With the gong sounding for the six-month countdown to the Paris Olympics, New Zealand’s track cyclists pedal on to the boards in Adelaide for the opening UCI Nations Cup competition.
The three Nations Cup contests – in Adelaide, Hong Kong and Milton (Canada) - form the final qualifying for the world championships and to Paris, with 45 nations and 10 trade teams entered in Australia starting on Friday.
While no-one is expecting sizzling times, a strong showing is a key to secure rankings for both the world championships, but more importantly for Paris.
“Our riders have worked extremely hard over the summer, with many of the endurance riders mixing endurance work in road competition with an eye on laying a foundation for later in the year,” said Cycling New Zealand High Performance Director, Ryan Hollows.
“We are sitting in reasonably good shape on Olympic rankings for endurance competitions and women’s individual sprint but we have some work to do in other areas.
“We have decided to focus on the World Cups in Adelaide and Hong Kong to hopefully secure all our spots for Paris.”
Hollows said most nations are in a similar position and Adelaide will present the opportunity to see how the team stacks up against key rivals.
The women’s endurance squad has a settled look with the same five riders that won three medals at the world championships last year, that included a silver medal in the flagship team pursuit.
The men’s endurance squad is anchored by talisman Aaron Gate and fellow world championship medallists Campbell Stewart and Tom Sexton, with Nelson’s Keegan Hornblow and Waikato’s Dan Bridgwater given their opportunities.
World champion Ellesse Andrews heads the women’s sprint group, and while her place for individual races in Paris is a given, the team sprint is looking for more strong showings to advance their standings.
Auckland’s Sam Dakin is the sole male sprinter, and like the women, will be chasing a competitive showing in keirin and sprint to advance his cause.
The racing for team pursuit and team sprint is on Friday along with the elimination races, while individual events of sprint, keirin, omnium, and the two-rider madison will be on the weekend.
“The team has arrived in Adelaide and all their gear is now in place as they dial-in to the Adelaide Velodrome ready for competition,” said Hollows.
The team for the UCI Nations Cup track competition in Adelaide on 2-4 February is:
Female sprint: Ellesse Andrews (Christchurch), Shaane Fulton (Nelson), Rebecca Petch (Cambridge), Olivia King (Waikato).
Endurance: Bryony Botha (Auckland), Sami Donnelly (Christchurch), Michaela Drummond (Palmerston North), Emily Shearman (Palmerston North), Ally Wollaston (Cambridge).
Male sprint: Sam Dakin (Auckland).
Endurance: Dan Bridgwater (Cambridge), Aaron Gate (Auckland), Keegan Hornblow (Nelson), Tom Sexton (Invercargill), Campbell Stewart (Palmerston North).