Webster back for more as NZ Cycling squad announced for Comm Games

A 30-strong New Zealand Cycling Team has been named for next month’s XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

The cycling team, comprising track, road and mountain bike, is the second biggest of the New Zealand sports to be represented at the Games and will include 15 rookies.

Rebecca Petch
Photo: Supplied: Cycling NZ

Sprinter, Sam Webster will be the old hand in the squad, attending his fourth Commonwealth Games and looking to add to his seven medals, four of which are gold.

Others with considerable experience include road professional Jack Bauer, who won a silver medal in the road race in Glasgow and captained the team at the Gold Coast.

Aaron Gate, who has been in the form of his life over the last two years, finished fourth in the Points race back in Delhi 2010, and returns with world titles to his name, looking to erase memories of his fateful crash at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

The women’s road team includes the world’s top ranked young rider of 2021, Niamh Fisher-Black, alongside fellow young kiwi stars in Mikayla Harvey and Ella Harris, Gold Coast silver medallist Georgia Williams and Henrietta Christie.

The men’s team comprises Bauer, Gate Dion Smith, and the in-form Patrick Bevin.

They will be supported by endurance track riders including fellow WorldTour riders Corbin Strong and Campbell Stewart, and Shane Archbold.

The men’s endurance track team includes three riders from the quartet that went under the world record by two seconds in Tokyo.

Bryony Botha will be a real hope in individual pursuit, after breaking the New Zealand record four times over the summer.

Also in form is the outstanding young prospect, Ally Wollaston, who has performed impressively in a number of recent competitions, as well as success for her professional road team.

There is excitement with a young women’s sprint team, with an average age of 21, led by Tokyo medallist Ellesse Andrews, with the addition of BMX Olympic semi-finalist Rebecca Petch who will be strong medal hopes in team sprint.

The male sprinters will look more for individual honours led by Webster and Sam Dakin.

Mountain bike should again provide medals with world No 11 Anton Cooper and Sam Gaze both with a gold and silver from 2014 and 2018 along with world No 38 Ben Oliver, fourth in the Gold Coast.

The naming takes the total number of athletes currently selected to the New Zealand Team for Birmingham 2022 to 147.

The team is:

Road:

Female: Ally Wollaston, Henrietta Christie, Niamh Fisher-Black, Ella Harris, Mikayla Harvey, Georgia Williams,.

Male: Shane Archbold, Jack Bauer, Patrick Bevin, Dion Smith, Aaron Gate, Campbell Stewart.

Track, Sprint:

Female: Ellesse Andrews, Olivia King, Rebecca Petch, Emily Shearman

Male: Sam Dakin, Bradley Knipe, Callum Saunders, Sam Webster.

Track, Endurance:

Female: Bryony Botha, Michaela Drummond, Emily Shearman, Ally Wollaston.

Male: Aaron Gate, George Jackson, Jordan Kerby, Nick Kergozou, Tom Sexton, Campbell Stewart, Corbin Strong.

Mountain Bike:

Male: Anton Cooper, Sam Gaze, Ben Oliver.

Road Reserves:

Laurence Pithie

Logan Currie