Heat on women’s pursuiters at RaboDirect NZ Track Cycling Championships

There’s plenty at stake for the women’s endurance riders in the RaboDirect New Zealand track championships that begin in Invercargill tomorrow.

The World Cup series winners will be in action at the ILT Velodrome with the individual pursuit set as the designated final selection for a place in the team pursuit for next month’s world championships in the Netherlands.

Alison Shanks, Lauren Ellis and Jaime Nielsen rode in the winning combination at the World Cup in Manchester last week, with Waikato’s Rushlee Buchanan and Auckland’s Kaytee Boyd competing in the winning Beijing World Cup with Nielsen, while Levin’s Gemma Dudley is also in the running.

“There’s a bit on it for the girls obviously,” said BikeNZ women’s coach Dayle Cheatley. “They left Manchester the day after their final to recover and prepare. They realise that only four of them will likely travel to the World Championships and only three will ride.”

The 3000m individual pursuit is on the opening day tomorrow with qualifying in the morning and finals at night.

Invercargill’s Tom Scully is the only male endurance rider from the current BikeNZ squad who will be competing along with the men’s sprint group including Manawatu’s Simon Van Velthooven, who did not travel to Manchester.

Local hero Eddie Dawkins, who suffered bruising and loss of skin after his heavy fall in the final of the keirin in Manchester, has not decided if he has recovered sufficiently to compete.

However Aucklander’s Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster will take part with Southland based Otago rider Matt Archibald, a former rower, also expected to be in the mix.

The championships begin tomorrow through to Sunday with the morning sessions from 11.30am and evening from 6pm and also include the paracycling elite nationals with world championship qualification up for grabs in some events.

This will be followed by the five-day RaboDirect national age group and masters championships starting next Tuesday.