Cycling Southland will face its sternest test in recent years to retain the National Points Shield when the National Age Group Championships start on Tuesday. The symbol of track cycling supremacy has spent the off-season at Stadium Southland Velodrome for the past five years but Southland will need to turn-around a five point deficit following the Elite and Under 19 Championships held in Invercargill three weeks ago.

Olympic medallist Simon Van Velthooven dug deep to win a silver medal on the opening night of finals at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Belarus.

Southland's Eddie Dawkins and Olympic medallist Simon Van Velthooven will fly the kiwi flag in tomorrow’s opening event of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Belarus.