US women set new team pursuit record

Just one day after setting a new world record in the women's 3000m individual pursuit, American rider Sarah Hammer teamed up with Lauren Tamayo and Dotsie Bausch to break the team pursuit world record during the second day of competition at the Panamerican Track Championships.

At the Bicentennial Velodrome in Aguascalientes, Mexico, the trio rode its three kilometres in 3:19.569, lowering the record of 3:21.552 set by the New Zealand team of Rushlee Buchanan, Lauren Ellis and Alison Shanks at the UCI Track World Championships in Copenhagen in March.

Since the advent of the women's team pursuit - which will make its Olympic debut at the London Games - the three dominant forces within the discipline have been traditional powerhouses Great Britain and Australia, plus the aforementioned New Zealanders.

This performance from the US outfit raises the bar as the world mark continues to drop in what can only be healthy competition ahead of the Olympics in just over two years' time. And whilst the depth of American track cycling has been questioned in recent years, the prospects look good for success in London if this feat can be used to aid development.