Cycling: Solid start for New Zealand at Track Nations cup

Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com - 14/03/2025 - Cycling - Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup: Konya - Konya Velodrome, Konya, Türkiye - Women’s Team Pursuit - 2nd New Zealand - Emily Shearman, Bryony Botha, Samantha Donnelly and Prudence Fowler (New Zealand) Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

New Zealand riders have won two medals on the opening day of the UCI Track Nations Cup in Turkey.

Both medals came in teams pursuits, with the women's team of Olympians Emily Shearman, Bryony Botha and Ally Wollaston with Paris reserve Sami Donnelly and newcomer Prudence Fowler winning silver, and the men's team of Tom Sexton, Marshall Erwood, Keegan Hornblow and Nic Kergozou taking bronze.

The women finished behind Germany, who had started strongly in the final to be 1.5s ahead after a powerful first kilometre.

But the Kiwis dug in to catch the leaders at the midway mark, but the German's managed a sub 60-second final 1000m to win in 4:08.024 with New Zealand nearly two seconds behind in the 4000m race.

Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

The men's team, meantime, rode brilliantly catching France in the ride off for third and fourth.

While edged by Australia in the first round, the New Zealanders time of 3:47.622 earned them a place in the bronze medal ride, where they dominated the French.

In other rides, world champion Wollaston, sporting her rainbow jersey, had to settle for fifth in the elimination race, while George Jackson was 14th in the men's race won by Belgian Jules Hesters.

Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com - 14/03/2025 - Cycling - Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup: Konya - Konya Velodrome, Konya, Türkiye - Women’s Elimination Race - Final - Ally Maree Wollaston (New Zealand) Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

Tomorrow sees Olivia King in women sprint, Campbell Stewart in the omnium, Sam Dakin in the keirin with Shearman and Donnelly in the two-rider madison.