Kiwi keenly awaits Olympic cycling decision

The verdict on the fate of pursuiting events at the London Olympic Games will be met with mixed emotions by World Cup gold medal-winning cyclist Lauren Ellis.

A decision on track cycling's Olympic programme will be delivered by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on December 12 and Ellis, who returned to her Hinds home yesterday with a teams pursuit gold medal from the World Cup meet in Melbourne, is anxiously awaiting the result.

Cycling's governing body is expected to scrap the individual pursuit, men's madison and points race from the schedule in favour of a programme to include the team pursuit, individual and team sprint, omnium and keirin – each event to be contested by men and women.

World champion Taylor Phinney, from the United States, has threatened to turn his back on the track and focus on the road, while British Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins has voiced his disappointment over the possible scrapping of the discipline. So, too, have Kiwi world champion Alison Shanks and Olympic silver medallist Hayden Roulston.

Ellis, who finished second to Shanks in the individual pursuit at this month's Oceania championships, is disappointed that the discipline is being targeted.

"It's certainly cutting down events for the enduros," she said. "The individual pursuit is something that I've been concentrating on and enjoying."

But the decision will be something of a double-edged sword, with the team pursuit likely to be added for the women – an event which New Zealand women have tasted success in over the past 12 months, most recently in Melbourne.

A gold medal at last weekend's cup meeting along with silver at the world championships in March has lifted medal hopes ahead of the 2012 London Games and Ellis – who has become an integral part of the pursuiting team – said her goal was to be part of the team for the next Olympics.

"There's so much depth now in the women in New Zealand and it's definitely pushing everyone."

She is not planning on focusing solely on the road or switching to any sprint events if pursuiting's solo ride is axed from the Olympics.

"I'm definitely not built for sprinting," she said with a laugh.

Ellis teamed up with Shanks and Kaytee Boyd for their gold medal ride in the women's team pursuit in Melbourne, clocking 3min 24.771sec in victory – their third-fastest time and more than a second faster than their British rivals.

"It was really nice to get one back over them," she said of the British team, which included two of the three cyclists who pipped the Kiwis at the world championships. "It was such a blur; it went so quick.

"We basically just got up on them quite early and just managed to hold it."

It was a special moment for Ellis, who had her parents, grandparents and aunty in the crowd cheering her on.

Their ride marked a successful meeting for the Kiwi track team, which won four gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

- © Fairfax NZ News