Dunedin cyclist Alison Shanks is off to Copenhagen next month in a bid to help secure an Olympic berth in Beijing later this year.
Shanks has a world ranking of ninth in the women's 3000m individual pursuit but needs to maintain that status or slip no lower than 11th to qualify.
She was hoping to avoid the trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, so close to the Manchester world championships in March - the final event in which ranking points can be earned. But she needs the points to stay ahead of the chasing pack and secure one of the 12 spots on offer in China.
The 25-year-old former New Zealand A and Otago netballer was planning to compete at the earlier world cup meet in Los Angeles this month and avoid the long flight to Europe.
But an injury meant she had to change her travel plans.
‘‘I'm actually quite looking forward to having a proper race hitout pretty close to the world championships,'' Shanks said.
‘‘The travel will be a bit of a factor because we've got to go all the way to Europe and back in a week. But I race on the first day so I'll fly out the morning after my race, which gives me a few extra days of recovery.''
Shanks came unstuck at a world cup meet in Beijing last month. During a training run on a crowded track, a French rider collided with Shanks, sending her tumbling and leaving her with a dislocated shoulder and a fracture in her arm.
The New Zealand team physiotherapist was on hand to pop the shoulder back in and Shanks bravely soldiered on, finishing ninth in a reasonable time of 3min 41.2sec.
‘‘It [the injury] has taken a few weeks to come right and has been a bit niggly. But I'm back in the pursuit position now.''
About a week and a-half after Shanks returns from Copenhagen, she will compete at the New Zealand nationals in Invercargill where more qualifying points will be on offer.
Shanks' goal is to finish in the top eight in Copenhagen and in Manchester, which she hopes will give her enough points.
‘‘Because the world championships are weighted so heavily in terms of points, I'll need to have another good race there.
‘‘But all I can do is put out my best race and if it's not good enough to qualify for Beijing, well, that's what happens.''
The 12th spot at the Olympics will be taken by the women's B world champion whom Shanks said was ‘‘more often than not'' a lot slower than the rest of the field.
