Van Velthooven leads top lineup for Wheel Race

CLEAR FAVOURITE: Simon Van Velthooven (left) will look to win his fifth Wheel Race, after being successful in 2014 against Jacob Schmid.PHOTOS/FILE

Tactics as well as speed will be vital for the feature race of the 68th River City Wheel Race Carnival at the Whanganui velodrome this evening.

Cycle Sport NZ managing director Ron Cheatley is expecting about 60 competitors for tonight's event, based on 50 pre-entries and usually having a walk-up of around 10 or so riders.

It is a return to being a star-studded event this year as seven sprinters from the national squad in Cambridge will be taking part, led by Olympic bronze medallist Simon Van Velthooven, a four-time winner of the feature Wheel Race, from Palmerston North.

But coming back for some unfinished business is the dual junior world champion Campbell Stewart.

Another Manawatu rider, Stewart was a clear favourite at last year's Wheel Race, being the multiple-time under-15-17 national champion at that stage.

His biggest competition in the 1500m handicap was expected to be fellow Palmerston North rider Jordan Castle, a member of the NZ development squad, given the senior New Zealand cyclists were away in Paris for the World Track Championships. However, by racing each other aggressively at the back of the field, Castle and Campbell could not initially catch up to the other 10 riders, who had agreed to work together and draft off each other to give one of them a chance at getting away.

It worked - Palmerston North teenager Carne Groube won the race, followed by townmate Cody Simpson, while Stewart charged through the entire field on the final lap, but had to settle for third.

"That can happen," said Cheatley about the prospects of another underdog alliance.

"You might find that group from Cambridge tend to ride together. Gang up on the others.

"Campbell Stewart, he'll be hard."

Groube will be back to defend his unlikely crown, but it is expected Van Velthooven and Campbell will be at the front for the final lap.

Others from the Cambridge training camp will be Castle, Ben Stewart, Zac Williams, Jeremy Presbury and Lewis Eccles.

Sprint qualifying is at 3pm with the regular programme beginning at 4pm.

Entry is a gold coin from Wilson St.