New Zealand women put to the test

BikeNZ continued its development in the women’s team pursuit with two teams qualifying for tonight’s final track session at the Oceania Cycling Championships. National women’s coach Dayle Cheatley put two teams into action without individual pursuit world champion Alison Shanks, as he looks for the best combination before announcing the team to contest next week’s International Cycling Union (UCI) Track World Cup in Melbourne tomorrow.

The combination of Katie Boyd, Rushlee Buchanan and Lauren Ellis went fastest in 3:31.812, a second outside the national record, and will face the other New Zealand combination of Jaime Neilsen, Gemma Dudley and Joanne Kiesanowski who were timed at 3:34.991. They will clash in tonight’s final no doubt keen to lower the national record set by Waikato at the New Zealand Championships.

All the big guns are through to the final of the men’s keirin which will feature Australian Olympian Daniel Ellis, who won the sprint yesterday, world junior champions Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster, kilo time trial champion Eddie Dawkins and Simon Van Velthooven.

Results