Strong Squad to Contest Final Cycling Spots for Commonwealth Games

BikeNZ has named a 35 strong short-list squad to be in contention for final placings in the team to contest the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The squad will be trimmed to 27 riders to compete on the road and track at the Games due to team number restrictions.

The track group is based on the successful contingent that won a record four medals at the recent world championships in Copenhagen, while the road squad includes virtually all of the New Zealand riders competing for professional teams in the USA or Europe.

The endurance track team includes world championship medallists from the men’s pursuit group of Sam Bewley, Wes Gough, Marc Ryan, Jesse Sergent and Peter Latham and the women’s pursuiters including 2009 world champion Alison Shanks, Jaime Nielsen, Gemma Dudley, Lauren Ellis and Rushlee Buchanan.

Other riders have been added to this squad including 2009 world omnium champion Hayden Godfrey, who narrowly missed out on world championship selection this year after an accident just before the national championships in February thwarted his build-up.

There are five sprinters named including the impressive Eddie Dawkins and triple world junior champion Sam Webster.

The road squad is impressive with leading European-based professionals indicating their availability led by five-time Tour de France finisher Julian Dean, Tour of Spain stage winner Greg Henderson and double Olympic track medallist Hayden Roulston.
 

The women’s road squad is also exceptionally strong led by former Danish rider Linda Villumsen, third in last year’s world championship time trial, Beijing Olympians Cath Cheatley and Joanne Kiesanowski and Italian-based professional Kaytee Boyd. Kiesanowski and Boyd are also included in the track squad.

There are also places for two domestic based riders in the popular Gordon McCauley, a medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and Melissa Holt, who won the time trial titles at the national championships in January.

Several members of the endurance track squad not on professional road teams overseas will head to Europe this month where they will compete as a team in the prestigious Tour of Ireland and then complete an endurance training phase based in Belgium.

“There are some young riders heading to Europe and in the sprint squad that we believe have great future potential and therefore we want to expose them to as much top level competition as possible in preparation for their future roles in the programme.”

The Commonwealth Games track squad will complete their final preparations for the Commonwealth Games at the outstanding velodrome facility at Boudreaux in France.
The road team are expected to have a final shakedown at the world championships near Melbourne a week before their race in New Delhi.

A final selection for the track team will be made at the end of July and the road team later, with recommendations forwarded to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
The short list squad is:

Male, track:
Shane Archbold (Timaru), Sam Bewley (Rotorua), Eddie Dawkins (Invercargill), Aaron Gate (Auckland), Hayden Godfrey (Christchurch), Wes Gough (Waipukurau), Peter Latham (Te Awamutu), Ethan Mitchell (Auckland), Marc Ryan (Timaru), Tom Scully (Invercargill), Jesse Sergent (Feilding), Myron Simpson (Auckland), Adam Stewart (Christchurch), Simon Van Velthooven (Palmerston North), Sam Webster (Auckland).

Road: Clinton Avery (Rotorua), Jack Bauer (Nelson), Patrick Bevin (Taupo), Heath Blackgrove (Waimate), Glen Chadwick (Taranaki), Julian Dean (Rotorua), Tim Gudsell (Te Awamutu), Greg Henderson (Dunedin), Gordon McCauley (Auckland), Hayden Roulston (Christchurch), Jeremy Vennell (Hawkes Bay).

Female, track:
Rushlee Buchanan (Te Awamutu), Gemma Dudley (Levin), Lauren Ellis (Hinds), Jaime Nielsen (Hamilton), Alison Shanks (Dunedin), Joanne Kiesanowski (Christchurch), Kaytee Boyd (Waiuku).

Road: Boyd, Catherine Cheatley (Wanganui), Melissa Holt (Cambridge), Kiesanowski, Linda Villumsen (Auckland).