CYCLE: Australian quartet sets world record

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CYCLE: Australian quartet sets world record

By Valkerie Mangnall

MANCHESTER, Aug 1 AAP - Australia set a world record in claiming the Commonwealth Games4,000-metre team pursuit title in Manchester tonight.

The Australian outfit of Graeme Brown, Peter Dawson, Mark Renshaw and Luke Robertsclocked a scorching three minutes 59.583 seconds to beat England in the ride-off for goldand silver and eclipse Germany's world mark of 3:59.710 set at the Sydney Olympics.

"To go under four minutes is a pretty respectable thing in cycling," Renshaw said.

"To break the world record is unbelievable."

Roberts, who came fourth in the individual pursuit last night and replaced StephenWooldridge in the team after Wooldridge rode in the qualifying round, said the group hadreaped the rewards of three weeks of training together in Switzerland specifically forthe Games.

"We were joking with the idea of going four seconds faster and taking the world record,"

Roberts said.

"We'd ridden a 4:03 earlier this year in the World Cup with minimal preparation sonow we've put in two or three week's solid track time it was always on the cards.

"To do it is a dream come true."

The Australians were one second ahead of England's Paul Manning, Bradley Wiggins, ChrisNewton and Bryan Steel at the one kilometre mark, stretching their lead to nearly 1.5seconds at the halfway point.

By three quarters of the way through the race, the Australians led by more two secondsand it became evident they were on world record pace.

England finished in 4:02.665.

The Australians booked themselves a showdown with the hosts with a time of 4:04.034seconds to qualify fastest yesterday.

Earlier in the round, New Zealand smashed Australia's Commonwealth Games record of4:13.405 set in 1998, with 4:07.824, before England easily eclipsed that time with 4:05.003.

New Zealand was automatically awarded the bronze medal as third fastest qualifier.

Australia has endured a rough recent history in the team pursuit, crashing out of lastyear's world championships in Belgium and again at a World Cup meeting in Sydney in May.

But Dawson said the group had gotten to know each other well in its most recent trainingcamp and also from spending time together in Germany earlier this year.

AAP vm/daw

KEYWORD: GAMES CYCLE DAYLEAD