Archbold back on track . . . for now
The wheels are in motion for Shane Archbold to return to Cycling New Zealand’s track programme but the off-contract road cyclist is not committing to a permanent switch just yet.
The 29-year-old former World Tour rider will line up alongside Aaron Gate in the madison at the Track Cycling World Cup in London this weekend, four years after winning a gold medal in the scratch race at the Commonwealth Games.
Cycling NZ opened the door for both riders to return to the track programme in the leadup to the 2020 Olympic Games, after the demise of their Pro Continental team Aqua Blue Sport in August left them scrambling to secure contracts on the road.
Gate has since been snapped up by Continental team EvoPro Racing, who will kick off their 2019 season at the NZ Cycle Classic in Cambridge, and Stuff understands Archbold is also close to finalising a deal at the third-tier level of the sport. However, by competing at a lower level there is a greater opportunity to juggle road and track commitments.
‘‘It’d be the best of both worlds but ideally for me the main goal is to go back to the pro peloton on the road,’’ Archbold said.
‘‘Me and Aaron are in similar boats obviously, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of what to do. The track has always been a passion of mine and the Olympics is always an attraction but it’s just about getting through London and seeing where we can fit into the programme.
‘‘Obviously it’s a competitive team to get amongst it and at the moment my only hope to ride in the Olympics would be in the madison and not the team pursuit. New Zealand is a country that is team pursuit driven, so it’s just about racing in London and saying ‘hey we are back on the track’ and then sitting down and having conversations with what’s next.’’
But regardless of how they perform in London this weekend, Archbold said he won’t be rushed into making a decision on his future, especially as he remains hopeful of securing a contract with a pro team for next year.
‘‘If I win or lose it won’t be that I’ll never ride on the track again or I’ll 100 per cent ride in Tokyo, it’s more just about getting the feeling back,’’ he said.
‘‘Aaron and I have done a few races together but it’s nothing like the level of a World Cup, which is a whole other ball game, especially coming into an Olympics cycle where everyone is taking it a lot more serious.
‘‘The speeds are getting up and up and we have no idea how we’re going to go. It’s been four years since I’ve raced on the track seriously, my last serious race was the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, so it’s been a long time.’’ aiming to end the losing trend of the home side when they host India in the second test, starting today. India hold a 1-0 lead in the four-test series following their 31-run win in Adelaide.
Australian opener Marcus Harris is adamant there is no hoodoo.
‘‘No I don’t think it is a hoodoo at all,’’ Harris said. ‘‘I wasn’t aware of it [those results] so I’m not too worried about it.’’
Some of Australia’s test team – including Harris – are yet to set foot in the 60,000-seat venue.
A fast and bouncy deck is expected to confront Australia and India when action gets under way today.
Perth Stadium curator Brett Sipthorpe has done his best to imitate the conditions seen at the WACA ground, which is renowned for its pace and bounce.
International pacemen often fell into the trap of bowling too short at the WACA in a bid to produce some menacing bouncers to rattle the batsmen.
India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun will drill into his bowlers not to make the same mistake on the Perth Stadium deck.
‘‘You can be carried away by the extra pace and bounce,’’ Arun said. ‘‘But you need to understand that on any responsive track, what is really going to be successful is your consistency and that’s exactly what we’re going to work on with the bowlers.’’