Two more titles for inimitable Gate at UCI Oceania Track Cycling

It proved another Aaron Gate masterclass on the penultimate day of action in the UCI Oceania Track Cycling Championships in Cambridge.

The New Zealand Sportsman of the Year made it a double, winning the elite men’s elimination race in the morning, and returned to partner fellow high performance teammate Tom Sexton to dominate the 200-lap madison.

Gate, who has won four titles at the Oceania championships, can go out with a fifth in the points race tomorrow, when he will wear the world champion’s rainbow jersey.

Earlier he claimed the elite elimination race from  Australian Graeme Frislee and Auckland’s Joel Douglas.

Gate and Sexton were outstanding in the 200-lap two-person madison, putting two laps on the field and scoring points at will in a thoroughly dominant display.

They finished on 112 points from the Burgos team of George Jackson and Bailey O’Donnell on 80 with the Couplands duo of Keegan Hornblow and Joel Douglas third on 46.

World championship medallist, Kristina Clonan from Australia set a new All-comers record on her way to winning the elite women’s 500m time trial in 33.410, inside the record set by the great Anna Meares. New Zealand’s Shaane Fulton was second in a personal best 33.960, both averaging over 53kph.

The NZ Champions pairing of Bryony Botha and Michaela Drummond prevailed over their fellow Cycling New Zealand elite teammates, Ally Wollaston and Sammi Donnelly (Velobike) in the 120-lap women’s madison.

Botha and Drummond won on 49 points ahead of Wollaston and Donnelly, who won the final double points sprint to claim second ahead of the Australian pairing of Claudia Marcks and Keira Will.

The New Zealand junior women’s team sprint trio of Zadie Scott, Jodie Blackwood and Kaitlin Kelly  won their final over Australia (Maya Dillion, Lilya Tatarinoff, Ella Liang) , clocking 51.497s to win by nearly a second.

The New Zealand combination of Sienna Lushkott, Sophie Maxwell, Mya Wolfenden and Elena Worrall took out the women’s junior 4000m team pursuit over Australia. The kiwi quartet took until the 2250m mark to get to the lead but from there they powered away to win in 4:42.234, more than five seconds clear of their rivals.

The kiwi combination of Daniel Morton and Bernard Pawson from Pista Corsa took out the 160 lap junior men’s madison, the two-rider event where one rider is in-play at all times, swapping with a hand-sling motion.

The Pista Corsa pair won with 53 points ahead of the Te Awamutu pair of Kane Foster and Magnus Jamieson on 42 with Victoria Institute of Sport pair of Oscar Gallagher and Luke Richert on 31.

The Junior women’s points race over 60 laps proved a closely fought affair, with Canterbury’s Mya Anderson prevailing on 22 points, ahead Auckland’s Elena Worrall and Canterbury’s Sophie Maxwell both on 15 points.

Australian Tayte was in command in the junior men’s time trial, winning in 1:01.519, over two seconds clear of kiwis Daniel Norton and Alex Schuler.