After their most successful Olympic campaign, Cycling New Zealand’s high performance riders take their first pedal strokes towards Los Angeles 2028 at the UCI Nations Cup in Turkey this weekend.

With only one Nations Cup on the UCI track cycling calendar this year, Cycling New Zealand High Performance team are taking the opportunity for a longer-term view on their development. They are using the competition to blood developing combinations for team events, and more importantly, to advance performances in the individual events.

“As it is year one of the Olympic Games cycle, we are taking a development focus – basically a test, trial and repeat approach,” said Cycling New Zealand high performance manager, Ryan Hollows.

“Our squads – sprint, female endurance and male endurance - all have different approaches and development goals working through to the UCI World Championships in October.

“The Nations Cup in Turkey is a start towards that, although we are all impressed with this track and expect there will be some very quick times set.”

WorldTour professional road riders, Campbell Stewart and Ally Wollaston have flown in from their European bases to compete, focussing on the individual endurance events.

The women’s endurance squad of in-form Bryony Botha, Samantha Donnelly, Emily Shearman and Prudence Fowler will contest the team pursuit and madison.

The experienced Tom Sexton leads a group of Nick Kergozou, Keegan Hornblow, George Jackson and newcomer Marshall Erwood in the same events in the men’s competition.

The sprint squad  are represented by Sam Dakin and Olivia King in individual sprint and keirin competition, with the team sprint trio of Ellesse Andrews, Shaane Fulton and Rebecca Petch targeting training and competition blocks later in the year.

Competition begins at impressive Konya Velodrome in southern Turkey on Friday evening (NZ time).