Race for Olympic omnium underway

Archbold keen to repeat his omnium success ©Guy Swarbrick (2010 World Champs)

Nov 24th, 11. The much anticipated battle of the omnium got underway at the Oceania Track Championships yesterday with the Kiwis wanting to shine ahead of Olympic selection.

New Zealand can field only one rider in the new Olympic event, and even though Hayden Roulston has withdrawn from contention, there is still strong competition amongst the Kiwi men.

Victory at these Oceania Championships will not only earn New Zealand an automatic spot in next year's pivotal World Championships in Melbourne, it will give the winner the inside running to be named for the upcoming World Cup in Colombia and for February's Worlds across the Tasman.

After the first three events it was 21 year old World Championship silver medallist Shane Archbold who produced the best overall result to lead the competition.

"I have decided to concentrate totally on the omnium. The others are also pushing for the team pursuit but it's all or nothing for me in that respect. I've just got one shot which is the omnium," Archbold said before the competition got underway.

The Timaru rider produced a personal best to win one of his favoured events, the Flying Lap, but was disappointed to place 5th in the Points race. He bounced back to win the Elimination race with an assured display.

After three races he leads on 7 points with fellow Kiwis Cameron Karwowski and veteran Jason Allen sharing second on 12 points, Westley Gough on 13 and the leading Australian Edward Bissaker on 14.

Today sees the final three races, the kilo time trial and individual pursuit - two of Archbold's strongest events - and the scratch race. Although he enjoys the lead at present, Archbold knows the race is face from over.

“With the omnium you can’t have a bad event or you can’t really recover.”

Canterbury's Jo Kiesanowski proved her super-consistent self with three 2nd placings to be 2nd overall on 6 points, sandwiched one point behind Australian Amy Cure and two ahead of Ashlee Ankudinoff (also of Australia).

Kiesanowski produced a personal best to finish behind World Champion pursuiter Ankudinoff in the Flying Lap, with the Kiwi's 14.795 a personal best.

Cure dominated the points race, getting away in a break to put a lap on the field mid-race which set her up for the win, but Kiesanowski showed so much nous to finish second.

Again Kiesanowski was classy throughout the Elimination but the explosive Cure held her off in the final sprint for the win.

Van Velthooven wins the kieren ©Envious Photography-BikeNZ

Triple gold for sprint sensation

Big Manawatu sprinter Simon Van Velthooven showed real maturity in his young career with a superb victory in keirin on the third night of finals in Invercargill.

The 22-year-old produced a massive effort in the final thrust at the line to edge out Australian champion Scott Sunderland.

It was van Velthooven's third gold medal this week after national records in winning the team sprint and 1000m time trial.

Van Velthooven has been the fourth best rider among the burgeoning sprint group but his performances have forced him into real consideration for next year's London Olympics.

"This year I did not go to Japan to race in the professional series and that was a good thing," Van Velthooven said. "It allowed me to train in Europe with the guys, then race in the US and come back and really prepare well.

"I knew if I got behind Sunderland I would get boxed in and not get over him. But I just held there for two laps on his wheel. I lost some ground in the corners but made it up in the straights. I knew with my kilo performance that I could hang in there.

"To be fair even at the last corner I was behind but that's great to get up."

Sunderland finished 2nd with compatriot Peter Lewis 3rd with the other Kiwi Eddie Dawkins unable to get clear air.

Other Kiwi success

The men's under-19 New Zealand combination of Hayden McCormick, Tom Beadle, Kristoff Ford and Dylan Kennett smashed the national record in winning their 4000m final over Australia, clocking 4:11.339.

Kennett then came back to win the under-19 10km scratch race when he held out the world junior omnium champion Caleb Ewan by 5/1000th of a second on the photo finish.

It capped a great week for Kennett, with the Waimate teenager picking up four gold medal, with three of then won in national records.

The evening was completed with a superb men's 30km points race, won brilliantly in the final sprint by Southland star Tom Scully. The Garmin development team professional edged out New Zealand representative Aaron Gate in the last sprint of the night to finish one point clear.

The Oceania Championships conclude today with the completion of the omnium competition and sprints for men and women.

