Oceania Cycling Championships – NZL Wrap Day 1

New Zealand won five medals on the opening night of finals at the Oceania cycling championships in Adelaide last night.

A 33-strong BikeNZ squad is contesting the three day meet at the Adelaide Velodrome which also serves as the first event with qualifying points towards next year’s world championships as well as the first time contesting the new programme for the London Olympics. This includes the six-event Omnium and the women’s team pursuit which have been added to the Olympic programme for the first time.

The New Zealand Commonwealth Games trio of Shane Archbold (Timaru) and the Auckland pair of Aaron Gate and Myron Simpson fill the top three placings in the men’s omnium at the midway point after the 250m flying lap, 30km scratch race and elimination on the first day.

Delhi silver medallist Lauren Ellis (Ashburton) is the best in the women’s omnium in fifth place while her Delhi teammate Gemma Dudley (Levin) is eighth after three events.

It’s the first time over the new discipline and Ellis said the championships provided the ideal opportunity to trial the omnium, after recently returning to training.

“I had a good break after the Commonwealth Games and only got back on the bike three weeks ago, so it’s been a bit of a shock to the system,” Ellis said. “I’ve been quite surprised at how good the legs are and how well I have recovered, which is really pleasing.

“Six races in two days make the omnium really tough but as a new Olympic event it changes your focus about it definitely. You have to concentrate on the Olympic events now.

“To be successful at the omnium you have to be consistent at all the events and you don’t want to have any weaknesses. You have to have good endurance to last through two days.”

The event comprises the 250m flying lap, scratch race, elimination, individual pursuit, points race and time trial.

Ellis said that at present she feels her main focus will be the team pursuit where she was part of New Zealand’s world record setting performance at this year’s world championship.

“We will see how things develop with the omnium over the next year of so but right now the team pursuit is probably still my major focus.”

The youthful pairing of Canterbury’s Natasha Hansen, 21, and Auckland student Henrietta Mitchell took out a silver medal in the women’s team sprint in 35.704 in the gold medal ride against Australia, close to the national record.

Talented North Harbour teenager Georgia Williams picked up two medals with a silver in the 2000m individual pursuit in a solid 2:34.341 and then grabbed a bronze in the 7.5km scratch race.

A new-look under-19 men’s sprint team of Tom Beadle (Invercargill), Tayla Harrison (Christchurch) and Matt Noble (Wanganui) won silver while Blenheim’s Cameron Karwowski, a 2009 junior team sprint world champion, took out bronze in the open 1000m time trial, with national champion Eddie Dawkins concentrating on sprints in Adelaide this week.

Results, Oceania cycling Championship, Men:

Omnium: Round 1, 250m flying lap: Scott Law (AUS) 12.476, 1; Myron Simpson (NZL) 13.568, 2; Shane Archbold (NZL) 13.679, 3. Also: Aaron Gate (NZL) 13.759, 5. Round 2, 30km Points Race: Archbold 54 points, 1; Gate 50, 2; Simpson 39, 3. Round 3, Elimination: Archbold 1, Simpson 2, Gate 3. Also: Jason Allen (NZL) 4.

1000m time trial: Scott Sunderland (AUS) 1:02.660, 1; James Glasspool (AUS) 1:03.442, 2; Cameron Karwowski (NZL) 1:04.362, 3.

Under 19 men:

Team Sprint qualifying: Australia 1, 47.186, 1; Australia 2, 48.870, 2; NZL (Tom Beadle, Tayla Harrison, Matt Noble) 49.030, 3; Northern Territory 49.367, 4. Final: Australia 1 46.890, 1; New Zealand 48.563, 2.

Scratch race, 10km: George Tansley (AUS) 1, Caleb Ewan (AUS) 2, Jack Cunnings (AUS) 3. Also: Pieter Bulling (NZL) 7, Dylan Kennett (NZL) 8, Patrick Jones (NZL) 10.

Women:

Omnium: Round 1, 250m flying lap: Isabella King (AUS) 14.926, 1; Annette Edmondson (AUS) 59.89, 2; Megan Dunn (AUS) 15.173, 3. Lauren Ellis (NZL) 15.475, 9; Gemma Dudley (NZL) 15.689, 11. Round 2, 20km Points Race: Dunn 41, 1; Ellis 36, 2; Melissa Hoskins (AUS) 30, 3. Also: Dudley 0, 12. Round 3, Elimination: Hoskins 1, King 2, Katherine Bates (AUS) 3. Also: Ellis 4, Dudley 6.

Team sprint, qualifying: Kaarle McCulloch, Emily Rosemond (AUS) 34.249, 1; Stephanie Morton (AUS), Stephanie McKenzie (NZL) 35.241, 2; Catherine Culvenor, Holly Williams (AUS) 36.068, 3; Natasha Hansen, Henrietta Mitchell (NZL) 36.453, 4. Final: McCulloch, Rosemond 34.352, 1; Hansen, Mitchell 35.704, 2. Bronze: Morton, McKenzie 35.110, 3; Culvenor, Williams 36.009, 4.

Scratch race, 10km: Bates (AUS) 1, Dunn (AUS) 2, Edmondson (AUS) 3. Also: Alexandra Neems (NZL) 9, Sequoia Cooper (NZL) 14.

Under-19 Women:

2000m individual pursuit, qualifying: Georgia Baker (AUS) 2, 32.336, 1; Georgia Williams (NZL) 2:34.347, 2; Letitia Custance (AUS) 2:34.626, 3; Allison Rice (AUS) 2:35.056, 4. Gold medal final: Baker 2:32.836, 1; Williams 2:34.341, 2. Bronze medal: Custance 2:32.419, 1; Rice 2:34.627, 2.

Scratch race, 7.5km: Taylah Jennings (AUS) 1, Jessica Mundy (AUS) 2, Georgia Williams (NZL) 3.

Full results, www.bikenz.org.nz