Southland riders feature in Cycling NZ tracks squad at world champs
One year out from the Paris Olympics, the track cycling programme at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow will provide an important litmus test for the New Zealand team.
The expanded racing programme at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome includes a full Para cycling schedule, while events like the Team Pursuit is spread over three days.
Two of New Zealand’s stars will be racing on most days as the New Zealand team, with a mix of experience and newcomers, look to put the kiwi flag in the ground, looking ahead to Paris in 12 months.
Leading the men’s endurance squad is Commonwealth Games star Aaron Gate and WorldTour professional Campbell Stewart, with the pair boasting 10 world championship medals between them.
They are joined by the experienced Nick Kergozou and Gate’s Bolton Equities Black Spoke teammates George Jackson and Tom Sexton, the double Commonwealth Games medallist.
Caption: Aaron Gate leads the men’s team pursuit in Glasgow. Phto: SWPix
Team pursuit aside, Olympic silver medallist Stewart will take on the Omnium and join Gate in the Madison, with the Games flagbearer racing in the Points race. Jackson competes in the Elimination and Kergozou in the 1000m Time Trial.
“All has gone well so far. Most of the team have been in Europe with our respective road teams and great to get the guys back together again,” said Gate.
“We have a great team. We raced the worlds last year which was a thrown-together campaign with only a few days together after the Comm Games and with some budget constraints.
“This time we are much better prepared and looking forward to taking it to the best.
“Racing the team pursuit one race per day does give a chance for a complete reset. You can leave absolutely everything on the track to do your best possible time and gives you a bit more time for analysis. It is not a bad thing but will be a bit mentally draining once you get to the third day.
“Everything has gone well. I have hit some personal bests in my power zones in recent times on the road and some personal best times on the track as well, so I am really looking forward to seeing how that transpires in terms of form on the track. It is going to be a great competition for the whole New Zealand contingent.”
It is a similar story for the women’s endurance squad with last year’s world championship silver medallist Bryony Botha as their most experienced rider.
There is excitement with the development of the young squad with Michaela Drummond, the anchor from the Birmingham campaign, joined by multi-talented Ally Wollaston and two younger comers in Samantha Donnelly from Christchurch and Emily Shearman from Palmerston North.
Wollaston is taking on a massive campaign after injury forced her out of the Commonwealth Games.
She has joined the Team Pursuit squad for the first time, and will pair with Botha in the Madison, take on the Omnium after winning twice in the Nations Cup and then compete in the Road Race where she is a prospect, after a strong effort in the Giro Donne for her pro team AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step.
“It is really exciting doing both, but my priority is the track at this moment, said Wollaston. “We have a great group of girls and a really exciting chance, especially with the Team Pursuit. it is a group with a lot of potential and we are putting a lot of time and energy into that.
“In terms of the rest of the week I will take it as it comes. It is stretched over a considerable time – two weeks is a long time to stayed switched on.
“The road and the track definitely cross over but a lot of time and energy goes into the team pursuit and a lot of mental energy because you do not want to let your team mates down. They are different but compliment eachother.”
There is also excitement in the sprint group, with genuine admiration in the long-awaited international elite debut for Nelson’s Shaane Fulton. The former junior international has returned after two years out with injury and major hip surgery
“Shaane has done a fantastic job to get back into shape over the last 12 months, with a lot of ups and downs as rehab for a surgery of this nature which is never completely smooth,” said coach Nick Flyger.
“She earned her way back into the team. She is still developing and has been thrust into the deep end – it is her first major meet at international level. Shaane has taken it in her stride and for her it is about going through the processes and not getting caught up in the emotion of it all.”
“Her consistency and dedication and the ability to keep herself in check through the ups and downs is a real credit to her.”
The world championships are critical for the women’s team sprint with the competition worth 1.5 points loading for Olympic qualification.
“We are currently sitting ninth so we need to move up the qualification standings to be assured a spot at the Paris Olympics. It is quite critical.”
Flyger is also impressed with the development from Olympic medallist Ellesse Andrews who has worked hard on all aspects of her sprinting.
“She has done the prep work and at the end of the Grechen camp she was looking really good on the track. We have done lots of work in the sprints and keirin. She has some new things to try on the track – in that gradual build to the Olympics,” said Flyger.
“You don’t want to over-complicate things – it is more about mindset of the race – so she has been doing some work in that space and we have spent a lot of time on sprinting.”
The track competition begins on Friday and runs for eight days, and includes a full Para Cycling programme.
