Meyer chasing redemption on road
CYCLING: It took a combined effort to knock the points race king off his throne at the track but the British won’t be able to conspire against Cameron Meyer in today’s Commonwealth Games road time trial.
The West Australian five-time points race world champion is the star of cycling’s most strategic event. But on Sunday his English, Scottish and Welsh rivals briefly united to stifle Meyer and consign him to fourth.
Meyer admitted he had fallen victim to a British ambush but that today’s individual road time trial on the Gold Coast would offer him a clean run at gold.
“They’d probably rather see their fellow GB members win than an Australian,” Meyer said.
“I knew it was going to go something like that. In a world champs it’s one-on-one but I didn’t quite have the legs to break all the other teams and beat them (myself ). You could see them all afterwards saying ‘well done’. They knew they had to shut me down, they don’t like employing that strong of a tactic against one rider but they know if they give me an inch I’ll take a mile.”
Meyer will have approximately 24 miles or exactly 40km of open road to himself today in an event he admits will be a bit of an unknown.
But with fellow road team members Mat Hayman and Alex Edmondson flying in from a gruelling Paris-Roubaix on Sunday night (AEST), Meyer and Callum Scotson are the men best placed to add to the cycling team’s 10 track golds.
“I’m here and I’ve got good form so I put my hand up but it’s been a while so I’ll go out and have a crack then get ready for the road race (on Saturday),” Meyer said.
Katrin Garfoot is the only Australian in the women’s time trial but will also be a medal chance.