The Cycling New Zealand men’s team pursuit produced a remarkable fight-back to grab the bronze medal on day two of the UCI Track Cycling Junior Championships in Tel Aviv.
Their medal follows the bronze from the men’s team sprint on the opening day at the Sylvan Adams Velodrome. There are 42 nations competing but with the covid pandemic, it is the first time in three years that New Zealand has taken part.
The men’s team pursuit combination qualified fifth fastest but earned the ride for bronze after a strong performance in the second round, to take on the dangerous Denmark team.
The Danes started strongly, opening a 1.8 second advantage at 1000m, and pushed this to a massive 3.6 second lead at the midway point, despite a sub-60 second effort by the kiwis in the second kilometre.
However, Denmark may have paid for their endeavours in the oppressive heat at the velodrome, as a 62-second effort brought New Zealand to within 1.5 seconds at 3000m. In the final 1000m flurry with both teams exhausted, New Zealand edged in front for the first time in the final lap, to clock 4:10.30 and claim the bronze medal by just 0.4s.
The New Zealand team was delighted with their endeavours against more experienced opposition.
“The competition here is great. It is unreal to what we have experienced back in New Zealand. It’s been really cool to come out here and all push ourselves,” said Kyle Aitken.
“We wanted to go out and give it everything we’ve got. We had our lap splits and we know what we can do and so we had to give it our all.
“In those last two laps, it was a case of give it everything you have and we pushed as hard as we could. That’s what got us to the line. We all trust each other to push as hard as we could and that’s exactly what we did through to the finish. It was an amazing job from everyone.”
The quartet of Kyle Aitken, Lewis Johnston, Oliver Watson-Palmer and Joel Douglas were joined on the podium by Eddie Pawson, who rode in the qualifying rounds, and by coach Andrew Williams.
In other racing on day two, Jaxson Russell and Liam Cavanagh both went out in the repecharge rounds of the men’s keirin; Amelia Sykes was 15th in the women’s elimination and Jaxson Whyte was unfortunately caught in a crash in the final of the men’s scratch race.
The third day of five in the competition features Georgia Simpson in the omnium; Jaxson Russell and Luke Blackwood in sprint qualification, medallists Pawson and Aitken return for qualifying in the individual pursuit and Johnston in the Points race.