Kiesanowski rides strongly in Cali World Cup

Christchurch cyclist Joanne Kiesanowski has produced solid performance on the opening night of finals in the UCI World Cup track meet in Cali, Colombia.

Kiesnowski finished sixth in the final of the women’s 10km scratch race, after qualifying easily in fifth place in the heat.

The BikeNZ rider rode handily in the bunch in the final where Bulgaria’s Tatsiana Sharakova dominated after putting a lap on the field in the 40-lap race.

Kiesanowski finished close to the front in the sprint finish for sixth, following her fourth placing in the same event in Melbourne recently. This moves her to fourth overall in the World Cup standings with the final round in Beijing next month.

After a decade racing only on the road, the Team TIBCO professional will mix her road contract in the US with a desire to make the track team for the commonwealth Games next year.

She is the only New Zealand competing in Cali and will compete in the points race tomorrow, after finishing seventh in Melbourne.

Result, UCI World Cup, Cali:

Women’s Scratch Race final, 10km: Tatsiana Sharakova (BLZR) 1, Georgia Bronzini (ITA) 2, Yumari Gonzalez Valdivieso (CUB) 3. Joanne Kiesanowski (NZL) 6.