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Beeker
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 Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 1:04pm Post subject: Olympic Track Team Announced |
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The New Zealand Olympic Committee has selected a seven-strong team to contest the track cycling programme for the Beijing Olympic Games.
The BikeNZ riders have qualified for six events in Beijing, with an initial seven-strong squad named today.
BikeNZ High Performance Director Mark Elliott said that other riders may be added to the team to provide the best options for an exhaustive Olympic programme.
New Zealand has qualified for the men’s points race, men’s and women’s individual pursuit, men’s team pursuit, men’s Madison and the women’s points race.
New Zealand Olympic Committee Secretary General and Olympic Selector Barry Maister is delighted to welcome yet another group of exceptional athletes to the New Zealand Olympic Team to Beijing 2008. “We’ve named sixty athletes in the last five months and each of them has clearly met our tough selection criteria for Beijing 2008. The track cycling team is no different and I have no doubt the New Zealanders who take on the world in Beijing this August will make us proud.”
The team is headed by 2004 world scratch race champion Greg Henderson, who was fifth at the recent world championships in the Points race and has been one of the world’s top ranked points race riders over the last two years.
Ashburton’s Hayden Roulston has made a spectacular return to the international scene after returning from a premature retirement forced on him by an irregular heart beat. He made a successive return to the road last year and this year set the fastest time ever by a New Zealander in finishing fourth in the individual pursuit at the recent world championships. He was part of the team that finished fourth in the team pursuit and was ninth in the Madison with Henderson.
Timaru’s Marc Ryan, a top four ranked pursuit rider on the World Cup circuit over the last 12 months, was part of the team pursuit squad that finished fourth at the world championships, along with Roulston, Sam Bewley (Rotorua), Wesley Gough (Waipukurau) and Jesse Sergent (Palmerston North).
Dunedin’s Alison Shanks is the only female to be named at present, earning her place after a series of personal best performances in the individual pursuit that saw her ranked fourth in the World Cup circuit over the last 12 months and seventh at the world championships this year.
Overall Elliott is extremely pleased with the strength of the team having watched their commitment and focus at the recent World Championships in Manchester
“Track cycling is a true global sport with all of the world’s best professionals competing in Beijing,” he said.
“We are going there with all riders in this initial squad ranked inside the top 10 and with most of them in the top five. We are not going to Beijing to make up the numbers but to be competitive.”
He said they would look to nominate other riders following the announcement of the final team (road, mountainbike and BMX) in June based on their ability to cover key events on the track programme.
“This will depend on form as well, which will be the determining aspect of selection for the women’s Points race spot.”
Elliott said the programme at Beijing is particularly challenging.
“For instance there are three rounds of the men’s team pursuit in Beijing. If we want to give our team the best possible chance then we need to use a squad to have fresh legs.”
Elliott said that the team was an excellent mix of proven experience as well as young riders out of the BikeNZ development programme.
Henderson is a fulltime profession with the highly rated High Road team in Europe while Roulston has returned to his brilliant best. Shanks is a young rider with exception prospects with Gough, Bewley and Sargent all members of the 2005 world junior championship winning pursuit team.
There was no place for world Omnium champion Hayden Godfrey (Christchurch) in the team.
“Hayden’s event is unfortunately not in the Olympics. He is a great all-round rider and a true World Champion but this team was nominated on the best specialists for each event that we will compete in at Beijing.”
A final decision on which riders will race which events will be made just before Beijing.
The team is: Greg Henderson (Dunedin), Hayden Roulston (Ashburton), Wesley Gough (Waipukurau), Jesse Sergent (Palmerston North), Sam Bewley (Rotorua), Marc Ryan (Timaru), Alison Shanks (Dunedin).
Last edited by Beeker on Tue 22nd Apr 1:44pm; edited 2 times in total |
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musket
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 1:09pm Post subject: |
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Pretty disappointing for Hash. He'd bring a wealth of experience and strength to the team.
That's no criticism of the named team, mind, they all deserve to be there.
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Lambretta
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 1:34pm Post subject: RE: Olympic Track Team Announced |
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| Beeker wrote: |
BikeNZ High Performance Director Mark Elliott said that other riders may be added to the team to provide the best options for an exhaustive Olympic programme.
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Seems to imply that the door isn't shut yet...
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musket
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 1:40pm Post subject: |
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I'd initially thought they were going to announce a "long / travelling" team, before announcing the actaul olympic squad later...
