Cycling begins at Indian velodrome at Commonwealth Games

Four days of competition begins Tuesday on the brand-new Indira Gandhi velodrome with some of track racing’s biggest names giving the Commonwealth Games a miss.

Olympic champions Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton are among the bigger names deciding that the risk of Dengue fever, a dose of “Delhi belly,” the errant cobra wandering into the athlete’s village and the long trudge to India are just too much.

That doesn’t mean that the 14 medal events in eight men’s races and six on the women’s side will be without its fair share of drama.

Not all big names are skipping the Commonwealth Games, a quadrennial event that provides a chance for the former colonies to gang up on Mother England all in the name of good sport.

Olympic champion Anna Meares leads a dominant Australian squad that is expected to clean up across the boards on the brand-new velodrome, which opened in June in what’s the finest indoor track between Athens and Beijing.

The Aussies bring depth on both sprint and endurance events, with Meares playing elder stateswoman in what’s generally viewed as a youth movement in the CWG this year. Jack Bobridge will be bucking for gold in the pursuit events while Shane Perkins will be looking to continue Australia’s grip on the men’s sprint, a winning streak that dates back to 1970 in Commonwealth Games competition.

The mighty British team, which dominated cycling at the Beijing Olympic Games, is split into regional teams as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man bring their own squads to the event.

That’s enough to draw road racers like David Millar (Scotland) and Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man), who will have a chance to wave their national flags instead of racing under the UK banner at the Olympic Games.

Ross Edgar, a two-time medalist in Beijing, will be looking to dominate the sprint events for Scotland despite Hoy’s absence.

New Zealand brings an equally strong squad, with Jesse Sergent expected to lock horns with Bobridge for gold in the pursuit.

Canada also brings firepower, with Zach Bell, Travis Smith and Tara Whitten all in the hunt for medals.

Like any international competition, these Games will see some unique stories. India is fielding its first track team since 1978, riding on bikes that came less than two weeks before competition, while Uganda racing its first-ever international cycling event thanks to help rounding up bikes from TV commentator Phil Sherwen.

Sarah Storey, a paralympian who won gold in swimming and cycling, will be lining up against able-bodied athletes in a Commonwealth Games’ first.

The oldest cyclist will be 50-year-old Mark Holowesko, an hedge fund manager called the “world’s fittest CEO” by BusinessWeek Magazine who will be racing the time trial for Bahamas.

FILED UNDER: News / Track TAGS: Commonwealth Games