UCI World Track Cycling Championships

New Zealand’s burgeoning young sprint programme unleashed on to the world stage on the opening night of finals at the UCI World Track Cycling Championships in Copenhagen.

The emerging young trio of Adam Stewart (Christchurch), Sam Webster (Auckland) and Eddie Dawkins (Invercargill) have finished a stunning fifth in their debut in the men’s team sprint.

There was disappointment for Alison Shanks, the reigning world champion, who missed out on a medal in the 3000m individual pursuit. She clocked the third fastest time in qualifying but was edged by Vilija Sereikaite (Lithuania) in the bronze medal ride.

The sprint trio produced a stunning ride to clock 44.450s for the three laps, the fastest ever by a New Zealand team and good enough to beat home sprint superpowers of Russia, Australia and Netherlands.

Their time was 2/10ths of a second faster than their New Zealand record set in Invercargill last month, and only 6/10ths off Olympic champions Great Britain, who missed out on the gold medal ride as the third fastest behind France and Germany.

It is the first time a BikeNZ sprint trio has competed at a world championship and with Stewart 23, triple junior world champion Webster 19 and Dawkins 20, there is real promise for the future.

They also emerged as a medal contender for October’s Commonwealth Games with the second fastest time among Commonwealth behind Great Britain, who will break down to their home countries for the New Delhi competition.

“That was pretty hard for sure but we are so rapt,” Dawkins said. “We knew we were going well but didn’t know we could go that fast. This all boils down to the development work the sprint squad has been doing.

“We worked hard individually and BikeNZ said if we got results they would help to fund. We did that and only came together a few months ago and really started to work well.

“Most of the other team sprint squads have been together for four or five years and we have only been doing this for five or six months. That’s really exciting for us, for BikeNZ and for the Commonwealth Games going forward.

“I just can’t wait.”

Shanks and her coaching team were scratching their heads after she faded in the final kilometre in both her qualifying ride and bronze medal ride. Her training pointed to a sub 3:30 ride schedule in qualifying and again tonight in the ride-off, and the Dunedin rider was shattered she could not deliver.

“She came here to win another rainbow jersey and felt her training was right on schedule to give that a good shot,” women’s coach Dayle Cheatley said. “She is bitterly disappointed and right now is shattered.

“Although it is a big disappointment for what she came here to achieve, she has already steeled herself to refocus for the women’s team pursuit tomorrow, which is the big goal now and she has a vital role to play there.”

Earlier Shanks clocked 3:31.259 in her qualifying run, behind a stunning 3:27.826 from American Sarah Hammer and 3:30.77 by Great Britain’s Wendy Houvenaghel, last year’s silver medallist.

Shanks seemed to be on schedule for a sub-3:30min ride after unleashing a 1:07.976 second kilometre following a conservative opening kilo but eased in the final kilometre.

She was 1.8s behind after the opening kilometre in the ride-off and although she came home strongly, Shanks just missed pipping Sereikaite.

Hammer went on to beat Houvenaghel for the gold medal.

Teammate Jaime Nielsen produced a highly creditable 3:37.212 to finish seventh fastest in her first ride at a world championships. The Hamilton rider, first off from the 22 starters in today’s qualifying, built well after a conservative start with her time was not bettered until late into the competition.

Southland 20-year-old Tom Scully had a learning experience when he did not finish in the final of the gruelling 40km points race. Scully scored points in four of the early sprints but pushed too hard, too early and hit the red line midway through the race.

Australian Cameron Meyer, a teammate of Julian Dean in Team Garmin professional road team, produced a superb display to lap he field twice, once on his own, to dominate the race.

Scully will get another chance in the scratch race tomorrow. Other New Zealanders in action will be Jesse Sergent in the men’s individual pursuit, Simon Van Velthooven and Webster in the keirin and the women’s team pursuit.

Result, Women’s 3000m Individual Pursuit, qualifying:
Sarah Hammer (USA) 3:27.826, 1; Wendy Houvenaghel (GBR) 3:30.377, 2; Alison Shanks (NZL) 3:31.259, 3; Vilija (LTU) 3:31.905, 4. Also: Jaime Nielsen (NZL) 3:37.212, 7.
Gold ride: Hammer 3:28.601, 1; Houvenaghel 3”32.496, 2. Bronze ride: Sereikaite 3:32.085, 1; Shanks 3:32.733, 2.
Men’s 40km points race: Cameron Meyer (AUS) 70 points, 1; Peter Schep (NED) 33, 2; Milan Kadlec (CZE) 27, 3. Tom Scully (NZL) dnf.
Men’s team sprint: France 43.373, 1; Germany 43.458, 2; Great Britain 43.802, 3; China 44.017, 4; New Zealand (A Stewart, S Webster, E Dawkins) 44.450, 5.