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Beeker
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 1:46pm Post subject: RE: Re: Olympic Track Team Announced |
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| Lambretta wrote: | | Beeker wrote: |
BikeNZ High Performance Director Mark Elliott said that other riders may be added to the team to provide the best options for an exhaustive Olympic programme.
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Seems to imply that the door isn't shut yet... |
I think Mark is referring to the possibility of adding another woman to the squad for the point race slot rather than Hash in the TP. They have got other back up options for that mens squad in the likes of Jason Allen. So hard to know who would be next cab off the rank there.
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johnL
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 3:30pm Post subject: |
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the long team has been known for some time. it should be a good core group with now distractions (I like small teams)
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Oli
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 3:33pm Post subject: |
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Go Ali! 
And best of luck to the whole team - it looks awesome.
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Beeker
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 6:36pm Post subject: |
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Hayden Roulston interview coming up on 3 News Sport.
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musket
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 6:39pm Post subject: |
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cheers beeker.
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Beeker
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 6:50pm Post subject: |
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Pretty much confirmed no spot for Godfrey.
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musket
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 6:52pm Post subject: |
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Mark Elliot was diplomatic when asked is Roly's talk of gold was realistic.
I'd like to her Roly put it in context, and say I CAN BEAT BRADLEY WIGGINS.
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Beeker
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| Posted: Tue 22nd Apr 6:55pm Post subject: |
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The heart says I hope so...
But the head says Wiggins is a weapon.
But it WILL be a great contest across many events. Just hope we get coverage that does it justice!
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Beeker
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| Posted: Thu 24th Apr 9:52am Post subject: |
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From: www.stuff.co.nz
Wednesday, 23 April
Cycling selection has coach confident
New Zealand track coach Tim Carswell is confident his team is "in the ballpark" to claim medals across six events at the Beijing Olympic Games.
There were few surprises in the seven-strong team confirmed by the New Zealand Olympic Committee yesterday, with Athens Olympians Greg Henderson and Hayden Roulston spearheading the squad.
Dunedin cyclist Alison Shanks is the only woman in the team which also includes team pursuiters Marc Ryan, Sam Bewley and Westley Gough.
Palmerston North cyclist Jesse Sergent won the fifth spot in the team pursuit, leaving no room for Blenheim's Jason Allen or Christchurch omnium world champion Hayden Godfrey.
New Zealand has qualified cyclists in both the men's and women's events for the points race and individual pursuit, the team pursuit and the Madison.
Carswell said there was plenty of reason to head to Beijing with the belief of podium performances.
"All six events, we feel that if we get the riders in the shape they need to be we're going to be right there amongst the top performers," he said.
"That's where we'll need to be at and maybe a wee bit of luck and you're right in the medals."
Carswell said the bar had been lifted this year with plenty of competition for places.
Godfrey was one who had made a late bid with his performances at the world championships but "there just wasn't enough places to have him within the group".
Roulston and Ryan had been the "corner stones" of the team at various stages this past summer, while Bewley, Gough and Sergent had won a world junior championship in the team pursuit in 2005.
"We want to be going sub-four minutes at the Olympics and I definitely feel that group we've got there can deliver," Carswell said.
There are more "minor gains" to be made with a closer look now at some of the "technical" aspects of the equipment used.
"The Olympics is won and lost in tiny fractions of a second, so any gains we can make are probably going to make a big difference at the end of the day," Carswell said.
A decision on who rides which events will be confirmed closer to the Games in August, but Carswell said Roulston was in the frame to contest three disciplines, including the individual and team pursuit and the Madison.
The track schedule works in favour of Roulston with his "core focus", the individual pursuit, first in the programme followed by the team pursuit and the Madison.
Carswell said they would have to develop a "strategy" to ensure that Roulston was used "effectively" in the team pursuit which could see him miss the first seeding round.
"It's the next two rounds which are really important," he said. "I think with the other riders we've got there we should be able to provide that back-up."
Carswell said Roulston was a cyclist who could back up from the solo ride into the team environment.
"He showed at worlds that he stepped out from doing the individual pursuit and went straight into the team and performed exceptionally well and we believe he can do that again."
The six New Zealand-based cyclists head to Invercargill on Saturday for a training camp before they go overseas on May 10 to continue their Beijing build-up.
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