Cummo boosted by Team GB

Aug 20 2008 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

STEVE Cummings put the disappointment of last Wednesday’s road time trial behind him to cheer on Britain's track cycling team to glory at the Olympics in Beijing.

The 27-year-old from Merseyside finished out of the reckoning on a gruelling course that finished at the Great Wall of China having failed to complete the road race there four days earlier.

It was an improved showing aided by the bitter first experience of Beijing's boiling-hot conditions, but the former Birkenhead North End Cycling club member trailed well behind winner Fabian Cancellara.

But his spirits were lifted over the weekend when his GB team-mates Bradley Wiggins retained his Olympic 4,000m individual pursuit title and Chris Hoy blew away his opposition to earn gold in the keirin.

Britain then produced in a surprise silver in the keirin when Ross Edgar produced a stunning final-lap performance to steal in behind Hoy, while Chris Newton earned bronze in the points race.

Steven Burke, who almost won through to face Bradley Wiggins in the men's individual pursuit final, settled for the comfortable dispatch of Russia's Alexei Markov in the bronze medal race.

Former Olympic rowing silver medallist Rebecca Romero completed her remarkable conversion to track cycling with a comfortable victory over team-mate Wendy Houvenaghel in the women's individual pursuit final.

With Britain guaranteed the top two places in the women's individual pursuit final, Wendy Houvenaghel automatically picked up silver when she lost out to team-mate Rebecca Romero.

Cummings said: "I hope we win everything on the track now. It'll be like the World Championships, when they won the lot. I was a lot better prepared second time round after seeing the course during the road race last Saturday. It was good to have seen the course fully beforehand and feel ready for the challenge.

“In your mind, you can break it up into sections and I found it a lot better this time. The team helped me to prepare and I had a better go at it. It was also a lot cooler at the start and so keeping cool helped me focus. I did my best, gave it all I had and that's all I can do."

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