Wanganui teenager Cassie Cameron has proved herself a talented all-round cyclist on the road and the track ... and now she may have found her speciality.
The 17-year-old Wanganui High School student is heading to Moscow for next month's junior world championships as part of the New Zealand pursuit team.
Cameron has made her mark in the six-event omnium and over a variety of distances but, while still keen on the omnium, she may well be focussing on team pursuit from now on.
Certainly a medal in Moscow would be a great incentive to stay on that track ... and it is a distinct possibility.
At last year's junior worlds in Italy, New Zealand came second to Australia. One of that team, North Shore's Georgia Williams, is in this year's three-girl line-up.
Cameron, Williams and the third spoke in the wheel, Aucklander Georgina Wilson, were in training at the Wanganui velodrome this week under the watchful eye of Cameron's coach, Olympic medallist Gary Anderson.
They were chosen for Moscow after finishing 1-2-3 (Williams, Wilson, Cameron) in the national track championships over 3km in March, and Williams believes the team has top three potential.
"The Australians are likely to be the biggest threat again as they have such a very good junior programme," said Cameron.
When her team-mates head back home tomorrow, Cameron will get down to the "solo grind".
"I'll be training every day ... I practically live at the velodrome in the summer," she said. "Then the New Zealand team heads off to Switzerland at the end of the month for some pretty intense preparation before Moscow."
She has done her base endurance work, taking part in the Tour of Taranaki in June.
"That was a bit of a struggle - we did about 120km one day and the weather was diabolical."
She regards the team pursuit as an endurance test but the training is now shorter, high intensity work to build up her power. While she has ridden with the NZ development squad in Canberra and Adelaide, it is a first trip to Europe for Cameron.
Her goal is a shot at the Olympics, and Brazil in 2016 is the date at the back of her mind.
Anderson's input will be important if she is to achieve that dream.
"I'd noticed Cassie's potential for a while around the Wanganui scene and I think she was looking for a change," said Anderson, who took bronze at the Barcelona Games in 1992 and has eight Commonwealth Games medals to his name. They teamed up 18 months ago. Cameron has made significant progress.
"If she keep progressing, she will go beyond my level of coaching and, hopefully, move up to the next tier."
Cameron had to raise $8500 to make the trip to Russia and she is grateful for the support she has received from Ron Cheatley and his team at Cyclesport Wanganui, the Wheels Trust, the Arthur Wheeler Leedstown Trust, Wanganui Rotary, the Lions, Trigger Point Massage and various cycling clubs.
"I've also had amazing help from the Cate family and, of course, my mum and dad," she said.
The junior track world championships will run from August 11-21.
Pursuing medal in Moscow
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