Oceania Track Championships Day 3 results

Men:Omnium,

• Flying Lap: Shane Archbold (NZL) 13.192, 1; Cameron Karwowski (NZL) 13.289, 2; Westley Gough (NZL) 13.349, 3.
• Points race, 30km: Marc Ryan (NZL) 43 points, 1; Jason Allen (NZL) 32, 2; Gough 31, 3.
• Elimination: Shane Archbold (NZL0 1, Cameron Karwowski (NZL) 2, Jason Allen (NZL) 3.
• Points after three rounds: Archbold 7, Karwowski and Allen 12, Gough 13, Edward Bissaker (AUS) 14, Myron Simpson (NZL) 17, Marc Ryan (NZL) 18, Scott Law (AUS) 21, Andrew van der Heyden (Mid South Canterbury) 27, Regan Sheath (Southland) 28.

Men Keirin

• Semifinals1: Simon Van Velthooven (NZL) 1, Andrew Taylor (AUS) 2, Dan Ellis (AUS) 3. 
• Semifinal 2: Eddie Dawkins (NZL) 1, Peter Lewis (AUS) 2, Scott Sunderland (AUS) 3. 
• Final: Van Velthooven 1, Sunderland 2, Lewis 3, Andrew Taylor (AUS) 4, Dan Ellis (AUS) 5, Eddie Dawkins (NZL) 6.

Men 30km Points Race: Tom Scully (Southland) 49 points, 1; Aaron Gate (NZL) 48, 2; Sam Bewley (NZL) 18, 3.

Men Under-19 Sprint 

• Qualifying: Alex Radzikiewicz (AUS) 10.984, 1; Daniel Ellison (NZL) 11.084, 2; Zac Williams (NZL) 11.188, 3.
• Quarterfinal: Bryan Clemen (FRA) BT Williams, Mat Beazley bt Harrison Perriam (NZL), Radzikiewicz bye, Ellison bye.
• Semifinals: Radzikiewicz bt Beazley 2-0, Clemen bt Ellison 2-0. Third-fouth: Ellison bt Beazley 2-1. 
• Final: Radzikiewicz bt Clemen 2-1.

Men U19 4000m team pursuit

• Qualifying: New Zealand 1 (Hayden McCormick, Tom Beadle, Kristoff Ford, Dylan Kennett) 4:17.770, 1; Australia (Caleb Ewan, Tirian McManus, Reece Robinson, Jack McCulloch) 4:23.489, 2; New Zealand 2 (Alex Hooper, Hamish Schreurs, Mathew Zenovich, Tayla Harrison) 4:29.231, 3. 
• Final: NZL 4:11.339, 1; Australia caught, 2.

Men U19 Scratch race, 10km: Dylan Kennett (NZL) 1, Caleb Ewan (AUS) 2, Hamish Schreurs (NZL) 3.

Women Omnium,

• Flying Lap: Ashlee Ankudinoff (AUS) 14.423, 1; Joanne Kiesanowski (NZL) 14.795, 2; Amy Cure (AUS) 14.958, 3.
• Points race, 20km: Cure 35 points, 1; Kiesanowski 20, 2; Ankudinoff 18, 3.
• Elimination: Cure 1, Kiesanowski 2, Sequoia Cooper (NZL) 3.
• Points after three rounds: Cure 5, Kiesanowski 6, Ankudinoff 8, Kate Bates (AUS) and Cooper 16, Liz Steel (Canterbury) and Racquel (NZL) 20, Alex Neems (NZL) 21, Brie Dutton (AUS) 30, Kathryn Jones (Otago) and Hannah Latta (Wellington) 32.

Women Under-19 Sprint

• Qualifying: Paige Paterson (NZL) 12.033, 1; Tenille Falappi (AUS) 12.216, 2; Alle Proud (AUS) 12.224, 3. 
• Quarterfinals: Falappi bt Imogen Hones (AUS), Proud bt Victoria Steel (NZL), Rebecca Dunn (AUS) t Kate Dunlevey (NZL), Paterson bye. 
• Semifinals: Paterson bt Dunn 2-0, Proud bt Falappi 2-1. 
• Third-fourth: Falappi bt Dunn 2-0.
• Final: Paterson bt Proud 2-0.