New Zealand Selectors Name Team for UCI World Championships

A 12-strong New Zealand team has been named for track cycling’s biggest event of the season, the UCI World Championships in Poland starting on March 25.

Jesse Sergent and Alison Shanks are New Zealand’s big hopes in the individual pursuit and both will spearhead strong team pursuit line-ups as well.

Sergent will be joined by Wes Gough, Sam Bewley, Peter Latham and Marc Ryan in the men’s pursuit team, while the women’s team will consist of Jaime Neilsen, Kaytee Boyd, Lauren Ellis and of course Shanks.

Also heading to Poland will be veteran Hayden Godfrey who will be defending the Omnium title he won at last year’s World Championships.

The team is completed by sprinters Eddie Dawkins and Simon van Velthooven.
“Alison Shanks is a real strong contender for the individual pursuit for the women, as is Jesse Sergent in the men’s and then both our men’s and women’s team pursuits will be right in the hunt I’m sure,” said team coach Tim Carswell.

“Of course Hayden Godfrey is looking to defend his Omnium title and the results that he had at the nationals in winning the scratch race, third in the points race and second in the kilo means he’s right where he needs to be in terms of fitness and strength and power.”

Carswell was impressed with the performances of his charges at the RaboPlus New Zealand Championships in Invercargill last week with Alison Shanks, Jesse Sergent, Eddie Dawkins and the men’s pursuit team all breaking New Zealand records.

But he is wary of making too many predictions ahead of the World Champs’.

“All the events will be really keenly contested, we’re not taking anything for granted at all, certainly we’d hope with what we’ve done with our riders and the shape they’re in they’re going to be right in the thick of it, but until we actually get there and see everyone that’s racing we can’t make any bold predictions,” Carswell said.

Sergent and Shanks have already won World Cup gold this year with victory in Beijing in January, as did the women’s pursuit team, while the men’s pursuit team will look to improve on the bronze they won at the Olympics last year.

The experience will be a big one for Kayte Boyd and Jamie Neilson who are relatively new to the sport, Boyd a former mountain biker and Neilson a top rower who just two weeks ago won four medals at the rowing nationals in Twizel.

The New Zealand team will train in Invercargill for the next week before heading to Poland.

New Zealand Team for UCI World Championships

Alison Shanks (Otago), Jamie Neilson (Waikato Bay of Plenty), Kaytee Boyd (Auckland), Lauren Ellis (Mid South Canterbury), Jesse Sergent (West Coast North Island), Marc Ryan (Mid South Canterbury), Pete Latham (Waikato Bay of Plenty), Westley Gough (East Coast North Island), Sam Bewley (Waikato Bay of Plenty), Hayden Godfrey (Canterbury), Eddie Dawkins (Southland), Simon van Velthooven (West Coast North Island).