Rotorua) and world silver medalist Jesse Sergent (Feilding), who returned from their duties in Europe to trial for the team.

Also in the pursuit group are fellow 2010 world championship teammates Marc Ryan (Timaru) and Peter Latham (Te Awamutu).

The newcomer is 20-year-old Aucklander Aaron Gate, a late replacement for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, who performed strongly at the Manchester World Cup and has been outstanding in the camp.

Carswell said the 16-strong team was a mix of proven performers and exciting youth, and it had been real challenge for selectors to make the final cut.

"It's been the toughest selection job that we have ever had to make," Carswell said.

"The good news is that there is such quality and depth in our squad now, and that has resulted in massive competition for places which can only been good for our overall programme."

Carswell said the Manchester World Cup trio of Gate, Latham and Ryan had kicked on strongly, while Bewley and Sergent had shown "huge commitment" to fly home from Europe and trial for the team.

"It's the same situation for the women, where Alison, Lauren and Jaime have continued their progress since Manchester and Kaytee, who had a very strong Beijing World Cup, has really impressed over the last two months in particular," Carswell said.

Timaru 22-year-old Shane Archbold will compete in the new Olympic event of the omnium, a six-discipline event where he was second overall in the World Cup rankings.

Invercargill's Tom Scully, 21, marks his return to top level competition following injury to compete in the endurance track events.

Experienced Christchurch professional Jo Kiesanowski, already an Olympian on the road, continues in her quest to make it to the track for London and will compete in the women's omnium.

The team includes the exciting young sprint quartet of Eddie Dawkins (Invercargill), Sam Webster (Auckland), Ethan Mitchell (Auckland ) and Simon van Velthooven (Palmerston North) - the oldest at just 22 years - who are hoping to improve on their fifth placings in the kilo and team sprint in last year's worlds.

Carswell said the world championships, which begin in Apeldoorn next Wednesday, were extremely important with the London Olympics only 16 months away and with crucial Olympic qualifications points on the line.

"We want to see an improvement in our world rankings across the board as we build towards London, and it would be good to match our record haul of four medals from last year."

The team is: Shane Archbold (Timaru), Sam Bewley (Rotorua), Aaron Gate (Auckland), Peter Latham (Te Awamutu), Marc Ryan (Timaru), Jesse Sergent (Feilding), Tom Scully (Invercargill), Edward Dawkins (Invercargill), Ethan Mitchell (Auckland), Simon van Velthooven (Palmerston North), Sam Webster (Auckland), Kaytee Boyd (Waiuku), Lauren Ellis (Hinds), Joanne Kiesanowski (Christchurch), Jaime Nielsen (Hamilton), Alison Shanks (Dunedin).

- NZPA