New Zealand women’s Olympic track cycling team will head to Hawkes Bay this week for a training camp before heading overseas for their final preparations for London.

The endurance track squad will complete their Olympic planning sessions with coach Dayle Cheatley and key support staff, as well as compete in the RaboDirect national club road championships.

Cheatley said the championships fitted in with his plans for a final camp in New Zealand.

“We had planned for a camp this week to evaluate our performances at the world championships and to plot our final campaign through to London,” Cheatley said.

“We decided to make it in the Hawkes Bay so that we can also get the benefit of some racing too. The squad will compete in the time trial and the road race which is a good chance to race and a chance for riders to see the team in action.”

The squad includes world individual pursuit champion Alison Shanks, Jaime Nielsen, Rushlee Buchanan and Lauren Ellis.

They will complete an Olympic overview meeting and training ride on Wednesday ahead of the time trial near Waipawa on Thursday and 116km road race near Flaxmere on Saturday.

The squad heads to USA the following week for training on the track in Los Angeles as well as a concerted road build-up in Pennsylvania before the final Olympic track preparation camp in France.

Cheatley said they are looking forward to the week in Hawkes Bay.

“It’s a great training environment and will be fun to compete in the club nationals. For these riders it’s been a few years since they took part in club championships which is the backbone of the sport in this country.”

They will join approximately 600 cyclists to compete in the championships. The time trials take place in all grades from under-15 to elites and masters on Thursday, age group and some masters road races on Friday, further masters, paracyclists and elite women on Saturday with elites and masters men on Sunday.

Full schedule and details: www.bikenz.org.nz

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